Polish paralympic sports in the opinion of athletes and coaches in retrospective studies

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Environmental Research and Public Health

A rticle

Polish Paralympic Sports in the Opinion of Athletes and Coaches in Retrospective Studies

Joanna Sobiecka 1, Ryszard Plinta 2, Marta Kądziołka 1, Wojciech G aw roftski3, Paweł K ruszelnicki4 and Anna Zwierzchowska 5a

0

1 Faculty of Motor Rehabilitation, University of Physical Education, 31-571 Krakow, Poland;

j.w.sobiecka@interia.pl (J.S.); martadelaf@wp.pl (M.K.)

2 Department of Adapted Physical Activity and Sport, Chair of Physiotherapy, School of Health Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland; rplinta@sum.edu.pl

3 Department of Internal Medicine and Gerontology, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, 31-531 Krakow, Poland; w.gawronski@medicinasportiva.pl

4 Department of University School Informatization, University of Physical Education, 31-571 Krakow, Poland;

pawel@kruszelnicki.eu

5 The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education, Institute of Sport Science, 40-066 Katowice, Poland

* Correspondence: a.zwierzchowska@awf.katowice.pl; Tel.: +48-322-075-133

©

ch eck for

u pdates

Abstract: The study aim ed to identify the lim itations observed in Polish Paralym pic sport depending on the en v iro n m en t in w h ich athletes train on a d aily basis. T h e stu d y in clu d ed 581 persons d ivid ed in to tw o b asic groups. T h e first grou p con sists o f athletes (n = 324) and coach es (n = 88) appointed to the national team b y associations and u nions providing sports train in g exclu sively for athletes w ith disabilities. The second group consisted of athletes w ith disabilities (n = 146) and their coaches (n = 2 3), w ho w ork in national sports associations w orking for both able-bodied and disabled people. T he study used the diagnostic su rvey m ethod w ith a qu estionnaire developed b y Sobiecka.

T h e d ifficu lties in d icated b y the resp on d en ts referred to v ariou s asp ects related to the activ ity in professional sport. P articu larly em p hasised difficu lties w ere related to organizational and financial lim itations as w ell as the m anagem ent and coaching staff. At the sam e tim e, it w as dem onstrated that the environm ent w as a differentiating factor betw een the studied groups of athletes and coaches.

Keywords: P aralym pic sport; lim itations; training process; organizational structures

1. Introduction

It is w ell k no w n th a t th e su ccesses of P araly m p ian s are influ en ced n o t on ly b y the w o rk of the ath letes th em selv es, b u t also b y the co ach in g staff and the stand ard s of co n d ition s in th e period of p rep aratio n for th e P araly m p ic G am es [1] . C o m p arativ e research of scientists from d ifferent countries involved in the sports achievem ents of Paralym pians can provide valuable inform ation in this respect [2]. A n im portant role is also played by regular training in clubs (in addition to national team training cam ps) w here disabled athletes practice their sports on a daily basis. Therefore, both system ic and legislativ e solu tions are im p ortan t, w h ich in co n seq u en ce requires the creation of ap p rop riate conditions in various areas of functioning of athletes w ith disabilities. These include the organization of training and sporting events [3], coaching staff w orking w ith athletes [4,5], including psychologists [6], sports infrastructure [7], equipm ent and personal orthopaedic sports supplies [8- 10]. Furtherm ore, in the o p in io n of B lau w et and Iezzoni, R im m er et al., and Sah in and L exell [11- 13], it is im p o rtan t to ensure adequ ate funding and thus adequate m ark eting for sp ort for people w ith disabilities [9,14,15].

Blauw et and Iezzoni, W edgw ood and Calvente Rejón [11,16,17] em phasised the need for understanding and accep tan ce of sp o rt for p eop le w ith d isab ilities, esp ecially in the en v iro n m en t of ath letes w ith

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019,16, 4927; doi:10.3390/ijerph16244927 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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disabilities. G aw roński et al. and Sim on and Ward highlighted the im portance of care and specialized m ed ical staff in the process of train in g of athletes w ith d isab ilities [18, 19]. F u rth erm o re, d iagnosis of in ju ries, in clu d in g th ose d an gerou s to h ealth , and ap p rop riate treatm en t to ensu re th e retu rn to sport are also essential [20]. Little attention has also been paid to research into adequate nutrition and supplem entation in sports for people w ith disabilities, including Paralym pic sports [21]. Sport is very im portant in prom oting healthy lifestyles and preventing health problem s [22].

T h e ab ov e in d iv id u al su gg estion s hav e n o t b een reflected in th e literatu re of com p reh en siv e scientific research th at id entified the actu al cond itions in w h ich athletes w ith disabilities train every d ay in P oland . W orld literatu re also draw s atten tion to the lack of su fficient em p irical research into the im portant com ponents of training for people w ith disabilities at the highest sports skill levels and the b arriers affecting the in terest in and p articip atio n of ch ild ren w ith d isabilities in sport. T his is confirm ed by D ow ling et al. in their study w ith a very broad literature review [23]. The first interests in this area w ere observed in Poland in 1998-1999. A study w as conducted am ong athletes participating in the P araly m p ic G am es in the period of 1 9 9 2 -1 9 9 8 , and w as con tin u ed in th e follo w in g years [24].

They show ed that during sporting careers, athletes have had to overcom e a num ber of difficulties. In each period of research, they w ere m ainly related to the lack of adequate funding for sports activities of people w ith disabilities. They also m entioned the lack of support from the professional coaching staff, and insufficient training facilities, highly specialized sports equipm ent or personal sports orthopaedic su pplies. W h at w as w o rryin g, how ever, w as the fact th at the p rop ortion of athletes w ith d isabilities affected b y inad equ ate p revention and m edical care, and the lack u nd erstan d in g in associations and societies in w h ich th ey w ere affiliated, w as grow in g steadily. W ith the above asp ects, the aim o f the research w as to id entify and stratify the lim itations th at occu r in P olish P aralym pic sp ort depending on the en v iron m en t in w h ich athletes train on a d aily basis. It w as assu m ed th at the en v iron m en t in w hich disabled athletes function is significant for their success in sport.

2. Material and Methods 2.1. M aterial

T h e su rvey w as con d u cted b etw een N o v em b er 2015 and D ecem b er 2016. T h e resp ondents inclu d ed m em bers of all P olish associations and associations actin g exclu sively for the prom otion of P aralym pic sport. A ssociations and u nions provide sports train in g on ly for players w ith d isabilities, w hile sports unions operate in one specific sport, both for players w ith disabilities and those able-bodied.

In the p eriod of the survey, the n u m b er o f d isabled p eop le in P olan d ap p o in ted to th e P olish n ation al team w as n = 483, of w h o m n = 4 70 resp onded . T his accou n ted for 97.3% of the gen eral population of disabled m em bers of the national team . Furtherm ore, the num ber of coaches appointed at that tim e to the P olish national team w as n = 113, of w hom n = 111 joined the survey, w hich translated into 97.9% of the resp ective general pop u lation of coaches of peop le w ith d isabilities. Therefore, the study included 581 persons in total, divided into tw o basic groups (Group 1 and G roup 2).

G rou p 1 co n sisted of p articip an ts ap p oin ted to the n ation al P araly m p ic team b y all-P olish associations and u nions providing sports training only for athletes w ith disabilities.

