Most of you would not be familiar with the Paralympics. The Paralympic Games are played alongside the Olympics and is a major international multi-sport event involving athletes with a range of disabilities, including impaired muscle power (e.g. paraplegia and quadriplegia, muscular dystrophy, post-polio syndrome, spina bifida), impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency (e.g. amputation or dysmelia), leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, vision impairment and intellectual impairment.
The Paralympic Games have started from September 7, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Breaking a big toe voluntarily, inuring already damaged limbs in order stimulate blood pressure...self-stimulation or 'boosting' is a unique and sinister challenge for the organisers of the Parlympics to confront.
'Boosting’ is the preferred method of those with spinal injuries, for aside from paralysis and loss of feeling in their limbs, they suffer often equally from problems associated with blood pressure and heart rhythm. As a result when they are in the midst of competition their heart rate does not increase to the level required by the demands generated by their body. Bad performances emanate from a fatigue linked to lack of very low blood pressure and a lack of stamina. Certain athletes resort to drastic measures to improve their performances, self mutilating their already damaged limbs-- the advantage being they do not feel the pain as the nerves are dead. This increases the level of blood pressure, improving the flow of blood to the muscles and logically the end result are better performances.
Some go to extreme lengths using electric shocks, explicitly wearing too tight shorts to up the blood pressure in the lower limbs, twisting their testicles…the horror stories are never-ending.
Represented by its largest ever contingent, India is hoping for an improved medal tally in the Paralympic Games. A total of 19 athletes will feature in 10 disciplines at the Games. The Sports Ministry announced on Tuesday that Indian gold medallists from the Paralympic Games will be awarded Rs75 lakh, the silver Rs50 lakh while Rs30 lakh will be given to the bronze medallists. Among the Indian athletes, javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia, who became India's first Paralympic gold medallist in Athens 2004, will hope to finish on the podium this time as well.
