Wikinews interviews Spain's most decorated Paralympian, Teresa Perales

Zaragoza, Spain — On Thursday, Wikinews traveled to Zaragoza, Spain to interview the nation's most decorated Paralympian and IPC Athlete Council representative Teresa Perales. A wide range of topics about the Paralympics and sport in Spain were discussed including the evolution of Paralympic sport, disability sport classification, funding support across all levels of elite sport including the Paralympics and Olympics, the role of sportspeople in politics, sponsorship issues, and issues of gender in Spanish sport.

Evolution of the Paralympics

Hi this is Laura Hale and I'm interviewing Teresa Perales (Raystorm translating), the most decorated Spanish paralympian of all time, and we're in Zaragoza. And you're from Zaragoza, right?

Teresa Perales :

So, are you confident that Madrid is going to get the 2020, and are you going to stay around?

Teresa Perales :

You first competed in 2000. Has there been a big change from 2000 to London that you've noticed like in terms of the atmosphere, or even the level of sport and issues of classification?

Teresa Perales :

Sponsorship

I went to London, and the quality of sport — you didn't go there and say, that's a person in a wheelchair. You went, fall down guy in a wheelchair, because the sport was so great. There was no embarrassment like the Olympics where they let the people from Lesotho swim in the pool. [The level of sport] was very equitable [at the Paralympics]. In Australia, there was discussion amongst the Paralympians with the issue of sponsorship because sport is becoming so elite. Do you think Paralympians should be getting sponsorship and on the same level that their able-bodied counterparts are?

Teresa Perales :

Yeah I was asking you about Spain, the Australians are why I asked.

Teresa Perales :

Is there any difference between men and women?

Teresa Perales :

In the US, the system is, you need sponsorship to get to the elite level. In Australia, the government funds Olympians and Paralympians equally. Like goalball players got 7,000 dollars each, so it is interesting to find out how Spain differs.

Teresa Perales :

Classification

As someone who watched the Paralympics, classification was a huge issue. Mallory Weggemann was an American [Paralympic swimmer] who got reclassified at the Games and the Americans were really upset, and the Australians have said classifiers have won them more medals than the athletes themselves. How important is classification for you and are you happy with the system that exists for swimming?

Teresa Perales :

In Atlanta it was really bad...

Teresa Perales :

Some of the people with the Paralympic movement think understanding classification is key towards moving the Games forward, like how do you convey that to the public, how classification works, so when somebody sees you, an S5 swimmer, they go, 'we got times like this, but the S1 swimmers, this, and I can't see much of a difference'.

Teresa Perales :

Like skiiing?

Teresa Perales :

That happened in cycling. Set a World Record, did not win a medal.

Teresa Perales :

Have you ever had any problems with in your career where they've said...?

Teresa Perales :

Mixing sport and politics

In the US, there is a view that celebrities and sportspeople should stay out of politics because... they're dumb.

Teresa Perales :

Should sportspeople be involved and do Paralympians especially, should they be more involved because of the nature of the sport they are doing in politics, and is it something in Spain and should be done elsewhere in the world... Should there be a call for more Paralympians in politics? Because you protested in Madrid...

Teresa Perales :

And you were a politician.

Teresa Perales :

Because they are disabled, and the way society treats people with disabilities, sets Paralympians off from able-bodied athletes, does that make it special emphasis that they should be more engaged in the political process than someone like Michael Phelps?

Teresa Perales :

Funding Spanish sport

The Spanish Paralympic Committee is supported primarily by the Government?

Teresa Perales :

Do they give you as an athlete the support that you need to be successful?

Teresa Perales :

Is the Spanish Paralympic Committee working to fix this? Is it one of their goals to adjust this problem?

Teresa Perales :

They said six...

Teresa Perales :

Being an elite female athlete

In other interviews you talk about your family life. That's interesting, but you are an elite female athlete, and there's other interesting questions. Is there anything...?

Teresa Perales :

How many women total, then?

Teresa Perales :

Paralympics in some sports have many fewer women than men, especially skiing. Is that something that exists in swimming, and does it hurt the quality of sport? Because the men in the skiing are like, the women, they are so few of them, they embarrass us, is that something that exists on a swimming level?

Teresa Perales :

People say that women don't swim as well as the men, because there's so few?

Teresa Perales :

In Australia they say, female sportswomen, fantastic, more medals! So they go for them. And that's not the case here?

Teresa Perales :

You're really fascinating. It's a completely different perspective. Is there anything else people should know about Paralympics in Spain, or you?

Teresa Perales :

I want to thank you a lot, thank you!