T his g roup w as com p rised of 324 in d iv id u als (70 w om en , 254 m en ) w ith lo co m oto r or v isu al im pairm ents and 88 coaches (10 w om en, 78 m en).

G rou p 2 w as also co m p osed also of m em bers o f the n ation al P araly m p ic team , b u t th ey w ere nom inated by all-Polish Sports A ssociations operating w ithin specific sports for both able-bodied and disabled athletes. This group consisted of 146 athletes (28 w om en, 118 m en) w ith locom otor disorders and 23 coaches (4 w om en, 19 m en)— Figure 1.

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GROUP 1

Athletes and coaches appointed to the national team by sports Associations and Unions acting solely for

the benefit of players with disabilities N = 412

GROUP 2

Athletes and coaches appointed to the national team by Polish Sports Associations acting for both able-bodied

and disabled athletes N = 169

Athletes N = 324

Age: 32 ± 10.6 years (13-66) Competitive experience: 9 ± 6.5 years (2-38) Competitive experience in the Polish national team: 6 ±

5.0 years (1-31)

Athletes N = 146 Age: 32 ± 12.1 years (13-62) Competitive experience: 10 ± 8.2 years (1-48) Competitive experience in the Polish national team: 6 ±

5.3 years (1-25)

Women N = 70

Age 28 ± 8.2 years (14-52) Competitive experience

9 ± 5.4 years (2-26) Competitive experience in

the Polish National Team 6 ± 4.8 years (1-20)

Men N = 254

Age

32 ± 11.0 years (13-66) Competitive experience

in the Polish National Team 6 ± 5.1 years (1-31)

Women N = 28

in the Polish National Team 7 ± 6.1 years (1-20)

Men N = 118

10 ± 8.2 years (1^8) Competitive experience

in the Polish National Team

Coaches N = 88

Age: 50 ± 13.3 years (21-78) Coaching experience: 19 ± 13.0 years (1-55) Coaching experience in the Polish National Team:

7 ± 7.3 years (1-46)

Coaches N = 23

Age: 48 ± 12.0 years (28-68) Coaching experience: 17 ± 8.9 years (3-31) Coaching experience in the Polish National Team:

7 ± 4.4 years (1-18)

Women N = 10

Age

41 ± 11.6 years (25-59) Coaching experience 14 ± 11.9 years (2-36) Coaching experience in the

Polish National Team 3 ± 2.8 years (1-8)

Men N = 78

Age

51 ± 13.2 years (21-78) Coaching experience 20 ± 13.0 years (1-55) Coaching experience in the Polish National

Team 8 ± 7.5 years (1^6)

Women N = 4

Age

43 ± 13.6 years (28-60) Coaching experience 16 ± 10.1 years (6-30) Coaching experience in the Polish National Team

6 ± 4.9 years (2-13)

Men N = 19 Age

49 ± 11.8 years (32-68) Coaching experience

17 ± 8.9 years (3-31) Coaching experience in the Polish National Team 7 ± 4.4 years (1-18)

Figure 1. Characteristics of the athletes with disabilities and their coaches by groups.

2.2. M ethods

The m ethod of retrospective studies w as applied, w ith the; use of a diagnostic survey by m eans of a qu estio n n aire d esign ed b y So b ieck a [25]. T h e qu estionnaiee w as m od ified for the p u rp oses of the research and w as entitled "T h e process of integration of Polish sports com m u nities" [26]. The research procedure consisted of four stages (Figure 2).

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STAGE 1

Documentation of the Ministry of Science and Tourism: 2016 [27]

A ssociations and U n io n s P olish Sports A ssociations

individu al interview s w ith the p resid ents of sports organizations

STAGE 2

Coaching staff of the Polish National Team

1

verification and u p d ating of d ocu m entation concerning the nu m ber of d isabled athletes and their coaches for 2016

STAGE 3 Inclusion in the study

. * . .

Performing the examinations

direct particip ation: interview er - p layer, interview er - coach

STAGE 4

Identification and stratification of the limitations of Polish Paralympic sport

descrip tive statistics statistical analyses, ch i-squ ared tests;

structure index

Figure 2. The procedure of retrospective research conducted with the questionnaire [25,26].

In the first stage, based on the d o cu m en tatio n of th e M in istry of Sp o rt and Tourism [27], d irect contacf w as established w ith the chairpeople of the boards of all national organizations (19), in w hich coaching; in d isabled sports occurred in 20 16, including; P araly m p ic sports. U nions and associations o p eratin g exclu siv ely for ath letes w ith v isu al and lo co m oto r d isabilities w ere inclu d ed . D u rin g the ind iv id u al in terv iew s, chairp eo p le o f thesh o rg anization s (and in th e fu rth er s tag es of th e research, also the: coaches an n athletes) w ere inform ed abou t tire puzpose of tine research, the general research problem s w ere p resen ted , and the ch airm en w ere ask ed for co n sen t to co n d u ct the research. N ext, based on the d ocu m entafion available in the above organizations, e p ersonal list c f athletes and their cohches appainted to the national team in p articular sports w as prepared.

In th e seoond stage, co n ta rt w as establish ed w ith all coach es of the P araly m p ian team s in Poland, w ith w hom direct interview s w ere conductad. Furtherm ore, taking into account the coaching d ccu m en taticn , the data on the national team m em bers for 2016 w as verified and updated.

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In the third stage, th e su rvey w as con d u cted after o b tain in g the ap p roval of the com p etitors.

The su rvey w as carried o u t in P oland , d u rin g n atio n al co m p etition s, cam p s, cen tral con su ltation s and train in g sessions in sports clubs. T h e resp on d en ts w ere ath letes and coach es of th e P olish Paralym pic Team.

In the last stage o f th e research, the re sp o n d e n ts' op inions w ere extracted from th e su rvey q u estion n aire, co n cern in g on ly th e lim itation s o ccu rrin g in the P olish P araly m p ic sport. T h e d ata an aly sis w as b ased on d escrip tiv e statistics, p resen tin g the results for each grou p o f resp ondents (players and coaches). T he sports en viron m en t (unions and associations— 6 organizations providing sports train in g on ly for athletes w ith d isabilities), as w ell as P olish sports u nions (8 org anization s acting in one specific sport, both for able-bodied and disabled athletes) w as also taken into account.

T h e qu estio n n aire for fem ale and m ale athletes and th e n ation al P araly m p ian team consisted of the follo w in g p arts: th e in tro d u cto ry in stru ction , the m ain p a rt and th e resp o n d en t data. In the introd uctory instru ction p ortion, the aim of the study w as specified and the respondents w ere asked to em p h asise the ch osen an sw er and /or w rite th eir o p inion. F u rth erm ore, in the specified p ag e of the q u estion n aire, th e resp on d en ts cou ld add co m m en ts or op inions th at arose d u rin g its filling in the form.

