The voice of athletes

media and Paralympic Games in Brazil

Abstract

One cannot think about a major sports event without the presence of the media. It is, therefore, easy to realise that the issues of “what” the media covers and “how” it does it, and how it addresses the participants in each sports may create behavioural barriers when there is a preconceived idea that the person will not be able to perform a task or achieve an objective, or may arise from the comparison of results achieved by people with and without disabilities doing the same task/pursuing the same goal, undermining the latter solely on the basis of disability; or even belittling the activities, goals achieved and achievements of people with disabilities based on a preconception (LIMA, 2011). The subjects of sports media coverage, however, are rarely heard by researchers. This study, therefore, aims to analyse how Brazilian Paralympic athletes perceive, understand and interpret their own representations in the media, and their opinion on the media coverage of the Paralympic Games. In general, we conclude that some athletes prefer to be represented exclusively as top level athletes, while others as examples of perseverance. However, the strongest idea was that the features of the being cannot be dissociated from its representation; what interviewees want is for sports and disability to be represented as significant elements that make up their identity.