To the uneducated scroller, the official Paralympics TikTok account may seem like a cruel joke.
Footage of para-athletes is played under viral sounds that ‘mock’ the actions on screen.
In one, Australian cyclist Darren Hicks, a right leg amputee, wins time trial gold in Tokyo with the sound of ‘left, left, left’ in the background (4.8 million likes). In another, a pair of wheelchair basketball players maneuver on the court to Jack Harlow’s song ‘What’s Poppin.’ Noises from the kid game ‘Bop It!’ play as blind and vision-impaired swimmers are tapped on the head with foam-tipped poles, which the account explains is how the athletes are notified they’re getting close to the wall.
For the able-bodied community, this may seem offensive to individuals with disabilities. But Team USA Paralympians gave the content their stamp of approval.
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“I love it. I love it all. I love any type of coverage that sparks discussion, that maybe we can react to and say, ‘Hey this wasn’t OK,’ or maybe to promote some controversial coverage and say ‘No, that’s exactly what I want to say in this moment,’” opening ceremony flag bearer and wheelchair basketball captain Steve Serio said. “We as athletes, Team USA, we want all the smoke both on and off the court.”
Paralympians have a great sense of humor, International Paralympic chief brand and communications officer Craig Spence said.
‘They like to laugh about this stuff, like we all do, and that’s why we’ve tried to be really edgy on the Paralympic TikTok account,’ Spence said.
Those who were offended often aren’t the ones who live with disabilities, Spence said. The person behind the social-media posting, Richard Fox, is a former para-athlete himself.
‘I wanted to showcase people with disabilities doing sport, but in a different way to how it’s been done previously,’ he told AdWeek in 2023, adding that he didn’t want the account to be used for ‘inspiration porn.’ ‘And so by using the viral sounds and by using the trends, that’s how we’re doing that.’
@Paralympics reached 4.6 million viewers by the time the 2024 opening ceremony started.
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