The m ain part of the survey questionnaire consisted of 11 item s, w hich w ere m ainly sem i-open (7), w hile 3 of them w ere open and one w as closed. They concerned the integration of the disabled sports w ith th e sports co m m u n ity of able-bod ied ath letes, p o sitiv e asp ects and d ifficu lties in th e sport, as w ell as form s of su pport expected from national sports organizations, w hich w ould m ake it easier for players w ith disabilities to participate in the sport. There w ere also item s concerning the organizational and substantive preparation of Polish sports unions to take over athletes w ith disabilities w ho practice sports, the differences in training betw een Polish sports u nions and organizations dealing exclusively w ith sports for p eop le w ith d isab ilities, and th e ability of ath letes to co m p ly w ith the requ irem ents of th e train in g process specified b y P olish sports u nions. T he qu estions also con tain in form ation on the rights and obligations of the athletes appointed to the Paralym pic national team and coaches w ho athletes w ith disabilities w ould like to w ork w ith.

T h e n ex t p art o f th e su rv ey q u estion n aire (resp on d en t d ata) con tain ed 1 6 qu estions. They concerned the sociodem ographic characteristics of the athletes studied in the period of conducting the research. The questions covered the follow ing aspects: disability, sporting activity, m aterial conditions and other characteristics, concerning age, sex, m arital status and edu cational structure of the athletes surveyed (A ppendix A );

The survey questionnaire for the coaches of the Paralym pic national team also consisted of three parts. The differences w ere in its m ain part, w hich included few er item s (8 questions). The questions w ere sem i-open (4), open (3) and closed (1). Com paring it w ith the questionnaire for athletes of national P araly m p ic team , there w ere n o qu estion s ab o u t th e rights and o b ligation s of p layers ap p oin ted to the n ation al team and ab o u t coach es w h o ath letes w ith d isabilities w ou ld like to w o rk w ith. The resp on d en t d ata p art in clu d ed 13 qu estions con cern in g sociodem ograp hic featu res of coaches at the tim e of th e survey. T h ey in clu d ed : sex, age, m arital status, ed u catio n stru ctu re, co a ch 's certificates and coach in g activ ity (A p p en d ix B ). In ord er to v erify the sign ifican ce o f the correlation s for the problem s from individual areas betw een the above m entioned sports organizations, w e used tests for tw o structure indicators. Furtherm ore, chi-squared tests w ere used to dem onstrate differences in the choice of the dom inant characteristic in a given problem area.

It should b e n oted th a t eth ical p rin cip les form u lated in the In tern ation al G u id elin es for the International Ethical G uidelines for Biom edical R esearch Involving H um an Subjects (developed by the C ou n cil for In tern atio n al O rgan ization s of M ed ical Scien ces in co llab o ratio n w ith the W orld H ealth O rganization, adopted in 1982 and revised in 1993 and 2002) w ere respected at all stages o f research.

(International ethical guidelines for biom ed ical research involving hum an subjects. G eneva: C ouncil for International O rganizations of M ed ical Sciences, 2002 (access on 17 Jan u ary 2018).

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3. Results

A bou t 98% of athletes and 99% of coaches from the national team reported lim itations occurring in the Paralym pic sport in Poland. T he difficulties identified by the respondents covered seven m ajor areas. T he difficu lties w ere classified accord ing to their p revalence, w ith the respondents indicating:

(1) lack of regu lar financial su p p ort for the d ev elop m en t of sp ort for peop le w ith d isabilities, (2) low level of p ro m o tio n al and m ark etin g activ ities in sp ort for p eop le w ith d isabilities, (3) difficu lties and b arriers in the o rg anization of train in g and com p etitions for p eop le w ith disabilities, 4) d ifficu lt access to p rofession al co ach in g staff, (5) low aw aren ess in the u nd erstan d in g o f th e lim itation s of d isabled sports, (6) lim ited access to su fficient train in g facilities, ad vanced sport-sp ecific eq u ip m en t and p erson al ath letic orth o p aed ic su p p lies, (7) d ifficu lties in access to m ed ical care, p sy ch olog ists, dietitians and physiologists.

A cco rd in g to the resp on d en ts, lim itation s in P olish sports o rg anization s p ro vid in g train in g in Paralym pic sports are m ainly related to financing (Table 1). A m ong other things, the lack or inadequate m an ag em ent of regu lar financial su p p ort for the d ev elop m en t of sports w as also hig hlighted . In the opinions, statistically significant differences appeared only for athletes from associations and unions and from Polish sports associations. A thletes appointed to the national team by Polish sports associations w ere significantly m ore likely to indicate the lack of regular financial su p p ort for the developm ent of sports, w h ile those w ho trained w ith in associations and u nions p roviding coaching only for athletes w ith disabilities pointed to inadequate financing of Paralym pic sports (chi-2 = 78.46; df = 2; p < 0.05).

Table 1. Main limitations in Polish Paralympic sports relating to financial support and marketing in disabled sports (according to the studied athletes and coaches of the national team) *.

S tu d y P o p u la tio n A sso cia tio n s and

U n io n s

P o lish Sp o rts

A sso cia tio n s T otal

A th le tes n = 324

C o ach es n = 88

A th le tes n = 146

C o ach es n = 23

A th le te s n = 470

C o ach es n = 111

o/ % o/ % o/ % o/ % o/ % o/ %

F IN A N C IA L S U P P O R T **

(A thletes fr o m A ssociation s an d Unions vs. athletes fr o m P olish S portsA sso ciatio n s p = 0.000) L ack of reg u lar fin an cial su p p o rt for the

d e v elo p m en t o f sports 41.4 79.4 69.2 78.3 50.0 79.3

In ad eq u ate o r no fin an cial su p p o rt 64.8 18.1 10.9 17.4 48.1 18.0

Ineffectiv e fin an cial p o licy

C o m p licated p roced u res for o btain in g financial su p p o rt o r reim bu rsem ent

L ack o f ru les co n cern ing rem u n eration o f guid es and p ilo ts o f b lin d athletes

6.2 1.2

0.9

64.8 10.2

1.1

4.1 0.7

1.4

56.5 0

0

5.5 1.1

1.1

63.1 8.1

0.9

M A R K E T IN G IN D IS A B L E D S P O R T S

D ifficu lties in o btain in g sp onso rs 14.5 22.7 24.0 17.4 17.4 21.6

L ack o f p ro m o tio n ; n o recru itm en t o f d isabled ch ild ren and teen ag ers; no co o p eratio n o f clu bs w ith sch oo ls, o ccu p atio n al th erap y w o rk sho p s

and train in g -ed u catio n cen tres; lack of in form ativ e aw aren ess-raisin g ev en ts for p aren ts

and leg al cu sto d ian s o f d isabled child ren and teen ag ers to p rom ote d isabled sp o rts; la ck of

ju n io r and y o u th n atio n al team s

12.3 22.7 10.3 47.8 11.7 27.9

L ack of kn ow ledge, interest and u n d erstand ing of disabled sports in the society; lack o f appreciation

fo r ach ievem en ts in d isabled sp orts A sm all n u m b er o f ath letes train in g and

co m p etin g is som e sp o rts and classes

13.0

5.2

22.7

9.1

5.5

2.0

8.7

0

10.6

4.3

19.8

7.2

* The total does not equal 100% as the respondents were free to express more than one opinion; ** level of statistical significance p < 0.05.

