If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent the last couple of weeks glued to the television screen watching the U.S. Women’s Basketball team secure their eighth consecutive gold medal, a Swedish pole-vaulter shatter his world record, and a Norwegian swimmer obsess over the Olympic Village chocolate muffins. But the excitement in France is not over yet. The Paralympic opening ceremony kicked off on August 28th and the games started the following day on the 29th. Similarly to the Olympics, the Paralympics are streaming across NBC and other NBC platforms such as Peacock, USA Network, and CNBC.
If you’re not as familiar with the Paralympics, I would recommend watching the 2020 Netflix documentary, Rising Phoenix, directed by Peter Ettedgui and Ian Bonhôte.
What is the documentary about?
Rising Phoenix states “The Olympics is where heroes are created. The Paralympics is where the heroes come.” This documentary follows the rise of the Paralympic Games from World War II to Rio 2016 with interviews from elite athletes and board members who are looking to shed light on disability and diversity within athletics. The documentary primarily interviews nine different Paralympic athletes including Bebe Vio (Italy, Fencing), Tatyana McFadden (United States, Wheelchair Track and Field), Jonnie Peacock (England, Track and Field), Jean-Baptiste Alaize (France, Track and Field), Ellie Cole (Australia, Swimming), Cui Zhe (China, Powerlifting), Matt Stutzman (United States, Archery), Ryley Batt (Australia, Rugby), and Ntando Mahlangu (South Africa, Track and Field).
The Paralympics were initially started by Dr. Ludwig Guttmann in 1948 for veterans with disabilities, now known as the Invictus Games. Through interviews and video clips, the documentary showcases the many challenges both the Paralympics and Paralympians have faced as the games have evolved into one of the world’s largest sporting events. In addition to showcasing these athletes’ incredible stories, the film also delves into the 2016 Rio Paralympics and the financial challenges that nearly prevented the games from taking place.
Disparities Between the Games
“It was the first time in my life I’d seen a stadium so full”
Jean-Baptiste Alaize
Although the Paralympic Games are organized alongside or “parallel” to the Olympic Games, the documentary depicts that the Paralympics were not, and are still not, taken as seriously as the Olympics. Due to numerous political and financial challenges, the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games were on the brink of being canceled and were not officially confirmed until the very last moment. Many individuals in positions of power doubted the Paralympics’ potential to generate revenue and draw in large crowds, so they allocated more money to the 2016 Olympic Games. However, the Paralympic Games defied these expectations and proved these officials wrong as many of the events had packed stadiums filled with cheering fans. Despite years of training, many athletes nearly missed the opportunity to compete because of funding issues within the organizing committee, lack of support for the Paralympics, and challenges posed by the Brazilian government.
As someone who was following Paralympic athletes on social media during 2016, many athletes did not know how severe the financial struggles were. Many athletes were so focused on their training leading up to the games that the financial crisis was not even on their radar. It appears that this year, money will likely not be an issue. According to the Olympic website, there have already been over 1.75 million tickets sold for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, with “many sessions already virtually sold out.”
Representation
One of the most inspirational stories featured is that of Bebe Vio. At just eleven years old, Vio contracted meningitis, which resulted in the amputation of both her arms and legs. Despite this, she pursued her love of fencing and went on to win two gold medals, three World Championships, and four European Championships.
While stories like Vio’s are undoubtedly uplifting, they sometimes perpetuate ableist stereotypes. One Letterboxd viewer expressed mixed feelings about the representation of these athletes. While they appreciated seeing a “celebration of disability” on screen, they felt conflicted by the documentary’s approach. The user writes, “It was really disheartening to see parts of this documentary still push the same inspiration tropes that are harmful to those of us who don’t fit into the ‘inspiring disabled person’ narrative that is so often pushed by non-disabled people.”
Although the athletes’ trauma was a significant part of their journeys to becoming professional athletes, at some points the documentary also felt exploitative of the athletes’ trauma for entertainment.
In a scene with French track and field athlete Jean-Baptiste Alaize, he recounts in detail the brutal and violent attack he endured at just three years old that caused him to have his leg amputated. He also shares the traumatic memory of witnessing his mother being murdered right in front of him as he begins to cry on screen. This scene, which felt somewhat prolonged, forces Alaize to confront the trauma he has been literally trying to outrun and jump within both his life and sport. Trauma is something that many of the Paralympians have experienced because of their identity as disabled athletes but using trauma as a primary storyline for these athletes’ amazing athletic accomplishments feels exploitative at points. It also risks portraying the athletes as needing to overcome their childhood, identity, or disability in a way that may not be true for all of them.
The 2024 Games
Overall, the documentary is quite beautiful and touching. It also serves as an informative piece for those unfamiliar with the Paralympic Games and its history. The 2024 Paralympics will feature 22 sports including events such as blind football, para-swimming, sitting volleyball, and wheelchair rugby. Many of the athletes in Rising Phoenix are also competing in Paris.
Chuck Aoki, a member of the United States wheelchair rugby team, posted a video on Instagram where he made an analogy between being at the Olympics and the Paralympics to being at two different parties. He describes how watching the Olympics as a Paralympian is like being at this amazing party but: “In the back of your mind you remember, well, I’ve got my party in two weeks. I hope everyone remembers. I hope everyone at this party knows that they’re invited to my party.” He also says that if you love watching the Olympics, you will also love watching the Paralympics. So if you spent the past couple of weeks constantly watching athletes from all over the world compete, you should do the same for the Paralympics. The excitement and pride are just the same.
The Paralympics are currently streaming across NBC platforms.
