Blog #4 - Fair Sport

Sofia Torrie

Dr. Sowers 

16 February 2026

Adaptive technology has been used in sports and is very important for athletes who are disabled because it allows for them to be able to compete in competitions. I do think that adaptive technology should be allowed in sports because without the adaptive technology, many athletes would not be able to participate. Adaptive technology is a wide range of equipment that gives disabled athletes the chance to use their full potential. Some examples of adaptive technology are wheelchairs, prosthetics, and equipment that is altered to accommodate the athlete’s disability. Adaptive Equipment, Accessibility Needs Part of the Package for Athletes With a Disability In this article, a Paralympic athlete, Jessica Tuomela, speaks on her experience with adaptive technology and how it impacts the athletes that require such equipment to be able to perform to their best ability. 

Although adaptive technology should be allowed in sports, there is also a disadvantage for athletes from nations who cannot afford the technology. Adaptive technology is very expensive, and some pieces of equipment can cost up to tens of thousands of dollars, where there are some athletes who do not have the ability to afford these pieces. Because of the lower income countries not being able to afford higher end adaptive equipment, it leads their athletes to have a lower quality of performance compared to other countries that have the funds for this technology. The Odds are Stacked Against Athletes from Poor Countries in Paralympic Sport In this article, the lower income countries are talked about and how they are at a disadvantage due to their countries not being able to afford adaptive equipment that is as advanced as higher income countries. 

I do believe that in the Paralympics adaptive technology should be allowed to be used but I do not believe that the athletes using this technology should be competing in able-bodied sporting events. The reason I say this is because although the athletes are using technology to be able to perform at the highest level and quality, I do not think that they would have a fair chance against able-bodied athletes. Some of the technology that they have are also made of different materials that may give the athlete a higher advantage to the able-bodied athletes. I would say it creates an equal opportunity for all athletes, but when it comes to bringing them all together, I do not think it makes sense. I also believe that the Paralympics and the Olympics should both have their own light because in the Paralympics and Olympics, we are celebrating the athletes and their achievements as well as their differences. Why aren't the Olympics and Paralympics Combined into One Games? The Reasoning Goes Beyond Logistics In this article, they explain why logistically, combining the two sporting events would not make sense.

Resources:

Canadian Paralympic Committee. “Adaptive Equipment, Accessibility Needs Part of the Package for Athletes with a Disability.” Canadian Paralympic Committee, 31 May 2022, paralympic.ca/news/adaptive-equipment-accessibility-needs-part-package-athletes-disability/. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

Jason Bantjes                          Senior Lecturer in the Psychology Department, and Leslie Swartz                          Distinguished Professor. “The Odds Are Stacked against Athletes from Poor Countries in Paralympic Sport.” The Conversation, 22 July 2025, theconversation.com/the-odds-are-stacked-against-athletes-from-poor-countries-in-paralympic-sport-70345. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

Laura Misener                          Professor & Director. “Why Aren’t the Olympics and Paralympics Combined into One Games? The Reasoning Goes beyond Logistics.” The Conversation, 21 July 2025, theconversation.com/why-arent-the-olympics-and-paralympics-combined-into-one-games-the-reasoning-goes-beyond-logistics-236670. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.