The Rio 2016 Paralympic Games: inspiration as a possible legacy for disabled Brazilians

This work is part of a larger qualitative and exploratory study that investigated the legacies of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games (PG) in Brazil. We conducted in-depth open interviews with 24 disability rights activists and people in Paralympic sport managerial positions. The goal of this paper is to explore one of the main perceived legacies: inspiration. For the participants, the PG were inspiring for disabled people (DP) because they showed the capabilities of DP, revealed new possibilities for their lives, and motivated them to engage in or remain engaged in sports. They were also inspiring for non-disabled people (NDP) because the examples of athletes 'overcoming' their impairments and related environmental and social barriers, motivated people to reconsider their own reality. While some participants criticised hero/super-hero narratives, most argued that these narratives are also common regarding NDP and that DP should not be treated differently. For them, these narratives still have some positive potential.