Viewpoint

Chantal Petitclerc

Athletes with Disabilities Become Serious Contenders

In this country, athletes with disabilities are now considered serious contenders. What’s more, according to champion wheelchair athlete Chantal Petitclerc, Canada is one of the first countries to integrate them into a national sports system.

Attitudes have evolved over the past 20 years. "When I first became involved in wheelchair athletics in 1988, nobody took it very seriously. Although people were very encouraging, they focused more on the determination it takes for a disabled person to be involved in sports than on the athletic nature of his or her achievement. Fifteen or 20 years ago, all you would get was an encouraging pat on the back. These days, people are no longer surprised that we train as hard as other athletes, that it’s very competitive."

This change in attitude is mostly due to two pioneers of wheelchair sports: Rick Hansen in English Canada and André Viger in French Canada. "In addition to being strong athletes, these men quickly became spokespeople for the movement. Rick, for instance, promoted spinal cord research and that probably helped. Canadians in general are quite open-minded and their attitude toward integrating people with disabilities is just one example of this."

Wheelchair athletics thus became one of the few Paralympic sports to be fully integrated into a national sporting federation, in this case Athletics Canada. "We have the same programs, the same funding, the same recognition from Sport Canada. There are not many other countries where Paralympic athletes are part of the overall medal awards system. What they’re saying is that Canada holds all athletes to be equal, regardless of whether they are Olympic or Paralympic, and that’s very status-enhancing. When we return from the Paralympic Games, we receive the same honours as the Olympic athletes."

Petitclerc is convinced that the visibility generated by disabled athletes facilitates the integration process for people living with a physical disability. "For years, people relied on telethons to raise money and awareness. Although necessary in some respects, these measures reinforced the image of disabled people as victims in need of financial assistance and support. The great thing about disabled athletes is that they present another kind of image: that of a disabled person who is fully integrated into society, and a ‘mover and shaker’ to boot! I think we will see the positive impact of this new kind of image, not just in the sporting world, but in school and work settings as well."

Petitclerc has noticed that disabled people are going into sports in increasing numbers, particularly Paralympic sports. Do young, disabled Canadians dream of one day rivalling today’s disabled athletes, the same way other youngsters secretly dream of facing off against hockey stars on the ice? "Yes. I think because of the visibility generated by Sydney and Salt Lake City we’re gradually moving in that direction."