Disability sport came about largely because of exclusion, because mainstream sport didn't want disabled people to be part of it.
Interpretation
Disability sports emerged in response to the exclusion of disabled individuals from mainstream sports.
The quote highlights the historical context in which disability sports were developed, pointing to the exclusionary practices of mainstream sports that prevented disabled individuals from participating. This exclusion motivated the creation of specialized sports programs and events, allowing disabled athletes to compete and showcase their talents in a more inclusive environment.
In practice
In a speech about inclusivity in sports, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of making sports accessible to all.
Perhaps we need to redefine our idea of role models; they're not always elite athletes whose success might seem too distant or unachievable. Sometimes it's our friend who just smashed her first 10k, or our Zumba teacher who is enthusiastic, encouraging and real.
I wouldn't have had a sporting career if it hadn't been for the volunteers who agreed to coach me, as a teenager, growing up in south Wales, at a time when others were telling me that wheelchair racing wasn't really athletics.
As a disabled person I have to think and plan far more than anyone else. If I want to catch a bus I have to consider whether the ramp works, whether there will be someone in the one space who doesn't want to move. It can be a constant worry.
Baseball is a tongue-tied kid from Georgia growing up to be an announcer and praising the Lord for showing him the way to Cooperstown. This is a game for America. Still a game for America, this baseball!
Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented.
Playing football is very simple, but playing simple football is the hardest thing there is.
Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.
Before being a player, I was a diehard fan of Roma, so I know what the fans felt when we won.
Golf has become so manicured, so perfect. The greens, the fairways. I don't like golf carts. I like walking. Some clubs won't let you in unless you have a caddy and a cart.
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