The 2024 Summer Paralympics kicked off in Paris on Wednesday, Aug. 28. According to the International Paralympics Committee, this summer, there are 22 events which all involve athletes with a range of disabilities. These events range from Para-Archery to Wheelchair Rugby. The games ended on Monday, Sept. 8.
Dhruv Chakravarthula, sophomore, watches the Paralympics every four years. He said that incorporating people with disabilities into one of the biggest sporting events ever is very important, and that the Paralympics can often act as a vehicle for diversity and inclusion.
Chakravarthula has a sister who participates in the local Paralympics every year, and he said that she always comes home with a medal, and that she always has a happy look on her face.
“She is so inspired by seeing these athletes with down syndrome like her go and perform at the national and international levels,” Chakravathula said. “I know again with my sister she was able to get more inspired and get more courage because she saw someone at the Paralympics with down syndrome and she was a swimmer, and she was like ‘I wanna do that!’”
Chakravarthula’s sister now competes in swimming at the local Paralympics, every year.
Chakravarthula said the Paralympics are beneficial, but he also believes that neurotypical people should try to be more inclusive, and not cast people out just because they’re different.
“Most people will look at them with a sense of pity, or just stay away from them, which I don’t know why because they truly are wonderful people. Just because you have a disability doesn’t make you any less weak or different, it’s just your brain is wired differently.”
Chakravarthula said the Paralympics being shown and discussed more at the school could be an important vehicle for promoting inclusivity.
“They are just like you and I. They are no different because of a disability,” Chakravarthula said.
Yvette Yaroshenko, sophomore, enjoys watching the Paralympics, and has watched several events this year.
Yaroshenko said the Paralympics can be incredibly motivating to many students both in MHS and the world, and that it promotes change.
“It can definitely inspire change and inspire new ideas to a new generation,” Yaroshenko said. “It can also affect long term, into their career, what they want to study if they want to go into stuff like that.”
Yaroshenko said events like the Paralympics can help inspire students to break boundaries.
“I think from my friends that face those kinds of challenges I think the biggest thing is people telling them ‘oh you can’t do it’ but to see people who face similar challenges to them, it helps to show them that they’re not different,” Yaroshenko said.
Felicia Durst, who is in charge of the Special Olympics at MHS, said the Paralympics can help inspire students as well.
“I think there is the inspiration of people knowing that anything is possible, that you can swim with breaststroke or backstroke with no arms or one arm and one leg, or you can shoot an arrow with no arms, so how does that not give you the inspiration that anything is possible?” Durst said.
Durst said the two events hold similar values to each other.
“I guess the motto of the Special Olympics is let me win but if I can’t win then let me be brave in the fight, “ Durst said. “So I think that that is the same in the Paralympics like you want to win but if you can’t win then the bravery that you showed to try is just awesome.”
