The Paralympic Games stand as a global celebration of determination, resilience and athletic excellence. They offer a platform for athletes with disabilities to compete at the highest level, challenging stereotypes and redefining the boundaries of human performance.
However, like many elite sporting events, the Paralympics haven’t been immune to the darker side of competition — cheating. Regardless of how it’s done, when dishonesty enters the realm of adaptive sports, it not only tarnishes medals but also disrespects the very spirit of the Games and the athletes who compete with integrity.
Cheating in the Paralympics has taken many forms, most of which are unique to adaptive sports.
One of the most distinctive aspects of the Paralympics is its classification system, which has been designed to ensure a level playing field. Athletes are grouped based on the type and extent of their impairment, so performance differences stem from skill, training and strategy rather than the degree of disability.
However, this system also creates opportunities for manipulation, where athletes may attempt to exaggerate their impairments to be placed in a class where they have a competitive advantage.
This tactic has been one of the most pressing integrity issues within Paralympic sport. In recent years, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has increased efforts to investigate and prevent classification abuse, but the problem remains difficult to police due to the complex and sometimes subjective nat-ure of impairment assessment.
For example, a board-certified spinal cord injury (SCI) physiatrist assigned me two different classifications for wheelchair rugby within the same year. Fortunately, that was way back in 1995. But while the classification system has improved over the past 30 years, there’s still room for cheating.
One of the more disturbing examples of cheating in adaptive sports is a method called “boosting.” Those of us with SCIs at or above the T6 vertebrae experience a condition called autonomic dysreflexia (AD), which usually occurs when our bladder is distended or there is some kind of noxious or irritating stimulus below our injury level. The body’s response is a blood pressure spike and a sense of fight or flight.
Under normal circumstances, we quickly try to mitigate AD symptoms. But during competition, some athletes deliberately trigger the response by inducing pain by overfilling the bladder, tightening leg straps or even breaking their toes. By doing so, the athlete experiences a physical feeling of intensity caused by the release of adrenaline that can dramatically improve performance.
Matter of fact, my average speed on the track was 14 mph, but when AD kicked in, my speed increased to 18 mph.
I remember competing in the 5,000 meters at the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta when the entire pack of athletes, including me, appeared to be showing signs and symptoms of AD.
Considering the puddle of urine that magically appeared below us at the start line and the extraordinary speeds that we were maintaining during the race, I think Paralympic officials could have justified an investigation. But I think most folks simply accepted the reality of the situation.
Even if AD makes some of us go faster, boosting is unethical and extremely dangerous. It can lead to strokes, cardiac arrest and even death. The practice is banned by the IPC, but enforcement remains difficult due to its covert nature and the challenge of proving intent.
Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) are another form of cheating that has infiltrated the Paralympic Games.
Even though it’s not unique to athletes with disabilities, doping has been particularly controversial because it may involve substances that are part of legitimate medical treatments for those of us with SCI.
This makes enforcement challenging, as anti-doping authorities must distinguish between medically necessary prescriptions and abuse of substances for performance enhancement.
Nevertheless, athletes have been caught and sanctioned for violations ranging from steroid use to masking agents.
So, why do athletes cheat?
Simply put, our aspirations for victory, fame and monetary rewards create a high-stakes environment where cheating can feel like the most logical path to success. But even when caught, some athletes don’t express remorse, which is something that I find really difficult to understand.
According to the National Institutes of Health, there are a number of psychological factors that help explain why some athletes think cheating is OK:
n Ego orientation: This mindset drives athletes to focus on outperforming others rather than on their own personal improvement. Research shows ego-oriented athletes have lower sportsmanship and a higher reported tendency to cheat.
n Fear of failure: The immense pressure to perform can cause athletes to fear failure more than they desire success. Cheating becomes a way to meet high expectations from themselves, coaches and sponsors.
n Personality traits: Often referred to as the “dark triad” of personality traits, Machiavellianism (manipulation), narcissism and psychopathy (lack of empathy) have been linked to a higher likelihood of cheating.
n Low self-esteem: Athletes with low self-esteem may lack confidence in their own abilities and may cheat to validate themselves or to avoid losing.
Nevertheless, the responsibility for preventing cheating doesn’t lie solely with the athletes. National Paralympic committees, coaches and medical professionals play a critical role in maintaining the integrity of competition. In some cases, systemic failures or even active encouragement from officials have enabled dishonest practices.
This institutional complicity must be addressed with as much scrutiny as individual transgressions. After all, if support systems reward or ignore cheating, ethical behavior becomes the exception rather than the norm.
On a grassroots level, I think education also has a role to play in discouraging cheating. For those of you who mentor young adaptive athletes, instill a culture that prioritizes fair play, ethics and respect. Let’s teach them that their stories of overcoming adversity are powerful in themselves and do not require embellishment or dishonesty.
Cheating in the Paralympics isn’t merely a breach of ethics; it’s an affront to the ideals of courage, integrity and perseverance that define adaptive sports. The athletes who compete fairly deserve more than just medals; they deserve a system that protects the sanctity of their effort.
If the Paralympic Movement is to continue inspiring the world, it must hold itself to the highest standards of fairness and transparency. Only then can it truly fulfill its promise of celebrating human ability in all its diverse and remarkable forms.
As always, please share your thoughts at al@pvamag.com.