Javier Martínez runs Dxtadaptado.com and works for ASPACE, an association that represents people with cerebral palsy in Spain. | Picture: Javier Martínez. It’s 4pm and Javier Martínez welcomes Sports Gazette from his home in Las Rozas (Madrid), on time, with a smile on his face and eager to talk at length about an aspect he knows perfectly well: the coverage of adapted sport in the Spanish media. His relationship with this subject began in high school in 2005, when he discovered boccia, a sport that shares similar rules to petanque and is played by people with severe disabilities. In his case ..read more

In a fast-moving world where unique talents and motivational stories can be quickly shared on platforms like social media and have the potential to become a viral phenomenon, an athlete’s story can serve as an inspiring example for a great amount of people in the world. But if this was done to every single athlete, it would take away from their actual achievement and make them disappear in a sea of similar story approaches, right? Embed from Getty Images Changing the narrative “Meet the Superhumans”, “One of the most inspiring ads ever” and “We’re the superhumans” are the headlines you encount ..read more

Embed from Getty Images On the same day Oksana Shyshkova won a Winter Paralympic gold in the Women’s Biathlon in Beijing, her home city of Kharkiv was being bombed, as it has been for the last two weeks, by Russian forces. For many Ukrainian athletes in Beijing, this is an impossible situation to be in, but they keep winning medals. Anastasiya Khomutova, a Ukrainian-born Senior Lecturer of Sport at the University of Brighton, is training to be a Sport Psychologist. Her first piece of advice for the athletes is to stay grounded in the world of the tournament. “Control the controllables. “In ..read more

“If I was you I would kill myself because your life is not worth living.”  Claire Cashmore has faced her fair share of abuse. She was born without a forearm. As a result, bullies and trolls have tried to bring her down all her life.   But she has proven them all wrong winning eight Paralympic swimming medals, she is a titan in her field. Now, at the upcoming Paralympics in Tokyo, her fifth appearance in the Games, the 33-year-old from Redditch is hoping to add one more in the triathlon as the defending ITU World Champion in the PTS5.   “I lived a pretty good ..read more

The England Cerebral Palsy team started their journey yesterday in the 2022 IFCPF World Cup against Canada in Salou, Spain. The Para Lions dismantled the Canadians with an 8-1 win to kick off their campaign in style. Among the 14-men squad named by manager Andy Smith, a hat-trick from David Porcher helped the team position themselves at the top of group A. https://twitter.com/England/status/1521506161366900737 While speaking to the Sports Gazette Porcher explained how he felt about his performance. “I personally felt good on the pitch yesterday and was happy with my performance. Three goals ..read more

Embed from Getty Images The closing ceremony of the Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing was a special event for many athletes. But especially for 19-year-old Briton Neil Simpson, who was able to carry the flag of his homeland with his brother. Simpson secured the only gold medal at the Games, and also achieved a bronze. The Games were the first for 19-year-old Neil Simpson. The Scotsman won Team GB`s only gold medal in the Super G. He secured his second medal in the combined event, gleaming bronze. As a visually impaired athlete, you have a guide to help you find your way. For Simpson, that gui ..read more

Embed from Getty Images An eventful Paralympic Winter Games came to an end this Sunday. But if you look at the medal table, the Games left an unpleasant aftertaste. The Chinese were clear winners with 61 medals won. This result has not only surprised the experts but also the competitors. A country dominated by the Paralympics has not played a significant role in para winter sports before. China has won only one medal since the Games were first held in 1976. Four years ago, they won gold in wheelchair curling. The drastic increase in performance this year surprised the experts and raised questi ..read more

Embed from Getty Images “Together for a shared future” was the motto of the Winter Paralympics. They took place during a war with almost ten thousand killed. Nevertheless, 39 athletes from Ukraine competed together and were able to break their medal record, winning 29 medals, with the absence of Russia and Belarus. Until shortly before the Games began, it was not clear whether the Russians and Belarusians would take part in the Games or not. On the first of March, they decided that they would participate under a neutral flag. Many disagreed with this decision and threatened to boycott. “In the ..read more

Embed from Getty Images By the time the Paralympic Winter Games began in Beijing, over a million refugees had already fled Ukraine. Since then, another million people have escaped from the war. Against this traumatic backdrop, Ukrainian athletes have displayed remarkable resilience and have already won a record-breaking 25 medals at the Games. Ukrainian-born sports psychologist Anastasiya Khomutova told the Sports Gazette: “It’s a horrible situation when you’re so far away. And meanwhile, your country’s practically been destroyed. And you worry about your family and your friends and your loved ..read more

Hannah Cockroft is one of Great Britain’s most successful athletes. The Halifax-born wheelchair racer has amassed five Paralympic golds and a further 15 from World and European Championships. However, what many do not know, is how close one of Britain’s finest and most-decorated athletes came to being shut out of sport. Cockroft, 28, suffered two cardiac arrests after her birth, which damaged two parts of her brain and caused deformity to her legs and feet, as well as weakening her hips. As a child, this disability excluded her from access to sport. “Growing up, I went to mainstream schools ..read more