4 episodes
Unbroken: The Paralympics and its record Annabelle Williams
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- History
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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Every four years, the Paralympics shines a spotlight on the world's best athletes with disabilities. The Paris Paralympics – which start August 2024 – promises to be the biggest yet.
But beyond moments in the spotlight, what is the record of the Paralympics movement itself? What has it achieved not just for athletes, but for people with disabilities more broadly?
In an exciting new four-part audio documentary, gold medal-winning Paralympian Annabelle Williams talks to athletes, administrators and archivists to tell the story of how the Paralympics began and what it’s become. Along the way, she hears countless stories – both affirming and affronting – of athletes' experiences. But Unbroken also hears from people with disabilities who have no interest in sport whatsoever. Combined, they tell the story of what the Paralympic movement has – and hasn’t – achieved for the cause of disability representation and advocacy.
Records are broken at every Paralympics. But what’s the record of the Paralympics itself?
Unbroken: The Paralympics and its Record, is available through all major podcast platforms. Transcripts are available at https://hireup.com.au/unbroken
Unbroken: The Paralympics and its Record is presented by Annabelle Williams. The series producer and executive producer is Sarah Allely. Research is by Kylie Grey and sound engineering by Isabella Tropiano. Andrew Thomas is the commissioning editor.
Unbroken is sponsored by Hireup but is editorially independent of the company.
Hireup invests in media projects likely to be of interest to our community, but neither endorses nor controls their content.
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Episode 4: The record beyond sport
For some Paralympians, a gap remains between the way they are treated at the games and at home. Even for non-athletes, the Paralympics can seem very distant from disability day-to-day. Episode four of Unbroken looks at what the Paralympics has - and hasn’t - achieved for people with disability.
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Episode 3: Money and the media
Money and the media, and improved access to both, has revolutionised the Paralympic movement. Episode three of Unbroken looks at how greater exposure of the Paralympic movement has changed the lives of people with disability more broadly.
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Episode 2: Classy issues
Cheating at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics rippled far beyond the cheaters. The sporting careers of completely blameless champions were left in tatters. The scandal revolved around the thorny issue of athlete ‘classification’. In episode two of Unbroken, Annabelle talks to athletes and administrators about what’s gone wrong, how to get it right – and how technology could unleash a new wave of classification confusion.
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Episode 1: Origins and impact
When Annabelle Williams was 10, a kid at her school made fun of her for only having one arm. But with the right support, her disability is something she's grown to be immensely proud of.
In Episode One of Unbroken, the gold-medal winning swimmer uncovers the history and impact of the Paralympic movement, and what it has (and hasn't) achieved for people with disability and beyond.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.