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M arketing in sp ort for d isabled peop le is another significant area indicated b y d isabled athletes and th eir coaches and analy sed in the study (Table 1). P araly m p ic athletes and their coaches m ainly p ointed to d ifficu lties in fin d in g spon sors, lack of p rom otion and fu n d am en tal w o rk in term s of cooperation betw een clubs, sports associations and educational institutions, the environm ent of parents and leg al g u ard ians, and consequently, recru itm en t of ch ild ren and y ou th w ith d isab ilities. T he o p in ion s of the resp on d en ts w ere sign ifican tly different b o th am o n g coach es (chi-2 = 8.15; d f = 2;

p < 0.05) and players (chi-2 = 13.73; df = 2; p < 0.05), bu t it did not depend on the sports environm ent in w hich they w ere training.

Table 2 presents an analysis of the data concerning the area related to the organization of training and sports com p etitions in Polish Paralym pic sport. T he m ajority of athletes and coaches agreed that the m ain lim itation is the lack of system ic solutions, procedures of recruitm ent for sports am ong adults w ith d isabilities. F u rth erm o re, th ey in d icated a sm all n u m b er o f cam ps and sports co m p etition s at different levels. Statistically significant differences in these statem ents w ere observed only am ong the p layers. T h ese o p in ion s w ere m u ch m ore o ften in d icated b y ath letes o f n ation al team s train in g in associations and u nions than in Polish sports associations (test chi-2 = 7.89; df = 2; p < 0.05).

Table 2. Limitations in Polish Paralympic sports relating to the organization of training and competitions, as well as to the training and support personnel (according to the studied athletes and coaches of the national team) *.

L im ita tio n s in P o lish P araly m p ic Sp o rts

S tu d y P o p u la tio n

A sso cia tio n s an d P o lish S p o rts T t l U n io n s A sso cia tio n s

A th le te s C o ach es A th le te s C o a ch es A th le te s C o ach es n = 324 n = 88 n = 146 n = 23 n = 470 n = 111

o/ % o/ % o/ % o/ % o/ % o/%

O R G A N IZ A T IO N O F T R A IN IN G A N D C O M P E T IT IO N S **

(A th letesfrom A ssociation s an d U nions vs. a th lete s fr o m P olish S portsA sso ciatio n s p = 0.02) L ack o f in form ation ; la ck o f a recru itm en t sy stem

o f d isabled athletes 49.1 56.8 27.4 60.8 42.3 57.6

A sm all n u m b er o f co m p etitio n s and training

15.1 9.1 6.2 4.3 12.3 8.1

cam p s o rg anised a t different levels In co n v en ien t co m m u tin g for reg u lar training ,

train in g cam p s an d co m p etitio n s A sm all n u m b er o f ath letes train in g and com peting in som e sports and com petition classes

D ifferen t p erfo rm an ce lev els am on g athletes

7.1

5.3

2.3

0

13.0

0.7

13.0

0

8.9

3.8

4.5

0

w ithin sections or clubs, lim iting the possib ility to o b tain g ood results

U n cle ar ru les on ath lete selectio n fo r the n ation al 1.9

1.2

2.3

0

2.7

1.4

0

4.3

2.1

1.3

1.8

team (in clu d in g P araly m p ic g am es) 0.9 U n p ro fessio n al o rg an izatio n o f sports

co m p etitio n s

L a ck o f a stan d ard ised train in g sy stem for

0 1.1 0.7 0 0.2 0.9

disabled athletes in associations and Polish Sports 0 1.1 0 8.7 0 2 .7

A sso ciation s

C O A C H IN G A N D S U P P O R T P E R S O N N E L **

(A th letesfrom A ssociation s an d U nions vs. athletes fr o m P olish S ports A ssociation s p = 0.002) N o or lim ited access to p rofessio nal p erso n n el

en g ag ed in w o rk w ith d isab led ath letes; a sm all n u m b er o f co m p ete n t co ach es and P araly m p ic

sp orts officials

L ack o f or insu fficien t nu m b er o f v o lu n tee rs and assistants h elp in g d u rin g train in g and

co m p etitio n s

23.8 36.4 7.5 30.4 18.7 35.1

4 .0 5 .7 3.4 4.3 3.8 5.4

C oach in g staff, referees, vo lu n teers and assistan ts su p p ortin g players w ith d isabilities d u rin g training sessions and sports com petitions is another aspect related to the area of organization of training and sports co m p etition s in P olish P araly m p ic sp ort (Table 2) . L im ited access to the co ach in g staff,

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in su fficien t n u m b er of referees in P araly m p ic sports are op inions th at w ere statistically significantly d ifferentiated on ly in th e grou p of athletes. A th letes ap p oin ted to the P olish N ation al Team by association s and u nion s p rov id in g train in g o n ly for ath letes w ith d isabilities in d icated them m u ch m ore often than those training in P olish sports associations (test chi-2 = 5.56; df = 1; p < 0.05).

U nd erstand ing the lim itations of disabled sports is the only area w hich statistically significantly d ifferentiated the opinions o f b o th athletes and coaches w ith regard to th e sports en v iron m en t from w h ich th ey cam e from (Table 3 ). P lay ers and coach es w ere critical of the level o f k n o w led g e ab o u t disability and indicated the lack of understanding and acceptance of players w ith disabilities in Polish sports associations. T hey pointed to the u nd erestim ation of their sporting achievem ents and the lack of proper cooperation and com m u nication in relations betw een the u nion, clu b, coaches and athletes.

T hese op inions w ere sign ifican tly m ore frequ en tly p resented b y th e ath letes su rvey ed com in g from the en v iro n m en t p ro v id in g sports train in g on ly for p eop le w ith d isabilities th an from P olish sports associations (chi-2 = 4.74; df = 1; p < 0.05).

Table 3. Main limitations in Polish Paralympic sports relating to the understanding of the question of disabled sports, including women's sport, as well as the organizational structure (according to the studied athletes and coaches of the national team) *.

S tu d y P o p u la tio n A sso cia tio n s P o lish Sp o rts

an d U n io n s A sso cia tio n s T otal

A th le tes n = 324

C o ach es A th le tes n = 88 n = 146

C o ach es n = 23

A th le te s n = 470

C o ach es n = 111

o/ % o/ % o/ % o/ % o/ % o/ %

U N D E R S T A N D IN G D IS A B L E D S P O R T S (IN C L U D IN G W O M E N 'S S P O R T ) * *

(A thletes fr o m A ssociation s an d U nions vs. athletes fr o m P olish S ports A ssociation s p = 0.001; coaches fr o m A ssociation s an d Unions vs.

coaches fr o m P olish S ports A ssociation s p = 0.011) L a ck o f k n o w led g e, u n d erstan d in g and

accep tan ce of d isabled ath letes in P o lish S p o rt A sso ciatio n s; lack o f ap p reciatio n of th eir sp orts

ach iev em en ts; lack o f co rrect co o p eratio n and co m m u n icatio n be tw e en so cieties, clu bs, coach es

an d ath letes

32.6 21.6 8.2 30.4 25.1 23.4

L ack of end orsem ent from individuals w o rk ing in

d isabled sp orts in stitu tio n s 8.6 14.8 6.2 39.1 7.7 19.8

Low p articip atio n o f w o m en in sp ort 0.3 0 0.7 0 0.4 0

O R G A N IZ A T IO N A L S T R U C T U R E A N D C O M P E T E N C E O F IN D IV ID U A L S IN V O L V E D IN D IS A B L E D S P O R T S

