Facilitators and barriers for sports practice by athletes with impairments in Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore the main motivations and difficulties for the practice of sports by Brazilian elite athletes actively involved in national and/or international competitions. The research was qualitative and exploratory. We collected the data through semi-structured interviews with nine athletes from six Paralympic sports. The most emphasized motivators were: family support; example of other athletes with disabilities; socialization; financial gains; indication of rehabilitation centers and health professionals; possibility to visit new places; taste for sport and competition; positive change in self-perception and the family's perception of disability; autonomy gain; improved self-esteem; access to adequate and free places for sports. An important factor for the permanence in sport is that it generates a sense of meaning in their lives. The most quoted difficulties were: high performance sports’ wear; lack of appreciation and recognition of them as sports professionals; lack of sponsorship, and accessibility difficulties. The media dissemination - or lack of dissemination – of  Paralympic sports appeared at times as motivators and at times as limiting factors to encourage sports practice. This study offers subsidies for the work of sport professionals and for those interested in fostering the facilitators and in minimizing the barriers for greater involvement of people with disabilities in sport in Brazil and in other similar contexts.