Inclusion in competitive sports

Is a prosthesis an advantage? Researchers at Bournemouth University in England try to answer this question and examine to what extent lower limb prosthetics represent a competitive advantage in joint competitions of athletes with and without disabilities. During the past few months, the "Markus Rehm case" has attracted a great deal of attention – and criticism in Germany.

When a blind swimmer is touched on the head or back by a tennis ball attached to a long pole by the so-called "tapper", then he or she knows that the pool wall is coming up. If this signal is given too early or too late, it can result in disqualification or injuries. Researchers in Leipzig, Germany, are currently working on an alternative.

As a Paralympic discipline, sailing is being dropped. The decision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to eliminate sailing from the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games is not just a bitter pill to swallow for athletes. The resolution is also going to have a long-term negative impact on this national and international recreational sport.