A sm all n u m b er o f d isabled sp orts clu b s and

sections 5.2 11.4 10.9 4.3 7.0 9.9

Ineffective structures w ithin Polish disabled sports 6.5 10.2 5.5 4.3 6.2 9.0

N o co op eratio n b e tw e en clu bs, associatio n s, P o lish Sp o rts A sso ciatio n fo r the D isab led "Start

an d P o lish u nio ns

N o co ord in ators su p erv isin g th e co op eratio n be tw e en the m an ag em en t, co ach es and d isabled

ath letes in P o lish Sp o rts A sso ciation s N o rep resen tativ es o f som e P o lish n ation al

societies an d associatio n s activ e in the m an ag em en t bo ard o f the P o lish P araly m p ic

C om m ittee

5.6

0

7.9 1.4

2.3 1.4

3.4 0

17.4

0

8.7

4.2

0.4

0

9.9

1.8

4.5

Furtherm ore, Table 3 includes the opinions of respondents related to the organizational structure of Polish sp ort for disabled peop le and com p etencies of peop le w o rkin g for the associations. Players from Polish sports associations w ere m uch m ore likely to indicate the sm all num ber of clubs and sports sections for people w ith disabilities, w hereas those from associations and unions pointed m ore often to ineffective structures of Polish sports for the disabled (chi-2 = 6.11; df = 2; p < 0.05).

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The availability of highly specialised sports equipm ent and personal orthopaedic supplies is one of the com plem entary areas concerning the organization of sports training (Table 4). Both athletes and their coaches p ointed to these lim itations, and statistically significant differences in these statem ents w ere recorded only am ong players due to the environm ent of their p articipation in sports training.

Table 4. Main limitations in Polish Paralympic sports relating to access to sports equipment, personal orthopaedic supply and the training site (according to the studied athletes and coaches of the national team) *.

S tu d y P o p u la tio n A sso cia tio n s P o lish Sp o rts

A th le te s C o ach es A th le te s C o a ch es A th le te s C o ach es n = 324 n = 88 n = 146 n = 23 n = 470 n = 111

0/ % 0/ % 0/ % 0/ % 0/ % 0/ %

A C C E S S T O S P O R T S E Q U IP M E N T A N D P E R S O N A L O R T H O P A E D IC SU P P L Y F O R S P O R T S **

(A th letesfrom A ssociation s an d U nions vs. athletes fr o m P olish S ports A ssociation s p = 0.001) L im ited access to h ig h ly sp ecialised sp o rts ^ 4 20 4

eq u ip m ent

L im ited access to h ig h ly sp ecialised p erso n al ^ 1 1 7 0 o rth o p aed ic su p p ly fo r sp orts

15. 1 26. 1 18. 7

0 26.1 13. 8

21.6

18.9

T R A IN IN G S IT E **

(C oaches from A ssociation s an d U nions vs. c o a ch esfro m P olish Sports A ssociation sp = 0.047) L ack of ap p rop riately ad ap ted train in g sites and

acco m m o d atio n , lim ited access to sp o rts 18 2 52 3 19.2 26.1 18.5 46.8

stru ctu res fo r the d isabled

O ther obstacles that w ere pointed out by the respondents w ere the lack of adequate training and hotel facilities and lim ited access to sports facilities, tak in g in to acco u n t the n eed s of p eop le w ith d isabilities (Table 4 ). T hey w ere esp ecially em phasized b y coaches and th ose w ho provided training in associatio n s and u nions actin g on ly for th e b en efit o f d isab led sports. T here w ere n o statistically significant differences in the opinions of athletes.

T h e results presen ted in Table 5 show o th er difficu lties, e.g., th o se related to m ed ical care and access to p sy ch o lo g ists, d ietitian s and p h y siolog ists. T h e m o st freq u en t lim itatio n m ention ed by the resp on d en ts w as th e lack of regu lar and p rofession al p rev en tion and m ed ical care. Statem ents about the difficulties m entioned above turned out to be significantly differentiated only in the athletes' environm ent. N o statistically significant differences w ere found in the opinions of coaches.

Table 5. Main limitations in Polish Paralympic sports relating to medical care and support of psychologists, dietitians and physiologists (according to the studied athletes and coaches of the national team) *.

S tu d y P o p u la tio n A sso cia tio n s

L im ita tio n s in P o lish P araly m p ic S p o rts an d U n io n s

P o lish Sp o rts

A th le tes n = 324

C o a ch es A th le te s C o ach es n = 88 n = 146 n = 23

A th le tes n = 470

C o ach es n = 111

% 0/% 0/ % % 0/ % %

M E D IC A L C A R E A N D S U P P O R T O F P S Y C H O L O G IS T S , D IE T IT IA N S A N D P H Y S IO L O G IS T S **

(A th letesfrom A ssociation s an d U nions vs. a th lete s fr o m P olish S ports A ssociation s p = 0.004) L ack o f sy stem atic p rop h y laxis and ap p rop riate regular 13.0

21.6 3.4 13.0 10.0 19.8

m ed ical care (p h y sician s, p h y sio th erap ists, m asseu rs)

N o su p p o rt fro m a p sy ch o lo g ist 5.6 6.8 3.4 17.4 4.9 9.0

N o su p p o rt fro m a d ietitian 1.9 2.3 0.7 0 1.5 1.8

N o su p p o rt fro m a p h y sio lo g ist 0.6 1.1 0 0 0.4 0.9

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4. Discussion

The above results revealed the lim itations th at occur in Polish Paralym pic sp ort and cover m any areas of the activities related to this sport. It should b e stressed, how ever, th at th e p resen ted results are am ong the first to be indicated b y so m any peop le directly involved in p rofessional sports for the d isabled . The au thors of th e p ap er did n o t find sim ilar studies in in tern atio n al literatu re. Therefore, their findings cannot be referred to the results of other national representations of Paralym pic sports. It should be rem em bered, how ever, that the dom inating obstacle of the lack of adequate funding has been reported by P olish Paralym pic athletes in studies published in 1992-1998 (about 46% ), 2000-2002 (about 33%) and 2004-2006 (about 32%) [24], and by the 2016 N ational Team athletes com peting in Paralym pic sp orts. T h ey em p h asized , am on g other th in g s, u nfair criteria for aw ard in g scholarsh ip s, th e lack of aw arding athletes for setting records of Paralym pic G am es, w orld or European C ham pionship s, and too-low stipends [26]. Furtherm ore, the lack of regular financial support for the developm ent of sports turned out to be the m ost frequ ently reported lim itation, both b y the athletes and their coaches. This m an ifested itself in the lack of or in com p lete reim b u rsem en t of the co m p etito rs' costs of stay at the cam ps and com petitions, fees for the com petition license in a given sport or insurance for international trips [ 26] . A n o th er difficu lty w as th e in ad eq u ate fin an cial policy, w h ich w as noticed m ain ly b y the coaches surveyed. M ost often, it concerned the allocation of funds against their intended use and the inap propriate division of funds betw een sports and even clubs w ithin a given association.

