FROM PARALYMPICS TO UNIFIED SPORT: A SOCIO-CULTURAL AND PEDAGOGICAL REVOLUTION

Abstract

Starting from the analysis of some documents drafted by international organizations (Council of Europe, Unesco, etc.) that define sport as a fundamental human right, this article traces the birth and historical evolution of the Paralympic movement and the radical transformation of the relationship between disability and sporting activity. Specifically, it investigates the contribution of Paralympism in the transition from the rehabilitation paradigm to the competitive one, through which sport has gone beyond the medical dimension, creating an inclusive socio-educational space capable of valuing differences and revolutionizing the way of interpreting and experiencing disability. Following the guidelines on inclusiveness provided by the PNR 2021 and the Horizon Europe 2021-2027, this paper analyses the strengths and weaknesses of paralympism and highlights the innovative paths of unified sport, which is experiencing the concrete possibility of realizing situations of authentic sharing and integration.