Did this country field ‘non-disabled athletes’ at the 2024 Paralympics?

Not without controversy
Ecuador
Rigorous testing
The report
ODDE president
Gold under threat
Intellectual disabilities
The requirements
Are they competing in Paris?
Driving licenses
Patricia Leon
Not without controversy

The 2024 Paralympics were a true spectacle, but even spectacles are not without controversy.

Ecuador

The South American country of Ecuador, which fielded 14 athletes for the 2024 Paralympic Games, has been accused of creating a structure of corruption to enable athletes who are neither physically nor intellectually disabled to compete.

Rigorous testing

The National Observatory Group was responsible for making the allegations, but the IPC oversees a rigorous vetting process to ensure all athletes have permanent impairment or underlined health conditions.

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The report

According to the Mirror, Ecuadorian media published a report from the Observatory for Monitoring Public Policy Compliance in Ecuadorian Sport (ODDE) detailing the allegations against the Ecuadorian Paralympic Committee.

"Fraudulent Functional Classifications"

A South American outlet claimed that ODDE had been receiving information about corruption for the past five years, alleging to have allowed competitors without disabilities or impairments to gain "fraudulent functional classifications" for Paralympic events.

ODDE president

ODDE president Edison Mendoza spoke on his concerns while addressing the president of the Ecuadorian Congress.

"Competed in conventional sport"

"The athletes competed in conventional sport according to the technical files and the statements made by Diego Arteaga Rosero, Methodologist of the Sports Federation of Carchi."

"Were recruited overnight"

"The interview conducted by Javier Tamba Guzmán, a journalist of the Federation, makes clear the process of training and competition that the athletes described above had and how these athletes were recruited overnight by the Ecuadorian Paralympic Committee and went on to compete in Adapted Sport."

Gold under threat

The latest revelation now threatens a competitor's gold medal in the long jump, having picked up first place at the 2015 Toronto Parapan American Games.

Intellectual disabilities

Organisations like VIRTUS, the International Sports Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Disabilities, determine eligibility for the Paralympic Games.

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The requirements

Athletes with intellectual disabilities must have an IQ of 75 or less, demonstrate limitations in adaptive behaviour, and be diagnosed by the age of 22.

Are they competing in Paris?

According to the Express, an anonymous Ecuadorian coach of the Paralympic team told a national television station of his concerns about non-disabled athletes competing in Paris.

"Don't have it"

They stated: "Those selected who should have an intellectual disability to participate in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games don't have it."

Driving licenses

The coach also claimed that some Paralympic athletes on the team have type B Ecuadorian driving licenses, which are strictly forbidden for disabled people because they allow them to drive light vehicles.

Patricia Leon

Patricia León, the president of the Ecuadorian Paralympic Committee, denied the claims: "It is a process at international level, it is not chosen by the (Ecuadorian) Paralympic Committee."

"Go through a rigid process"

"The fact that you have a Conadis card or special license does not guarantee your participation; they must go through a rigid process in order to be part; there are four filters, including doctors and psychologists."

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