Olympic Games Why does Mexico win more Paralympic medals?

Comparisons are debatable because these are very different competencies; however, by the different number of athletes, countries and medals awarded between Paralympic Games i Olympics it can be largely understood why Mexico gets very different results in these events.

Mexico ranked 20th in the World Cup Paralympics of Tokyo 2020 which recently ended last Sunday, a month later than in the Olympics culminated in step 84.

However, the competition in the Olympics is much greater than in the Paralympics because in the first event 11,326 athletes participated in total, more than double that in the second, when 4,520 athletes attended.

The Olympics were attended by 205 countries, while the Paralympics were 163, and in the first of these events 1,080 medals were awarded, for 1,631 in the competitions of adapted sport. That is to say that a Olympics more athletes come but fewer medals are awarded, while in Paralympics fewer athletes go but more medals are awarded.

WHY DOES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATHLETES AND MEDALS VARY?

The reason is that in Paralympics there are many more categories than in the Olympics, mainly because they go according to the degree of motor, visual or intellectual disability of athletes, which are determined by a group of experts in each discipline.

“I think a comparison between conventional and unconventional athletes is not valid. For example, in conventional sports there are only two categories in some tests such as Athletics or Swimming, which is only for men and women, while in adapted sports there are many categories, “the specialist told Mediotiempo in Olympic sport, Juan Manuel Rotter.

In the 100 meters flat of the Olympics, the so-called mother test of Athletics, women and men run with the possibility of a Gold in each branch, while in the Paralympics, at least in women there are in this same test the categories: 100mT35, 100m T38, 100m T34, 100m T11, 100m T13, 100m T47, 100m T36, 100m T54, 100m T12, 100m T53, 100m T37, 100m T64 and 100m T63.

“It’s part of the Paralympics’ own growth. More categories have been integrated“They are more open and sometimes they are even a little unfair because there are categories where athletes are seen more easily with their disability to compete against others,” Rotter added.

However, this does not detract from the merits of any of the Mexican athletes in these summer events, when Mexico won 4 Olympic medals, all bronze, With a delegation of 162 athletes, and 22 Paralympic medals, With 7 golds, 2 silvers and 13 bronzes, with 60 athletes.

PARALYMPICS ARE MORE IMPORTANT

Globally, 15% of the population has a disability, a figure that in Mexico is 16.5%, according to INEGI. Of this population, very few are engaged in sports, according to Rotter. Besides, the Olympics have a history of 124 years for 72 of the Paralympics.

“The competition itself is becoming more consolidated, there are more countries that support their disabled population and among them their athletes. We could not say that they are at the level of consolidation of the Olympic Games, but there they go and have a whole strategy to do it, ”the specialist added.

to the Rio Paralympics 2016 4,359 athletes from 160 countries attended, for the 4,520 athletes and 163 nations in Tokyo 2020, Which showed a slight increase. For Mexico, which reached 100 gold medals in its Paralympic history, there was also an improvement because in Tokyo it won the 22 metals mentioned to be in 20th place in the medal, while in Rio won 15 medals and finished in 29th place among all countries.

THE CULTURE OF INCLUSION

But not in all cases is there a marked difference between what a country has to Olimpic games i Paralympic Games. For example, the United States dominated the medal in the Olympics with 113 metals, while in the Paralympics it took third place with 104. China he was crowned in the adapted sport with 207 medals and remained in the Olympic fight against the USA by accumulating 88 medals.

“European countries that have a good culture of inclusion, especially those that are aligned in the UK, such as Australia and Canada, do not have as much difference between sporting events that are done simultaneously and not separately,” Rotter explained.

In Mexico, although it seeks to advance the equal treatment of people with disabilities with better access, opportunities and support, it is a reality that is still very much missing.

“In Mexico, work has been done to support athletes with disabilities, That is why there have also been good participations in the Paralympic Games. Mexico is one of the first countries (on a continental level) that really started to prepare its parathletes, in fact we were better than Brazil but today Brazil is a power “, added Rotter.