Sport in Society uncovers the parallel Olympic Games
(3-2-06) BOSTON, Mass. � The 2006 Winter Paralympic Games will take place March 10 � 19 in Torino, Italy, but the chances of you knowing that are slim, because the Paralympic Games are separated from the Olympic Games and largely ignored, says Eli Wolff director of the Disability in Sport program within the Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University. Since 2003, Wolff has also been a facilitator on disability in sport issues at the International Olympic Academy, the Olympic Education program held each summer in Olympia, Greece.
�The Paralympic Games are a tremendous opportunity for everyone to recognize and understand that sports for people with disabilities are simply disciplines of sport, and that athletes with disabilities are indeed athletes,� said Eli Wolff, Sport in Society�s official spokesperson and educator on the Winter Paralympic Games. "Athletes competing in this Olympic Games are Olympic athletes." Wolff is available to answer questions about athletes, clarify issues, offer insight, and provide information about the Paralympic Games.
According to Wolff, the athletes in the Paralympic Games are essentially ignored by the fans and the media, because their events are held nearly two weeks after the closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games, and there is no explicit link or connection communicated during the Olympic Games.
�Athletes with disabilities participate in disability-specific disciplines of the same sports as able bodied men and women and should be incorporated and valued as a part of the Olympic Games,� said Wolff. �By establishing parallel Games, and by not including the sports for athletes with disabilities as part of the Olympic Games, this only perpetuates resistance to the acceptance of athletes with disabilities, and prolongs the misunderstanding that sports for athletes with disabilities are not legitimate sports.�
About the Center for the Study of Sport in Society
The Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University is one of the world�s leading social justice organizations that use sport to create social change both nationally and internationally. The flagship organization located in the heart of Boston, Mass. was founded in 1984 by Dr. Richard Lapchick and touts branches in Baltimore, Md. and Phoenix, Ariz. Through research, education, and advocacy the center promotes physical activity, health, violence prevention, and diversity among young people and college and professional athletes. Sport in Society�s innovative programs are all staffed by former college or professional athletes and have been awarded America�s most successful violence prevention program by Lou Harris, the Peter F. Ducker Award as the most innovative non-profit program in the social sector, and have been cited as the National Crime Prevention Council�s 50 Best Strategies to Prevent Violent Domestic Crimes. For more information please visit http://www.sportinsociety.org.
