Paralympic athletes and even the International Paralympic Committee are raising their visibility on social media with content focusing on and even making fun of their physical disabilities.
FILE - Archer Matt Stutzman of the United States talks to a pupil during a visit in a Paris school, in Paris, Oct. 4, 2023. Paralympians are not participating. They are competing. A number of athletes preparing for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games proclaimed that message on their social feeds over the past few days, reminding the world that Olympians are not the only athletes coming to Paris looking for gold.
. A genial 5-foot-6-inch man grasps a car’s steering wheel with his foot. He leans over to his passenger and says with a sideways smile, “Is this your first time riding in a car with a guy without arms?”Under sea and over land, the Paris Paralympics flame is lit before beginning an exceptional journeyThe guy with no arms is Paralympic silver medalist Matt Stutzman, who has built up a brand as the “Armless Archer.
“There’s that connection; it’s like an unspoken bond,” said Stutzman, who earned a silver medal in the men’s individual compound open at the London games in 2012. “I might not know who Bassett is, but we both know that we both had to go through something specific to even get to the level where we’re at in sport.”The IPC has received criticism for leaning into the disabilities of their athletes, but spokesman Craig Spence said the irreverent approach was necessary.
“They like to laugh about themselves,” he said. “Like we all do, and that’s why we’ve tried to be really edgy on the Paralympic TikTok account.”
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