The Road to Rio: Medical and Scientific Perspectives on the 2016 Paralympic Games

Cheri Blauwet; Jan Lexell; Wayne Derman; Guzel Idrisova; James Kissick; Jaap Stomphorst; Yetsa Tuakli Wosornu; Peter Van de Vliet; Nick Webborn

doi:10.1016/j.pmrj.2016.07.004

The Road to Rio: Medical and Scientific Perspectives on the 2016 Paralympic Games

PM R. 2016 Aug;8(8):798-801. doi: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2016.07.004. Epub 2016 Jul 16.

Authors

Cheri Blauwet¹, Jan Lexell², Wayne Derman³, Guzel Idrisova⁴, James Kissick⁵, Jaap Stomphorst⁶, Yetsa Tuakli Wosornu⁷, Peter Van de Vliet⁸, Nick Webborn⁹

Affiliations

¹ Medical Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, 300 First Avenue, Charlestown, MA 02120(∗). Electronic address: cblauwet@partners.org.
² Medical Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany; Department of Health Sciences, Rehabilitation Medicine Research Group, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden; Department of Health Science, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden(†)(§§).
³ Medical Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany; Institute for Sport and Exercise Medicine, Division of Orthopaedics, Stellenbosch University, South Africa; International Olympic Committee (IOC) Research Centre, South Africa(‡).
⁴ Medical Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany; Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health, St. Petersburg, Russia; National Paralympic Committee of Russia, Moscow, Russia(§).
⁵ Medical Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany; Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada; Carleton University Sport Medicine Clinic, Ottawa, Canada(¶).
⁶ Medical Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany; Sports Medicine Department, Isala Klinieken, Zwolle, The Netherlands(#).
⁷ Medical Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA(∗∗).
⁸ Medical and Scientific Department, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany(††).
⁹ Medical Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany; School of Sport and Service Management, University of Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom(‡‡).

PMID: 27432531
DOI: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2016.07.004

Abstract

In August and September of this year, the world will turn its attention to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the 2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. Of interest to physiatrists, the Paralympic Games will take place from September 7 to 18, with an estimated total of 4 billion viewers. In the United States, for the first time in history, the Summer Games will be broadcast over a total of 66 hours on NBCUniversal. The Paralympic Games represent the pinnacle of elite sport for athletes with disabilities while also changing perceptions around the importance of grassroots sport and physical activity opportunities for the disability community more broadly.

MeSH terms

Athletes
Brazil
Disabled Persons
Exercise
Humans
Sports*