Tag Archives: Olympics

The Youtube video of my TEDx Talk ‘Why we should eliminate the distinction between Olympics and Paralympics’ is now available

“Why we should eliminate the distinction between the Olympics and the Paralumpics”, or better: why athletes who competed with assistive technologies, such as the Paralympic long-jumper Markus Rehm, or the American 400 meter runner Blake Leeper, should be allowed to compete in the Olympics.

World Athletics current requires athletes who compete with assistive technologies to demonstrate that their assistive technology does not provide them with an unfair advantage over able-bodied athletes.

But, is this rule, fair?

There is no such upper limit on able-bodied athletes to demonstrate that they do not have an unfair advantage over other able-bodied athletes.

In my TEDx speech I argue that this rule is unfair and discriminatory, and that athletes with assistive technologies should be allowed to compete with “able-bodied” athletes when they meet the qualifying times or qualifying measures for the events.

I would cherish the opportunity to do a TEDx talk in English on this topic!

Contact me at silvia.camporesiATgmail.com to discuss TEDx opportunities.

#tedxtalk #talks #publicspeaking #paralympics #olympics #ethics #values #inclusion #disability #sport #markusrehm #blakeleeper #oscarpistorius

“A flickering flame: is the Olympics ideal dead?” My contribution to BBC World Service Newshour Extra

This BBC Newshourextra episode was broadcast on July 29th/20th/31st.

You can download the podcast (mp3) here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04263n3flickering flame

“The important thing in life is not to win but to take part, the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well”. So said the founder of the modern Olympic movement, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, at the end of the 19th Century. How does his noble ideal fit with the modern phenomena of professionalism, doping, individual financial gain, nationalistic pride, huge corporate sponsorship? Is the Olympic ideal still alive? In this week’s edition of the programme, as the Rio Games approach, join Owen Bennett Jones and his guests as they discuss the present and future of the Olympics”.

Contributors

Andrew Steele – British Olympic 400m athlete at Beijing 2008 games

David Goldblatt – Author of The Games: A Global History of the Olympics

Dr Silvia Camporesi – Lecturer in Bioethics and Society at King’s College London.

Professor Andy Miah – Chair in Science, Communication & Future Media at the University of Salford

Pat Myhill – Director of Operations for the UK Anti-Doping agency, UKAD