PARASPORT CONTRIBUTION TO GROWTH OF SOCIAL CAPITAL

Abstract

Disability sport has arisen and exceedingly grown in popularity in recent decades, as people with disabilities have enhanced their rights, status, perceptions of opportunity in society and access to sport as an essential human right. The literature on sport and social capital is scarce with no particular focus on parasport. PURPOSE of this study is to examine the various complexity of para sport in contribution to social capital. As social capital is concept of a compound nature, we will encompass four areas - Building alliances, Access to places, Attitudes and Events. METHODS: The analised data is extracted from seventeen annual reports published by the International Paralympic Committee from 2004 to 2020. The basic assumptions and facts of the parasport paradigm are examined through documentary analysis based on the functional approach of social capital. RESULTS: Nowadays parasport and developmental aspects of society are in complex relationship and also parasport serves for different purposes - as pathway for achieving personal excellence, human right advocator, to trigger of social inclusion. CONCLUSION: Modern parasport has reached a level of self-reinforcing process with great contribution to a number of social development areas that can improve the explored areas of building social capital.

Keywords

• international paralympic committee
• paralympic games
• paralympic movement