An Overview on the performance of sprinters with lower limb amputation/impairment in Paralympic Games.

Abstract

The inclusion of technology in sport has been the core of many debates with regard to the fairness of sport. Many of the experts believe that the use of these technologies gives an unfair advantage to those who are using them, which is in contradiction with the nature of professional competitive sports (sport discipline). Over the last few decades carbon fibre prosthesis has developed considerably and it has facilitated running activity for amputees. The evaluation of such technologies is now urgently required as the use of carbon fibre prosthesis is now being investigated through justice and legal systems to determine the participation of amputees using them at professional sports events. This thesis attempts to provide some answers for the controversial issues at professional running at the Paralympic Games based on some statistical analyses. The available historical data in the Paralympics’ website has been considered as the source of information and some statistical tools have been applied in order to find some answers for the hypotheses raised in this research. The results of this thesis indicate that bilateral amputees in running activity in Paralympic Games have an advantage comparing to unilateral (as they take advantage of symmetry in their running activity) especially in long running competition (400m).It also proves that the amputees below knee run faster than those who run with above knee amputation. In order to make the Paralympic games equitable, there has been a lot of change in the classification system since its introduction. Classification used to be only based on a medical examination, while in the modern system it is based on the functional ability of the lost (or impaired) limb. Nevertheless, the results of this research indicate that in some cases these categories are not fair and they need to be revised. The results of this research indicates that the T43 and T44 classifications need to be competing in two separate groups as the bilateral amputees take advantage of symmetry in their running activity. The results of this thesis illustrate that the introduction of Energy Storage and Return foot (ESR), made a breakthrough in prosthesis design. ESR foot has a higher efficiency compared to the classic prosthesis. Through the help of ESR foot, Paralympians run faster and generally it facilitates the running activity for them. Changing the perception of ordinary people towards disability has been one of the key aims of this research. In order to do so, some analyses have been provided to indicate the differences between the Olympics and Paralympics. The historical data in these two big sport events has been considered as the source of information to address this issue. The performance of the Paralympians and Olympians has been compared through diagrams and tables and it illustrates that, although there have been some differences between the results of these two sports events (with the focus on running exercise), the gap is getting smaller and smaller. Technological developments and increased level of participation has been introduced as the primary reasons for making this gap smaller. Representing the results of this research can potentially change the people’s attitude towards disability; thinking of what disabled people are actually capable of doing, rather than what they cannot do. Forecasting can provide some valuable information for the decision makers and it can illustrate where the sport is going to. So the last chapter of this thesis, provide a forecast for 2015 Paralympic Games (running exercise) based on the novel approach of Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA). The results of forecast indicate that the Paralympians will enhance their performance in 2015 Paralympic Games.