W ith the above-m entioned lim itations of the Polish Paralym pic sport, and the com m ents of Blauw et and Iezzoni [11] and Sah lin and L exell [13] th a t fin an cial d ifficu lties m ay lim it the o p p o rtu n ities of people w ith disabilities to participate in sporting activity, and som etim es even exclude them , it can be assum ed that in the future, the area of this activity in Poland m ay becom e inaccessible to those w illing to p ractice sport, n o t on ly in the form of reh abilitation b u t, above all, as p rofession al w ork. In this context, it is w orth quoting the opinions of Rim m er et al. [12]. The authors found that the participation of p eop le w ith d isabilities in sp o rtin g activ ity is costly, thu s b ein g the b arrier to p articip ation , even in d evelop ed cou n tries. It should be noted , how ever, th a t in P olan d , fin an cin g of sp ortin g activity for the d isabled is m ain ly b ased o n fu nd s from th e state b u d g et. T herefore, one should co n sid er w hether the problem of financing sporting activity arises only from a lack of resources or perhaps from

inefficient spending.

A nother lim itation in disabled sports is the lack of interest of sponsors or business organizations. It is w ell know n that the m edia, especially television and the Internet, through the globalization of sports events, encourage the involvem ent of sponsors [28]. Unfortunately, despite the participation of Polish com petitors in the top level sporting events (Paralym pic G am es, w orld or European cham pionships), finding sponsors is very difficult. A sim ilar problem is observed in other European countries, including Sp ain [29]. T herefore, social m ark etin g shou ld b e u sed to a g reater ex ten t to p rom ote sport, as m entioned by C ottingham et al. [14] and C urran and H irons [9 ], especially as associations and unions dealing exclusively w ith disabled athletes are non-profit organisations. Furtherm ore, they have serious problem s w ith financing the prom otion of disabled sports, w hich has been reported by representatives of the national team of particular sports [ 26]. Therefore, it seem s th at there is no aw areness in Poland of th e benefits of socially en g aged m ark etin g , alth o u g h it can im p rove liv in g con d ition s, p rom ote a brand , build relationships w ith consum ers and offer m any other benefits [15].

Paralym pic sport experiences its internal problem s w ith the organization of training. This applies to both clubs and the Polish national team. R espondents from all groups pointed out the lack of reliable in fo rm atio n on th e p ossibilities of p ractisin g sp ort b y p eop le w ith v ariou s d ysfu n ction s. D esp ite sign ifican t progress in sh ow in g and p rom otin g P araly m p ic sports co m p ared to the early 1990s, no effectively organized recruitm ent system for people w ith disabilities (including you ng people) to take p art in sp ort w as fou n d in P oland . A t the level o f sports clu bs, the train in g process is n o t su b ject to any coordination. The au th o rs' observations and exp erience show that occasional trainings are often lim ited to the participation of coaches of the national team , and often concern m any sports. Therefore, the topics discussed during such trainings are interdisciplinary.

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The coach in g staff, esp ecially those coop eratin g w ith athletes and referees of P araly m p ic sports on a d aily basis, w as su bjected to criticism b y the resp o n d en ts. T h e m ain com m en ts con cern ed the lack or lim ited access to profession als. It seem s ev id en t th a t one of the reasons for this is th e lack of fu nd s for th e train in g of qu alified coach in g staff to su it th e n eed s of d isabled sports [26]. A n oth er difficulty is related to unattractive salaries and the lack of em ploym ent opportunities for coaches under em ploym ent contracts in sports clubs. This w as confirm ed by people w orking for disabled athletes in Poland. They stated that too little m oney w as spent on coach es' positions [ 26] . It should be m entioned, however, that for m ost coaches, this is their additional w ork. W ith this in m ind, and taking into account the opinions of Bastos et al. [4 ] and M artin and W halen [5 ] about the significant role of both fem ale and m ale coaches in sports professionalization and achievem ent of the m axim um potential of elite players w ith d isabilities, it can b e conclu ded th at the fu rth er d evelop m en t of P olish professional sp ort raises m any concerns.

A n o th er lim itation , w h ich w as exp ressed in the statem en ts of th e ath letes su rvey ed and th eir coaches, o ccu rrin g in P olish P araly m p ic sport, w as the u n d erstan d in g of the lim itations of d isabled sports. In this resp ect, B lau w et and Iezzo n i [1 1 ] and W ed gw ood [1 6 ] ev en em p h asized th e need to u nd erstan d this activ ity in the sports en v iro n m en t of p eop le w ith d isabilities. D esp ite the rapid d ev elo p m en t o f the P araly m p ic m ovem en t, athletes still face m an y b arriers to p articip atio n and inadequate p resentation of their im age in sp ort at the highest level [30] .

A n o th er lim itation m entio n ed b y th e resp on d en ts w as th e sm all n u m b er of clu bs and sports sections. T h ey op erate w ith in th e structu res of P o lish sp ort and are u su ally based in b ig cities. T his is p articu larly n o ticeab le in th e P olish Sports A sso ciatio n for th e D isabled "S ta r t", w h ich cond u cts train in g in ten su m m er and five w in ter P araly m p ic sports [26]. H ow ever, one can n o t ignore the fact th at the attem p t to tak e over o rg anization al p attern s from som e cou n tries, con sistin g in th e full integration of able-bodied and disabled athletes into one organization [3 1 ] has not brought the expected results in Poland at present. Polish sports associations take over certain sports of disabled people only at th e lev el of n ation al team s, w h ereas train in g in clubs continu es in association s and u nion s actin g exclu siv ely for the b en efit of p eop le w ith d isabilities. This cau ses som e problem s, for exam p le, w ith coordination in training and organizational m atters [26] .

In the o p in io n o f the resp on d en ts, there are also b arriers co n cern in g access to h ig h -q u ality specialized sports equipm ent, including personal sports orthopaedic supplies. It w ould be reasonable to assu m e th a t th ey are cau sed b y different aspects. T h e eq u ip m en t m u st b e selected in d iv id u ally for each com p etitor. If an ath lete is exclu d ed from train in g and co m p etition s for h ealth reason s or w ith d raw al from p ractisin g a sport, there is little ch an ce o f th e eq u ip m en t b ein g u sed b y an oth er athlete. A t th e sam e tim e, it should be rem em bered th a t the p u rch ase of eq u ip m en t con su m es hig h financial resources, w hich w ere m entioned b y both coaches and athletes [26]. C onsequently, it can be assu m ed th a t the presen ted d ifficu lties beco m e a serious factor th a t lim its the ach iev em en t of hig h sports perform ance am ong disabled players taking part in professional sports in Poland. This w as also em phasized b y Jaarsm a et al. [7] and K ean et al. [10].

The coaches from both environm ents (associations and unions for the disabled and Polish sports associations) also noticed lim ited access to appropriate training facilities. T hese include, for exam ple, good location, accessibility for peop le w ith variou s d isabilities or con v en ient train in g hours [ 26]. A s can be seen, this w as not alw ays caused b y insufficient financial resources for renting sports facilities, even th ou gh Sobieck a reported on these lim itations [ 26]. A t this point, the op in ion of C am p b ell and Jones [32] becom es im portant: that the lack of accessible sports facilities for people w ith disabilities is one of the m ain sources of stress for elite athletes.

