{"id":8085,"date":"2022-07-29T15:12:33","date_gmt":"2022-07-29T15:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ptcbio.com\/?p=8085"},"modified":"2025-01-31T14:40:17","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T19:40:17","slug":"on-the-playing-field-i-am-an-athlete-instead-of-a-wheelchair-user","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ptcbio.com\/posts\/on-the-playing-field-i-am-an-athlete-instead-of-a-wheelchair-user\/","title":{"rendered":"“On the playing field I am an athlete instead of a wheelchair user”"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201dYour child is severely physically disabled\u201d \u2013 after giving this kind of diagnosis, physicians are faced with an important task: to give desperate parents some perspective. Impossible? Not at all! Because even with a severe disability, so much is possible \u2013 sometimes even a world championship title. Let yourself be inspired.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Powerchair<\/p>\n

Sport at the highest level<\/strong>
\nHockey: Spectacular goal shots and actions by the goalkeeper inspire the audience. The game is fast and dynamic, demanding both physically and in terms of coordination, because an incredible amount happens in a very short time. Hockey is undoubtedly a sport where physical integrity is a must, right? Far from it! Because all the players in the Swiss National Powerchair Hockey Team are in wheelchairs.<\/p>\n

Top 3 in the world rankings<\/strong>
\nTake Dave, Raphi, No\u00e9 and Dominik, for example, four active players in the team that propelled Switzerland into 3rd place in the world rankings after an historic win against the Netherlands at the last World Championships.1 In 2022 the World Championships will be held in Switzerland \u2013 another chance for the title and a highlight for these four top athletes.<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

A sport for everyone<\/strong>
\nFor Dominik, No\u00e9, Dave and Raphi, the special attraction of the game lies in the team spirit, dynamics and speed that make up the popular wheelchair sport. And last, but not least, powerchair hockey can also be practised by people with severe disabilities, even if the disease is already far advanced, affecting the physicality of the players. For example, people with degenerative diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy or spinal muscular atrophy also have a long career ahead of them.<\/p>\n

Meet the Swiss National Team for the 2022 IWAS Wheelchair Hockey World Cup<\/a><\/p>\n

See the Game Schedule<\/a><\/p>\n

While you\u2019re playing or training, you forget about the disease. You\u2019re perceived as an athlete, not as a wheelchair user.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"PowerchairBut there are so many other reasons why these successful national players advise other people in wheelchairs to get involved with the sport. Powerchair Hockey is a multifaceted game, which is played by both girls and boys, men and women, gives self-confidence and offers the opportunity to meet new people, exchange ideas with like-minded people and \u2013 last but not least \u2013 to act as role models.<\/p>\n

\u201dWhat can my child do?\u201d instead of \u201dWhat can my child not do?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

It doesn’t matter if you’re in a wheelchair or not. You can be in a national team. Even with disabilities you can play sports professionally \u2013 and at the highest level.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Of course, not every physically disabled child will become a world champion. But one thing that the four national players prove quite impressively is that when talking to the parents concerned, the question \u201dWhat will my child be able to do?\u201d should be just as important as the question \u201dWhat will my child not be able to do\u201d.<\/p>\n

Speaking of which, Dominik, No\u00e9, Raphi and Dave would like more reporting about the sport and for it to become more widely known. They also address this wish directly to the physicians treating them: \u201cThe sport is great; doctors, families and people with disabilities ought to know this. It brings an awful lot to everyone who does it; you have to tell everyone about it and make it known that this kind of sport exists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sources:<\/strong>
\n1. Swiss Paraplegic Association \u2013 TK Powerchair Hockey: National Team (https:\/\/www.powerchairhockey.spv.ch\/de\/nationalteam\/)<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201dYour child is severely physically disabled\u201d \u2013 after giving this kind of diagnosis, physicians are faced with an important task: to give desperate parents some perspective. Impossible? Not at all! Because even with a severe disability, so much is possible \u2013 sometimes even a world championship title. Let yourself be inspired. Sport at the highest…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9531,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"media-type":[5],"therapeutic-area":[21,25],"class_list":["post-8085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rare-disease-community"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEmbracing Athletic Identity: From Wheelchair User to Competitor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ptcbio.com\/posts\/on-the-playing-field-i-am-an-athlete-instead-of-a-wheelchair-user\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""On the playing field I am an athlete instead of a wheelchair user"\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201dYour child is severely physically disabled\u201d \u2013 after giving this kind of diagnosis, physicians are faced with an important task: to give desperate parents some perspective. 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