ArticleBMJ open2026
Qualitative investigation evaluating Team USA Paralympic athletes: resources and recommendations for enhancing support systems.
Article in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe purpose of this study was to explore athletes' perspectives on existing US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) resources and to identify their recommendations for enhancing future initiatives aimed at promoting Paralympic athlete health, well-being and performance.
designPhenomenological qualitative study
settingOnline.
participantsA convenience sample of 19 Team USA Paralympic athletes 18 years of age or older participated (female n=11; age 31±9 years) representing four categories of conditions recognised by the International Paralympic Committee (muscle and movement, bone-related, visual and central nervous system).
resultsThe resulting codebook included 2 themes and 10 corresponding categories. Theme 1, titled Resources for Paralympic Athletes, includes five categories: (1) community-level; (2) university-level; (3) USOPC; (4) National Governing Body and (5) Resources Access, Awareness and Satisfaction. Theme 2, titled Recommendations for Improvements to the USOPC, also included five categories: (1) sports medicine; (2) disability-specific needs and classification systems; (3) sports performance; (4) resources and (5) community awareness. Study participants recognised meaningful improvements in organisational support, including expanded financial assistance and mental-health services yet persistent structural inequities continue to limit equitable access to high-quality resources. Fragmented and geographically uneven sports medicine, coaching and performance infrastructures, along with ongoing challenges in classification transparency and disability-specific programming, remain key barriers to athlete development.
conclusionsFindings highlight the need for decentralised clinical and performance networks, enhanced evidence-based classification practices and more robust transition planning from collegiate to elite settings. Including athlete perspectives and strengthening equitable resources creates more accessible, consistent and performance-optimising environments within the US Paralympic system.
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