A serious and neg ative p h enom enon affecting the cond itions of practisin g sp ort b y peop le w ith d isabilities is th e lack of p rev en tion in the form of regu lar m ed ical ch eck -u p s in th e field o f sports m edicine and access to proper m edical care. This lim itation is particularly em phasized by the athletes su rveyed and coaches from o rganizations actin g exclu sively for the b en efit of d isabled sports. It has also been reported by the Polish Paralym pians in 1992-1998 (ca. 12% ), 2000-2002 (ca. 17%), 2004-2006

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(ca. 17%) [2 4]. Positive changes in this respect could be observed only in the period of preparation for the Lon don 2012 P araly m p ic G am es [1]. This w as p robably d ue to the im p lem en tation in the P olish national team , in the form of enforcing before the G am es, preventive m u ltispecialist exam inations in the field of sports m edicine. Such a procedure w as recognized not only by the Paralym pic G am es, but also proved to be effective in redu cing the incid ence of m u scu loskeletal inju ries and illnesses during the P araly m p ic G am es [18]. T h erefore, it m ay be su gg ested th a t sim ilar m ed ical m easu res should be introd u ced at a clu b level. U ndoubtedly, o b serv ance of regu lar p reven tive m ed ical ch eck -u p s in the field of sports m edicin e, com p leted w ith the certificate of h ealth status, w ill ensu re th at ath letes are able to p articip ate safely in sport, b o th d u rin g train in g and com p etition s. T h e d ev elo p m en t of m od ern civ ilizatio n th a t brin gs aw aren ess of th e society ab o u t d isabilities requires co n d u ctin g ed u catio n al and p ro m otion al activ ities, esp ecially am o n g p arents and legal g u ard ians, co n cern in g the possibility of p ractising sport as an antidote to disability. T h ese m easures require m edia support, w h ich , u nfortu nately, is also lack in g in th e area of p rofession al sp o rt for d isabled peop le, b o th in Poland and in other countries. O ften, high-level com petitions such as the Paralym pic G am es, are being pu shed in to the backg rou n d of telev isio n broad casts and rep laced b y com m ercial broad casts of less im portant com p etitions [29] .

5. Conclusions

T h e d ifficu lties in d icated b y th e resp on d en ts referred to v ariou s areas related to th eir activity in p rofession al sport. T he sports en v iro n m en t tu rn ed o u t to be a factor sign ifican tly d ifferentiating m ain ly the players in resp on se to the qu estion s co n cern in g the lim itation s of the P olish P araly m p ic sport. N eg ativ e o p in ion s w ere sig n ifican tly m ore frequ ent, as in d icated b y resp on d en ts from the national team appointed b y associations and u nions providing sports training exclu sively for peop le w ith disabilities in com p arison to P olish sports associations.

R eg ard less of th e en v iron m en t in w h ich players w ith d isabilities train ev ery day, the bu rd en of lim itations p rim arily concerns financial and org anizational m atters or issues related to the coaching and su pport staff.

Author Contributions: For research articles with several authors, a short paragraph specifying their individual contributions must be provided. The following statements should be used "conceptualization, J.S., R.P. and A.Z.;

methodology, J.S.; software, P.K.; validation, J.S., R.P. and M.K.; formal analysis, P.K., J.S.; investigation, J.S.;

resources, M.K.; data curation, M.K.; writing—original draft preparation, J.S, R.P., W.G., A.Z. writing—review and editing, A.Z.; visualization, A.Z.; supervision, J.S., R.P., A.Z.; W.G. project administration, J.S.; funding acquisition, J.S.", please turn to the CRediT taxonomy for the term explanation. Authorship must be limited to those who have contributed substantially to the work reported.

Funding: This research received external funding of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism in Poland (expert opinion, 2016). On 7 May 2018, the Ministry of Sport and Tourism issued a permit to Joanna Sobiecka to use, for scientific purposes, selected results of research carried out within her expert opinion. This publication was funded by:

University of Physical Education in Krakow and Institute of Sport Science of The Jerzy Kukuczka Academy of Physical Education in Katowice.

Acknowledgments: We are grateful to the participants for their time and effort. The research was financed from the budget of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism and carried out in accordance with the project of statutory research of the Department of Social Fundamentals of Rehabilitation at the Academy of Physical Education in Kraków in 2017.

Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Appendix A

THE UNIVERSITY OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN KRAKOW SECTION OF DISABLED SPORTS

FACULTY OF M O TO R REHABILITATION

31-571 Kraków, Aleja Jana Pawła II 78, pawilon I pokój 310, Phone: (012) 683 10 40, e-mail: J.W .Sobiecka@interia.pl

Questionnaire form for female and male athletes of the national team THE PROCESS OF INTEGRATION OF POLISH ATHLETIC COMMUNITIES

We kindly ask you to take part in our survey, w hich is conducted for the purposes of the EXPERT OPINION prepared for the MINISTRY OF SPORT AND TOURISM. A sim ilar survey w as previously conducted am ong the athletes p articipating in the 1972-2010 Su m m er and W inter Paralym pic G am es living in Poland. T his qu estionnaire represents a continu ation of th at survey.

Its p u rp ose is to d eterm in e th e ch an g es th a t tak e p lace in th e p rocess of in teg ration of P olish sports com m u n ities after the en try into force of the A ct on Sp o rt of 25 Ju ne 2010 (Jou rnal of Law s of 15 Ju ly 2010, N o. 127, item 857 as am ended).

W e w ou ld like to ask you to an sw er the item s contained in the qu estionnaire. W h en answ ering in d iv id u al q u estion s, p lease h ig h lig h t the an sw er y ou have ch osen and /or w rite the an sw er in the right place. Items 5, 6, 7 and 8 are answered only by athletes who are coached within Polish Sports Associations (red m arker).

W e w ou ld also ap p reciate any ad d itional com m en ts, su ggestions and opinions you m ig h t h ave w hen filling out the qu estionnaire and p lacing them on a specially prepared page.

T h e su rvey is anonym ous and it w ill not disclose y ou r identity based on the replies.

1. Are current disabled sports alienated from the athletic environment of able-bodied athletes? (please underline an d ju stify you r choice)

YES NO

W hy?

2. Please specify (in poin ts) the advantages of Polish disabled sports.

3. Please specify (in poin ts) the major problems occurring in disabled sports in Poland.

4. W hat kind of support from the union/association for disabled athletes do you consider to be the most important?

5. Are Polish associations prepared in terms of knowledge to work with disabled athletes? (please underline and ju stify you r choice)

YES NO

W hy?

6. Are Polish associations prepared organizationally to work with disabled athletes?

(please

underline and ju stify you r choice)

YES NO

W hy?

7. Is the athletic training process that is implemented in the sports associations of individual sports different compared to other organisations dealing exclusively with disabled sports?

(please underline you r choice an d list in points) YES

W hat are the advantages?

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YES W hat are the disadvantages?

NO W hy?

8. Are disabled athletes able to comply with the requirements of the training process in Polish sports associations? (please u nderline as appropriate)

YES NO

9. As a national team member, I would like to practice: (please underline and ju stify you r choice)

(a) w ith coach es w o rk in g in u nion s/association s for on ly th e co m m u n ity o f peop le w ith disabilities

YES NO

W hy?

(b) coaches w orking in Polish sports associations for the com m unity of athletes w ith disabilities

YES NO

W hy?

10. Are you familiar with the rights as a national team athlete? (please u nderline as appropriate)

YES NO

I

P lease specify.

11. Does the male and female athletes from the national team have duties?

(please underline as appropriate)

YES

I

NO

With relation to whom?

(please underline as appropriate) PLEASE SPECIFY.

nion/association sports club

coaches other athletes other persons (who?)

