Are you a Proud Paralympian?
Do you always give your best, on and off the field of play? Do you know your rights as an athlete and citizen? Do you use social media and find ways to talk about your life and career?
These are the questions that the International Paralympic Committee is helping Para athletes to answer. In a new video the governing body of the Paralympic Movement hopes to raise awareness of its athlete education programme, Proud Paralympian, ahead of its official relaunch at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
Proud Paralympian will give athletes what they need to be the best they can be and it is easy to get involved right away. There are only three things that you need to do to be a Proud Paralympian. Know it! - Know the Paralympic values and foundation of the Movement - Respect your body and its limits - Have an exit strategy from sport towards a career - Know your rights as an athlete and citizen Live it! - Always give your best on and off the field of play - Say no to doping - Respect the rules, opponents and fans - Be a role model - Take part in athlete elections and get involved in how your sport is run Share it! - Be skilled in social and traditional media - Find ways to talk about your experiences and share your knowledge with others Proud Paralympian aims to help you do all this and more!
Ahead of the official relaunch at Rio 2016 take a look at the video, visit the Proud Paralympian pages https://www.paralympic.org/athletes/proud-paralympian of Paralympic.org and find out more about the IPC Athletes’ Council. You can start by checking out the candidate profiles for the Athletes’ Council elections and who you might like to vote for. https://www.paralympic.org/athletes-council You can also follow Proud Paralympian on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and change your profile picture to show that you are a #ProudParalympian.
And do not forget to visit the Proud Paralympian area in the Athlete Dining Hall at Rio 2016 where you can find out more. There will be giveaways, interesting activities and lots of ways to tell the world that you are proud to be a Paralympian.