Élite Women Wheelchair Athletes in Australia

Abstract

Élitism in disabled sport is still a relatively new concept. Many people in both the sporting and academic worlds do not fully understand the changes disabled sport has gone through in the last fifty years in moving from a method of medical rehabilitation to truly competitive sport. Over this period of time Adapted Physical Education and Adapted Physical Activities have increased in popularity as academic subjects within Further and Higher Education, but they have only tended to portray sport for disabled people from one of its distinct angles — the mostly non-competitive participation level. The élite end of the spectrum has been given little exposure academically. This is particularly so for women athletes. In track and road racing improved methods of training and technology have all contributed to new levels of achievement in disabled sport, where an extensive international competitive circuit exists alongside Paralympic and World Championship Competition (Banks 1992). Since wheelchair racing first developed in the 1950s, it is now a suitable time in the development of the sport for the changes that are occurring to be tracked, so that sport can be further developed for the future for all levels of ability. As a consequence of my being awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship, I was able, in 1993, to investigate wheelchair track and road racing in Australia.