Profile of Athletes with a Vision Impairment: Exploring Demographics and Ocular Pathologies of Athletes in Three Paralympic Sports

Franziska Zenk*, Ashley G.B. Willmott, Daniel Fortin-Guichard, Kizzy Austick, David L. Mann, Ciro Winckler, Peter M. Allen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

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Abstract

Objective This study aimed to explore the profile of athletes with a vision impairment who compete in three Paralympic sports (goalball, vision impairment judo, and blind football). Design Descriptive and association analyses of the vision impairment athletes' profile were conducted. Results The typical athlete profile was a male (65.1%), aged 26-34 yrs (39.7%), from Europe (38.8%), representing a country with a high income (46.1%), and was diagnosed with a retinal-related ocular pathology (38.9%). In all three sports, the ages of the athletes were similar. In goalball, most athletes were from Europe, represented countries with a high income, and were diagnosed with retinal-, globe-, or neurological-related pathologies. In vision impairment judo, the majority of athletes were from Asia, represented countries with an upper middle income, and were diagnosed with retinal-, global-, or neurological-related pathologies. In blind football, most athletes were from Europe, represented countries with an upper middle income, and were diagnosed with retinal-, neurological-related ocular pathologies, or glaucoma. Conclusions The homogeneity of the athletes' profile suggests that an effort is needed to target other parts of the vision impairment population to take part in vision impairment sports. Differences in the athletes' profiles across the sports provide information that may be useful for sport-specific talent identification.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)172-180
Number of pages9
JournalAmerican Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume103
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2024

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
PMA and DLM receive research funding from the Agitos Foundation and World Para Athletics and a collaborative research grant from the College of Optometrists. PMA receives funding from the British Paralympic Association (London, United Kingdom). DLM receives funding from the International Paralympic Committee and the International Blind Sports Federation (Bonn, Germany).

Publisher Copyright:
© Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

Funding

PMA and DLM receive research funding from the Agitos Foundation and World Para Athletics and a collaborative research grant from the College of Optometrists. PMA receives funding from the British Paralympic Association (London, United Kingdom). DLM receives funding from the International Paralympic Committee and the International Blind Sports Federation (Bonn, Germany).

Keywords

  • Blind Football
  • Goalball
  • Judo
  • Para Sport
  • Vision Impairment

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