Editing Parasports (section)

==Inclusion==
Beginning in the late 1980s and early 1990s, work began within several countries and organizations to include athletes with disabilities in the non-disabled sport system. This included adding events for athletes with disabilities to major games such as the [[Olympic Games]] and the [[Commonwealth Games]], and integration of these athletes into non-disabled sports organizations.<ref>{{cite web
 |last        = Daignault
 |first       = Louis
 |title       = Integration Battle Heats Up At CommonWealth Games
 |work        = Access Guide Canada
 |publisher   = Canadian Abilities Foundation
 |url         = http://abilities.ca/agc/article/article.php?pid=&cid=&subid=349&aid=882
 |accessdate  = 12 September 2010
 |url-status     = dead
 |archiveurl  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100412093224/http://abilities.ca/agc/article/article.php?pid=&cid=&subid=349&aid=882
 |archivedate = 12 April 2010
}}</ref>
Since 1984, the Olympics have included exhibition events for Paralympic athletes. However, integration of full medal events has not taken place, and the status of athletes with a [[disability]] in the Olympic movement remains controversial.<ref>{{cite web|title=2004 IOC decision |url=http://www.rickhansen.com/Media/News2004/IOCdecision.htm |website=www.rickhansen.com |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060323103328/http://www.rickhansen.com/Media/News2004/IOCdecision.htm |archivedate=March 23, 2006 }}</ref>
Within the Commonwealth Games, athletes with a disability were first included in 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games, then at the [[1994 Commonwealth Games|exhibition events in 1994]],<ref>{{cite web
 |last1=Van Ooyen and Justin Anjema 
 |first1=Mark 
 |last2=Anjema 
 |first2=Justin 
 |title=A Review and Interpretation of the Events of the 1994 Commonwealth Games 
 |publisher=Redeemer University College 
 |date=25 March 2004 
 |url=http://sporthamilton.com/content/histroy/1994commonwealthgames.pdf 
 |accessdate=12 September 2010 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731114220/http://sporthamilton.com/content/histroy/1994commonwealthgames.pdf 
 |archivedate=31 July 2013 
}}</ref> and at the [[2002 Commonwealth Games|2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games]] they were included as full members of their national teams, making these the first fully inclusive international multi-sport games.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thecgf.com/sports/ead.asp |title=Commonwealth Games Federation - Commonwealth Sports - Elite Athletes With A Disability (EAD) |publisher=Thecgf.com |accessdate=2012-09-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130060533/http://thecgf.com/sports/ead.asp |archive-date=2010-11-30 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This policy has continued with the [[2006 Commonwealth Games|2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games]], where Canadian [[Chantal Petitclerc]] became the first athlete with a disability to carry her country's flag in the Opening Ceremonies of an integrated games.{{Citation needed|date=September 2010}}
Individual athletes such as swimmer [[Natalie du Toit]] and track athlete [[Oscar Pistorius]] have competed as equals against able bodied athletes at various events including the Olympic Games.

2013 the [[FIFA]] decided that Austrian footballer Martin Hofbauer can continue to play competitive [[association football|football]] with prosthetics after he lost his right lower leg due to cancer.<ref>[http://steiermark.orf.at/news/stories/2583850/ FIFA erlaubt Steirer Einsatz mit Prothese], orf.at, 2013-05-13.</ref>

The [[self-determination theory]] has been one of the most proven theories on how athletes participate in competitions of this level. Studies have supported this theory especially in intellectually or developmentally disabled athletes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Self Determination Theory: An Approach to Human Motivation & Personality|url=http://www.selfdeterminationtheory.org/|accessdate=2 December 2011}}</ref> Studies have continued to question the motivation for joining such competitions like the [[Special Olympics]] as well as the [[Paralympic Games]]. The Motivations for joining the Special Olympics uncover themes among individuals and families for their participation or abstention from these Olympic programs.{{Citation needed|date=April 2025}}

There are specific strategies that may be employed to increase inclusion of people with disabilities in sports. This includes modifying rules or adapting activities for a particular individual. As well, maintaining a non-competitive focus helps to increase the inclusion of participants with disabilities.<ref name="Geidne">{{Cite journal|last1=Geidne|first1=Susanna|last2=Jerlinder|first2=Kajsa|date=2016-05-01|title=How sports clubs include children and adolescents with disabilities in their activities. A systematic search of peer-reviewed articles|journal=Sport Science Review|language=en|volume=25|issue=1–2|pages=29–52|doi=10.1515/ssr-2016-0002|issn=2069-7244|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Williams | first1 = T. L. | last2 = Smith | last3 = Papathomas | first3 = A. | year = 2014 | title = The barriers, benefits and facilitators of leisure time physical activity among people with spinal cord injury: a meta-synthesis of qualitative findings | url = http://eprints.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/2438/3/The%20barriers%2C%20benefits%20and%20facilitators%20of%20leisure%20time%20physical%20activity%20among%20people%20with%20spinal%20cord%20injury.pdf| journal = Health Psychology Review | volume = 8 | issue = 4| pages = 404–425 | doi = 10.1080/17437199.2014.898406 | pmid = 25211208 | s2cid = 2718370 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180720145612/http://eprints.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/2438/3/The%20barriers%2C%20benefits%20and%20facilitators%20of%20leisure%20time%20physical%20activity%20among%20people%20with%20spinal%20cord%20injury.pdf | archive-date = 2018-07-20 | url-status = live }}</ref>

Including children with intellectual disabilities in sports programs in which they play with non-disabled athletes results in these children becoming more involved in mainstream sports, incorporating more physical activity in their daily lives and it increases their interactions with children who are not disabled. It is important for children with disabilities to get different types of support while participating in sports programs, for example, direct support from coaches and other athletes, indirect support from parents and non-human support from therapy dogs. Activities should be modified to suit different types of children's abilities and inclusivity is easier when activities are non-competitive.<ref name="Geidne"/>

===Unified sports===
"Unified sports" involve heterogeneous teams with athletes of mixed ability.<ref name="specialolympics.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.specialolympics.org/unified-sports.aspx|title=Special Olympics: Unified Sports|work=specialolympics.org|date=3 August 2018}}</ref> Since the 1990s, Special Olympics Unified Sports have been promoting social inclusion through shared sports training and competition. This initiative has expanded globally and now involves more than 700,000 players in 127 countries worldwide. The principle behind unified sports is simple: training together and playing together is a quick path to friendship and understanding.

The NBA has been a major supporter of Unified Sports, sponsoring the annual NBA Cares Special Olympics Unified Basketball Game during the NBA All-Star Weekend. The Walt Disney Company, ESPN and Special Olympics are also working on a two-year global initiative that will leverage the power of sports to promote an environment of social inclusion and acceptance.<ref name="specialolympics.org"/>

Disabled drivers have competed in motorsport versus fully able drivers; for example [[Alex Zanardi]], [[Albert Llovera]], [[Clay Regazzoni]] and [[Jason Watt]].