Why British Paralympics media coverage must change
Miltiadis Tentoglou raises his hands above his head in self-encouragement to an eerily empty Japan National Stadium, as he prepares to leap for long jump gold at the belated Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Only two months earlier, Germany’s Markus Rehm had jumped 8.62 meters, a distance which would have been good enough to win every Olympic title dating back to 1992, when Carl Lewis claimed his third of four consecutive long jump gold medals in Barcelona.
So, why wasn’t it Rehm jumping for gold in that Tokyo final?
Nicknamed ‘Blade Jumper’, he would instead comfortably go on to clinch the men’s T64 long jump event one month later, contested by athletes with a single below-the-knee amputation who run with a prosthesis.
One of the few individuals allowed into the stadium that day was The Times sportswriter Elgan Evan Alderman, who spoke exclusively to the Sports Gazette about the ever-changing relationship between the media and elite disability sport.
“Whereas for the Olympics there will be six or seven journalists per organisation, I was the sole correspondent for The Times,” he said. “At face value, that’s just one example between the two games and how they’re covered.
“[Markus] Rehm’s story was one where you could quantify the distance that he was jumping so readily with that of the Olympic champion, and so it was much easier to understand it in that particular context.”
Ditching the ‘supercrip’ narrative
Para-athletes have been framed in the British media by the ‘supercrip’ narrative in recent Paralympic Games, as Tokyo saw a record number of competitors at 4,403 athletes.
A ‘supercrip’ is a loaded term in its current currency, and coexists with outdated discourses of para-athletes being hailed as superheroes, overcoming their disabilities and participating instead of competing for Paralympic glory.
“A lot of para-athletes have spoken about how they want to be seen as ‘athletes first’, rather than people who are described as having to overcome things,” he said.
“For them their disabilities are a part of their lives, and so it’s not about overcoming their disability, but rather performing at world-leading standards in their pursuits.”
Professor Katie Ellis of Curtin University has argued that the Tokyo Games saw a monumental shift in the relationship between the media and the Paralympics from the rehabilitative focus of previous games.
“As journalists, we love telling interesting backstories, and the fact of the matter is that every Paralympian has one just because of the nature of the event. I suppose the danger is that the narrative shifts too much towards that,” Alderman added.
“I think you have to cover both events in their sporting integrity. Inevitably, if somebody has a terrific backstory then you just have to mention it, but I think the key is striking a balance.”
One such instance was the GB men’s wheelchair rugby success at Tokyo, who became the first British team to win gold at the Paralympics.
“It was another example of being able to tell so easily that they were doing something remarkable on a sporting level,” he said.
“It was not just about the backstory of each individual, but about how thrilling, fast and physical the sport itself was, and for that it was my undoubted highlight of the Tokyo Paralympics.”
Clarification key in engaging public
While 539 gold medals were handed out at the Tokyo Paralympics, there were 340 golds at the Olympics less than a month earlier, despite triple the number of athletes competing.
Some broadcasters have argued that confusion around Paralympic classifications affects the way in which British audiences engage with the Paralympics. However, certain disability sport activists claim that it demonstrates how ignorant we are as a nation to disability in general.
“There are so many different classifications and disciplines at the Paralympics, which are necessary because of what the movement represents, but it does make it more difficult to distil into as a casual viewer,” he added.
“There could undoubtedly be more explanation as to what each event means – on the face of it T11 doesn’t mean anything, but each classification obviously has its own significance.”
Alderman added that it’s more incumbent on broadcasters to remind viewers of the particular categories for different disciplines, but admitted that the written media has a responsibility too.
“For a newspaper, it might be a case of publishing an explainer article or perhaps briefly explaining the category at the top of a report,” he said.
“It’s vital not to be afraid of reiterating the point every time you write about it, instead of simply saying that X won the T11 100m or something along those lines.”
How can the relationship progress?
In a recent evening of equality, diversity, and inclusivity in Welsh sport, three-time Paralympic champion Aled Siôn Davies asserted that London 2012 catapulted the Paralympic movement forward around 20 years, but argued that the progress made a decade ago has since plateaued, especially in the time between Paralympic Games.
“I think Britain is just one of the great hosts of sporting events, and so bought wholesale into the essence of the Paralympics,” Alderman said.
“In the past there was certainly such a stigma around para-athletes. Perhaps talking about Strictly Come Dancing in this context is quite frivolous, but when you see the likes of Johnny Peacock dancing, it changes people’s opinions about these things, in the same way that watching him run 100m in under 11 seconds does.”
While it is unknown whether Britain will be captivated by the Paris Games in a similar fashion to 2012 due to its geographical proximity, this summer will undoubtedly be another opportunity for the British media to foster a healthier relationship with elite disability sport.
