The Paralympics have been expected to play a certain role in solving daily problems related to disability. It has been found that knowledge of the Paralympics through direct observation and various media can change the public’s perception of Paralympians and, by extension, their attitudes towards equality and inclusion of people with disabilities. Based on these expectations, empirical studies have been conducted to examine what kind of values the public finds in the Paralympics and Paralympians, and whether attitudes and behaviors towards disability and people with disabilities are changed by the Paralympics and Paralympians. However, earlier studies have focused on Western countries, while few studies have been conducted in Japan where values towards disability and sport are expected to be different from those in the West.

Therefore, as the first step of a study targeting Japanese citizens, this study focuses on university students and examines trends in their perceptions of the Paralympics, Paralympians, and people with disabilities, including the position of the Paralympics compared to the Olympics, the social impact of the Paralympics, and differences in their impressions of Paralympians and people with disabilities in general. The aim of this study is to identify trends in perceptions of the Paralympics, Paralympians and people with disabilities in general.

Nineteen undergraduate students from Universities A and B were interviewed about their perceptions of the Paralympics and Paralympians, their perceptions compared to the Olympics and able-bodied athletes, and the social and personal impact of the Paralympics.

The results of the interviews revealed the positioning of the Paralympics as an international sporting event. For many respondents, the difference between the Paralympics and the Olympics was limited to whether or not disability was included in the Games, and the differences between the athletes competing in each event was not perceived. Earlier studies have indicated that the hosting of the Paralympic Games in one’s own country will lead to a shift in the perception of para-sports as being equivalent to able-bodied sports rather than second to them, and a similar trend was observed in this study. On the other hand, many respondents tended to evaluate the “effort” and “hard work” of Paralympians related to their “disability”, such as “despite their disability” and “in spite of their disability”. Therefore, we need to continue to examine whether such evaluations lead to excessive expectations of “hardworking disabled people”, as suggested by existing research.

When asked about their intention to interact with and support disabled people they see in their daily lives, many respondents said that they were reluctant to do so because of their lack of knowledge about disability. The differences between the impressions they had of the Paralympics and Paralympians and the impressions they had of people with disabilities in general were also highlighted, suggesting that the knowledge and perceptions of disability gained through the Paralympics do not necessarily correspond to knowledge and perceptions of disability in general. The study also recognizes that the Paralympics and Paralympians are important social actors in improving the general understanding of disability, but it should be noted that there needs to be a deeper examination of the limitations of this role of the Paralympics and Paralympians.

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Many argue that a main problem for the Deaflympics is low publicity, which indicates that an analysis of the media's response and coverage of the Deaflympics Games and the participating athletes is important.

For this analysis, newspaper reports from the Asahi, Mainichi, and Yomiuri for the period 2017-2022 were examined.

In order to highlight the problems and issues of the Deaflympics and to bring into relief the multi-faceted image of Deaflympics athletes, the analysis was conducted from the following perspectives: the issue of publicity, awards for athletes, causes of disabilities, difficulties in daily life in general, special difficulties in training and competition and how to deal with them, changes in the athletes’ awareness through sports activities and participation in the Deaflympics, and the social environment surrounding deaf sports （including competitions with able-bodied athletes).

Finally, based on the above, future issues related to the Deaflympics are summarized.

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The escalation of fighting between Israel and Hamas since October 2023 has increased the politicization of sports in Israel, and its effects have the potential to spill over into the Olympic and Paralympic movements.

The first is the issue of the Israeli teamʼs participation in the Paris 2024 Games. The IOC and IPC have already announced a policy banning Russia from participating as a national team. The IOC argues that the basis for their decision is that the unilateral decision taken by the Russian Olympic Committee on 5 October 2023 to include, as its members, the regional sports organizations which are under the authority of the National Olympic Committee （NOC） of Ukraine （namely Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia）, constitutes a breach of the Olympic Charter. In light of this, some experts commented that Israelʼs participation could also be questionable. What would happen if Israel annexed the territories hosting Palestinian sports organizations? The discussion reveals a lack of consensus on the “political neutrality” that the IOC and IPC have in their Charter.

Second, the conflict over the Palestinian question could be brought directly into the arena of international sporting events related to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, including the Paris 2024 Games. The Arab boycott of Israel following the 2014 Israeli attack on Gaza is likely to set a precedent. It should be noted that the attacks beginning in October 2023 were more prolonged and extremely damaging than those previous attacks. In addition to boycotts, some athletes may possibly express their opinions at the medal podium or elsewhere, which is restricted by the IOC Charter. In the worst-case scenario, there might be a threat to the safety of the Israeli national team.

Third is the possibility that the prolonged military conflict could increase the presence of wounded soldiers on the Israeli Paralympic national team, which was approximately 15% at the Tokyo 2020 Games. This is not surprising given that the Stoke Mandeville Games originated in the rehabilitation of wounded military personnel. On the other hand, Russiaʼs participation is currently being considered as Individual Neutral Athletes, but even in that case, it is highly likely that the athletesʼ relationship with the military will be strictly scrutinized and only athletes who are found to have no relationship will be allowed to participate. If the Israeli Paralympic team were to include a large number of wounded soldiers from their attack on the Gaza Strip, there could be objections that this would be unequal.

It is hoped that peace will come to the Gaza Strip soon and that the issues discussed in this article will no longer be a point of contention at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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