Para sports lacks a system to recruit new athletes and support their success.
The management of para sports in Finland is seen as an unclear entity. In addition, the continuity of para sports depends too much on chance, according to the results of a study evaluating the state of para sports in Finland.
The Finnish success at the Paris Paralympics fell short of the goals.
Among other things, a hero roller who ended his Paralympic career in Paris Leo-Pekka Tähti has announced that he is willing to develop the coaching side. However, it still requires a lot of work to offer motivated and trained coaches like Tähti the opportunity to coach as a job.
– That is the question, how are we able to utilize the know-how of athletes who have retired so that they would stay involved with the sport here in Finland, thought the top sports representative of disability sports Kimmo Mustonen on Thursday at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.
More harm than good
The twist in parasport’s journey to success is the confusing division of responsibilities in leadership. The evaluation carried out by Liikuntakeskus Pajulahti shows that the management responsibility of para-sport is divided among many different entities, but the roles and division of responsibilities are not clear.
Competed in table tennis W1 class in Paris Only Tapola stated that the sports association does not support management, but together with its coaches Martti Aution with them they manage their own activities.
Tapola and Autio had agreed to end their joint fight in Paris, and now Tapola is without a coach.
– Sports federations do say that they want to support para-athletes better. For the athletes, it appears that the sports federations hope that the para-athletes will quit. We are seen as more harm than good, Tapola opens.
A big gap in the recruitment of athletes
Para-sports also lacks a system to recruit new athletes and support their success. Para-athletes are usually recruited from, for example, rehabilitation centers.
There is no clear path for an athlete in para sports, and starting a para sport requires, for example, the parents of a disabled child to clarify things.
Sports Director of the Paralympic Committee Katja Saarinen says that, like disabled people, Corona also had a negative effect on the number of disabled sports enthusiasts. In addition, the immobility of children and young people affects even the disabled even more severely.