Paralympic scandal arises as one country allegedly fielded ‘non-disabled athletes’

A major scandal has arisen at the 2024 Paralympics, with one country reportedly entering non-disabled athletes.

The South American country of Ecuador, which has fielded 14 players 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.

The National Observatory Group is 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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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.

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

"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."

"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."

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.

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

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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.

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.

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

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 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."

"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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