Millions of people have watched videos that have been accused of making fun of Paralympians, although several athletes claim it was simply a “laugh.”
It has been claimed that the material of the Paralympics TikTok account mocks and disrespects para-athletes.
The official Paralympic Games TikTok account has polarised the internet with its’memes’ of competitors, which combine clips of them competing with comical music and sound effects.
In contrast, the official Olympics TikTok account posts straight-laced footage of competitors’ exceptional abilities during practise and competition, frequently accompanied by stirring or moving music.
In contrast, the Paralympics videos adopt a slapstick comic style by compiling footage of paralympians colliding and falling or by making fun of the assistive devices some use when competing.
In one video with the caption “Blind swimmers getting bopped,” swimmers with vision impairment are shown being tapped on the head while competing as the music from the video game “Bop It!” plays.
The Paralympics account notes in the comments that swimmers are signalled by “a bop on the head” when they are approaching the pool wall.
In one video with the caption “Blind swimmers getting bopped,” swimmers with vision impairment are shown being tapped on the head while competing as the music from the video game “Bop It!” plays.
The Paralympics account notes in the comments that swimmers are signalled by “a bop on the head” when they are approaching the pool wall.
Millions of people have watched the viral videos, which have divided the internet: some call them “disrespectful” of the athletes, while others, including some Paralympians, claim they’re perfectly OK and even humorous.
Ryley Batt, a wheelchair rugby league Paralympian for the Australian Steelers, says he has “never thought twice” about the videos, which include a montage of rugby players falling over while a voiceover repeats “do a flip.”
“I saw a few of them and – I can only comment on what I’ve seen – I think it’s very creative and something I’ve been more than happy to share on my social media about myself, and I’m in a few videos,” he said.
“I know there’s a fine line, but I think it’s great for promoting the Paralympics,” she said. And while you can interpret that in either a positive or negative way, in my opinion, it’s funny.
The majority of Paralympians, according to Batt, would undoubtedly view the recordings “as a laugh,” as he and his Steelers teammates did.
The majority of persons with disabilities, he claimed, “have really good senses of humour.”
“You have to. Undoubtedly, many of us had more difficult upbringings. You were raised with a thick skin despite having difficulties since birth or since school.
“Yes, some people might think it’s making fun of them, but I think it shows they’re at ease with having that disability and aren’t worried about offending anyone,”
Even if some people were “going to be offended by them,” Batt said he thought it was amazing to see the Paralympics get the attention and interaction that they were as a result of the film.
Hopefully, we can begin to view them (the videos) favourably, he said.
The report also includes paracyclist Darren Hicks of Australia, who won the gold medal during his race in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
With approximately 41 million views, the video featuring Hicks may be the most infamous from the account. It depicts him in the closing stages of the C2 time trial while modified audio from The Soca Boys’ song Follow the Leader plays.
However, the audio only repeats “left” because Hicks, who had his right leg amputated after a car accident, was only using his left leg to pedal.
The account administrator noted a “slight edit to the original sound, you’ll hardly notice it” in the comments.
The video incited indignation, and many people expressed disbelief that the account had not yet been “cancelled” due to its “out of pocket” material.
However, Hicks claimed he didn’t find anything wrong with the video.
He told NBC News, “I don’t feel like they’re making fun of me; they’re just utilising a song that utilises the term left, and I happen to be cycling with only my left leg.
Swimmer Ellie Cole, one of Australia’s most accomplished Paralympians, said on Channel 10’s The Projects that she “really liked(d) the content” and struggled to understand why so many people were outraged.
She chuckled and continued, “I was actually trying to select which videos people were offended over, because I couldn’t really see anything objectionable, while I was watching a few of the films this morning.
According to Cole, the account has generated some “really good discussion,” and it’s “really interesting to see the response” to posts promoting Paralympic sports and athletes.
The owner of the account has since come forward as having previously competed as a paralympic athlete, and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has endorsed the “edgy and unique content” that they are publishing.
According to NBC News, an IPC official said in a statement, “We have created a strong following through edgy and unique content that allows us to educate an audience who may be less aware of Paralympic sport and the accomplishments of our athletes.”
We acknowledge that not everyone will find the content to their taste and that occasionally we make mistakes, but we regularly monitor posts and always engage in conversation in response to them.
The account, we discover, “allows us to positively engage with younger fans about the power of Para sport as a tool for driving social inclusion,” which is crucial.
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