Conditions for preparations for the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games in the opinion of the Polish national team

Abstract

Conditions for preparations for the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games in the opinion of the Polish national team Study aim: To evaluate the process of preparing Polish athletes with disabilities for the 2008 Beijing Summer Paralympic Games. Material and methods: The study included 31 women and 58 men representing 11 Paralympic disciplines, accounting for 97.8% of the Polish team taking part in the games. The average age was 32 years; the average amount of experience with sports training, 12 years. The method of diagnostic survey applied in the study was a questionnaire by J. Kłodecka-Różalska that was adapted to the needs of athletes with disabilities. The interpretation of the results was based on the arithmetic mean of individual evaluations. After checking the confidence interval, the factors were classified into one of three categories of conditions: satisfactory, sufficient, or unsatisfactory. Results: Data analysis revealed different levels of care and conditions created for the Polish national team during their preparations for the Beijing Paralympic Games. The athletes were fully satisfied with the conditions of the central camps and consultation (food, accommodation, sports equipment) and social relations (atmosphere of cooperation between the athletes and cooperation between the athletes and national team coaches of various disciplines). Issues requiring more professional attention are the health of athletes nominated to participate in the Paralympic Games (medical care and individual orthopaedic equipment) and contact with the media, which shapes the image of sport of the disabled people. Conclusions: In preparation for Paralympic Games, these athletes need to be provided with the constant and highlevel assistance of a psychologist and a nutritionist. In the perspective of future athletic goals set for the representatives of our country, a high standard of sports facilities, individual sports equipment, transport to the central camps and consultation, as well as professional care in the field of wellness, physiotherapy and massage, should be taken into account for Paralympic Game preparations.

Sexuality of Disabled Athletes Depending on the Form of Locomotion

“…The athletes rely not only on their natural predispositions and talent, but must undergo specific training, which is not substantially different from that of fully abled athletes. It is a great challenge that carries significant health implications ( Silver, 2004 ; Sobiecka et al, 2008 ).…”

“…Physical disability may affect physical functioning, a mood, the quality of life (QoL) and restrict sexual and non-sexual contacts. Yet, the data on the QoL and sexuality of physically disabled men and women is scarce, especially with regard to the correlations between physical activity and the above-mentioned variables ( Alexander et al, 2009 ; Lombardi et al, 2010 ; Silver, 2004 ; Sobiecka et al, 2008 ).…”

“…Numerous studies have demonstrated that professional physical rehabilitation may significantly improve the QoL in men and women after spinal cord injury, which emphasizes the role of physical activity in people with physical disabilities ( Alexander et al, 2009 ; Lombardi et al, 2010 ). Considering that the data on disability (in particular spinal cord injury) emphasizes the beneficial impact of regular physical activity on both physical and psychological health, and knowing that very few studies have explored the beneficial effect of physical activity on sexual functions, sexual satisfaction and sexual well-being, exploring the relationship between various levels of physical activity, sexual function and satisfaction in individuals with disability may constitute an innovative and interesting research area ( Alexander et al, 2009 ; Lombardi et al, 2010 ; Silver, 2004 ; Sobiecka et al, 2008 ;).…”

Sexual Health of Polish Athletes with Disabilities

“…The competitors rely not only on their natural predispositions and sports talent, but they must also undergo special training, which is not substantially different from that of competitors without disabilities. This is a great challenge with significant health implications [ 3 ].…”

“…Physical disability may affect physical functioning, mood, the quality of life (QoL) and restrict sexual and non-sexual contacts. Yet, the data on the QoL and sexual functioning of men and women with physical disabilities is scarce, especially with regard to the correlations between physical activity and the abovementioned parameters [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ].…”