Four Books About the Paralympics

The Paralympics start on Tuesday! Taking place in the Olympic host city a few weeks later, the Paralympics bring together the top elite athletes in the world with physical disabilities. With 540 events over 22 sports, there is surely something that will inspire, teach, and excite you! What I love is that kids can learn about some really amazing sports and adaptations that athletes use to compete.

Personally, I’m super excited to see Jessica Long get in the pool. As the second most decorated American Paralympic athlete, she’s a powerhouse to watch. I’m also super excited to see David Brown and Jerome Avery compete in the 100-meter dash in the T11 division. For those who aren’t familiar, this is for blind and visually impaired athletes that run with a guide. That also means someone who is completely blind is running 100m in under 11 seconds! And it also means that there are athletes competing in the Paralympics as guides who choose to do this rather than compete as elite athletes themselves. You should also check out Tatyana McFadden, who competes as a T54 athlete in Track and Field. She’s also competed in both the Winter and Summer Paralympics!

There are some other awesome sports to check out too – goalball is a great sport to watch, sitting volleyball, and wheelchair rugby are pretty great too. Check out YouTube, or NBC, or the Peacock app to catch a glimpse of these athletes who deserve to be in the world spotlight. Plus, this is a great way to introduce kids to people who may look differently than they do. Allow them to ask questions and help them learn about the athletes, their disabilities, their sports, and their training.

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