Please list all your comments that came to your mind while filling in the questionnaire.

RESPONDENT DATA

Sex (underline as appropriate): fem ale, m ale Year of b irth ...

Marital status (underline as appropriate): single p erso n , m arried perso n , w id ow /w id ow er, divorced, com m on-law spouse

Education (underline as appropriate): higher, general secondary, vocational secondary, vocational prim ary, ju n io r secondary, prim ary

(15)

Professional activity Check with "X"

Professionally active—working Professionally active— unemployed

(job seekers and people ready to take up a job) Professionally inactive—not working

Professionally inactive—school students Professionally inactive—university students

Source of livelihood Check with "X"

Salary

Unemployment benefit Retirement pension Pension

Sports scholarship Maintenance grant Academic scholarship Dependent on parents Other (which?)

Sports organization Check with "X"

CROSS—Association o f Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism o f the Blind and Visually Impaired "CROSS"

ISRS CULANI—Integration Rehabilitation and Sports Association Culani

PZB—Polish Boccia Association

PZSN "Start"—Polish Sport Association for the Disabled

"Start"

SPNON "Amp Football"—Amp Football Association fo r the Disabled

SSON—Disabled Sports Association

ZKF "OLIMP"—Physical Culture Association "Olimp"

Polish sports union Check with "X"

PZBad— Polish Badminton Association PZBil— Polish Billiard Association PZJ—Polish Equestrian Federation PZK—Polish Tenpin Bowling Federation PZKaj—Polish Canoe Federation PZKosz—Polish Basketball Association PZŁUcz—Polish Archery Federation PZT—Polish Tennis Association PZTO—Polish Taekwondo Federation PZTri—Polish Triathlon Union PZTS—Polish Table Tennis Association PZZ—Polish Yachting Association

(16)

Summer sport Check with "X"

Amputee football Archery

Badminton Beach volleyball Blind football Boccia Bowling Bowling Canoeing Chess Draughts Equestrian sports Goalball

Handbike cycling Rowing

Sailing Shooting Shooting sports Showdown Sitting volleyball Swimming Table tennis Taekwondo Tandem cycling Track and field Triathlon Weightlifting

Wheelchair basketball Wheelchair billiards Wheelchair dancing Wheelchair fencing Wheelchair rugby Wheelchair tennis

Winter sport Check with "X"

Alpine skiing Biathlon

Cross-country skiing Sledge hockey Snowboard Wheelchair curling

Number of participations in the Paralympic Games (underline as appropriate):

0 1 2 3 4 5

Number of participations in the European Championships (underline as appropriate):

0 1 2 3 4 5

Number of participations in the World Championships (underline as appropriate):

0 1 2 3 4 5

Competitive experience (y e a r s ) ...

Experience in the national team (in y e a r s ) ...

Weekly participation in training (how m any t im e s ) ...

Type of disability (underline as appropriate):

im paired vision: blind , visu ally im paired

(17)

im paired m otor function: low er lim b am putation im paired m otor function: u pper lim b am putation

im paired m otor function (paraplegia) m oving in a w heelchair im paired m otor function (paraplegia) - m oving w ithou t a w heelchair im paired m otor function (cerebral palsy) - m oving in a w heelchair im paired m otor function (cerebral palsy) m oving w ithou t a w heelchair other types of im paired m otor function (w h ic h ? )...

Degree of disability (underline as appropriate): severe, m oderate, m ild We would like to thank you for filling in the questionnaire.

We wish you further sporting success, Yours Sincerely,

Joanna Sobiecka, PhD

The University o f Physical Education in Krakow Al. Jana Pawła II 78, 31-571 Kraków

e-mail: J.W.Sobiecka@interia.pl

T h e orig in al of the q u estion n aire can be fou n d in : So b ieck a, J. T he p rocess of in teg ratio n of Polish sports com m unities and tendencies in the global m ovem ent of disabled people. Expert opinion com m issioned by the M inistry of Sport and Tourism. Warsaw, 2016 (docum entation of the M inistry of Sport and Tourism , unpublished m aterials) [26].

Appendix B

THE UNIVERSITY OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN KRAKOW SECTION OF DISABLED SPORTS

FACULTY OF M O TO R REHABILITATION

31-571 Kraków, Aleja Jana Pawła II 78, pawilon I pokój 310, Phone: (012) 683 10 40, e-mail: J.W .Sobiecka@interia.pl

Questionnaire form for coaches of the national team

THE PROCESS OF INTEGRATION OF POLISH ATHLETIC COMMUNITIES

We kindly ask you to take part in our survey, w hich is conducted for the purposes of the EXPERT OPINION prepared for the MINISTRY OF SPORT AND TOURISM.

A sim ilar survey w as also carried out am ong athletes from the national team from 39 sports w ho train in unions and associations providing sports training exclu sively for athletes w ith disabilities, as w ell as those w ho train in Polish sports associations acting both for able-bodied and disabled athletes.

The purpose of the survey is to determ ine the changes that take place in the process of integration of P olish sports com m u nities after the entry into force of the A ct on Sp ort of 25 Ju n e 2010 (Journal of Law s of 15 Ju ly 2010, N o. 127, item 857 as am ended).

W e w ou ld like to ask you to an sw er the item s contained in the qu estionnaire. W h en answ ering individual questions, please highlight the answ er you have chosen and/or w rite the answ er in the right place. Items 5, 6, 7 and 8 are answered only by coaches from Polish Sports Associations.

W e w ou ld also ap p reciate any ad d itional com m en ts, su ggestions and opinions you m ig h t h ave w hen filling out the qu estionnaire and p lacing them on a specially prepared page.

The su rvey is anonym ous and it w ill not disclose y ou r identity based on the replies.

1. Are current disabled sports alienated from the athletic environment of able-bodied athletes?

(please underline an d ju stify you r choice)

YES NO

(18)

W hy?

2. Please specify (in points) the advantages of Polish disabled sports.

3. Please specify (in points) the major problems occurring in disabled sports in Poland.

4. W hat kind of support from the union/association for disabled athletes do you consider to be the most important?

5. Are Polish associations prepared in terms of knowledge to work with disabled athletes? (please underline and ju stify you r choice)

YES NO

W hy?

6. Are Polish associations prepared organizationally to work with disabled athletes?

(please

underline and ju stify you r choice)

YES NO

W hy?

7. Is the athletic training process that is implemented in the sports associations of individual sports different compared to other organisations dealing exclusively with disabled sports?

(please underline you r choice an d list in points)

YES W hat are the advantages?

YES W hat are the disadvantages?

NO W hy?

8. Are disabled athletes able to comply with the requirements of the training process in Polish sports associations? (please u nderline as appropriate)

YES NO

Please list all your comments that came to your mind while filling in the questionnaire.

RESPONDENT DATA Sex (underline as appropriate): fem ale, m ale

Year of b irth ...

Marital status (underline as appropriate): single person, m arried person, w idow /w idow er, divorced, com m on-law spouse

Education (underline as appropriate): higher, general secondary, vocational secondary, vocational prim ary, ju n io r secondary, prim ary

Coach's certificates (underline as appropriate):

NO

YES (W hich?)

Instructor's certificates (underline as appropriate):

NO

YES (W hich?)

Number of participations in the Paralympic Games as a coach