Paralympians not “participating” at Paris 2024 Paralympics

•    Leading Paralympians challenge language bias with “I won’t be participating at Paris 2024” campaign

Some of the world’s leading Paralympians have declared they are not “participating” at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, as part of a new International Paralympic Committee (IPC) campaign aimed at challenging language bias.

As part of the social strategy, Paralympians including the likes of Australian Paralympic canoe champion Curtis McGrath, Italian sprint champion Amber Sabatini, and Argentinian wheelchair tennis ace Gustavo Fernandez, have posted a series of graphics on Instagram, the first of which declares: “I won’t be participating at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games”. By swiping left on the series of images, social media followers discover the athlete instead stating: “I will be competing” – a reminder that Paralympians have often been praised simply for taking part in sport, not because of their sporting abilities or fierce drive to win.

The campaign has been created to drive a conversation around the language used to describe Paralympians, compared to athletes who compete without a disability. It builds on the IPC’s “Paralympic Dream” film which teased audiences with the idea that the Paralympic Games are an idyll of sporting harmony only to unleash a taste of the impressive athleticism and fierce competition that will actually be on show.

Craig Spence, the IPC’s Chief Brand and Communications Officer, said: “Paralympians have often been described in the media as ‘participants’ and not ‘competitors’. At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, it’s time we set the record straight.

“After years of training and dedication, 4,400 of the world’s best Paralympians are heading to the French capital to compete at the very highest level. Across all 22 sports, we are expecting intense competition and the greatest Paralympic Games to date in terms of sport performance.

“Language plays an instrumental role in how people are perceived, especially when it comes to persons with disabilities and Paralympians. It’s important we get the language right which is why we have launched this campaign to provoke interest in the subject ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.”

The social strategy has been created by adam&eve DDB, who have created several award-winning international campaigns on behalf of the IPC.

Richard Brim, Global Chief Creative Officer at adam&eveDDB, said: “We’ve loved collaborating with the International Paralympic Committee on this campaign, and are delighted at the Paralympians who are getting on board.

Language matters, not just in how we describe each other, but with those all-important ‘doing words’ too. This is a great way to remind audiences and show them why they should be following the 2024 Paralympics.”

The Paralympians shared the messages on their social channels, as part of a wider social media push featuring striking assets with the “They’re not here to play games” message, and information about where the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games can be viewed.