Qualitative investigation evaluating Team USA Paralympic athletes: resources and recommendations for enhancing support systems.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to explore athletes' perspectives on existing US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) resources and to identify their recommendations for enhancing future initiatives aimed at promoting Paralympic athlete health, well-being and performance.

DESIGN

Phenomenological qualitative study

SETTING

Online.

PARTICIPANTS

A convenience sample of 19 Team USA Paralympic athletes 18 years of age or older participated (female n=11; age 31±9 years) representing four categories of conditions recognised by the International Paralympic Committee (muscle and movement, bone-related, visual and central nervous system).

RESULTS

The resulting codebook included 2 themes and 10 corresponding categories. Theme 1, titled Resources for Paralympic Athletes, includes five categories: (1) community-level; (2) university-level; (3) USOPC; (4) National Governing Body and (5) Resources Access, Awareness and Satisfaction. Theme 2, titled Recommendations for Improvements to the USOPC, also included five categories: (1) sports medicine; (2) disability-specific needs and classification systems; (3) sports performance; (4) resources and (5) community awareness. Study participants recognised meaningful improvements in organisational support, including expanded financial assistance and mental-health services yet persistent structural inequities continue to limit equitable access to high-quality resources. Fragmented and geographically uneven sports medicine, coaching and performance infrastructures, along with ongoing challenges in classification transparency and disability-specific programming, remain key barriers to athlete development.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings highlight the need for decentralised clinical and performance networks, enhanced evidence-based classification practices and more robust transition planning from collegiate to elite settings. Including athlete perspectives and strengthening equitable resources creates more accessible, consistent and performance-optimising environments within the US Paralympic system.