AIS End-of-Term Conference – SPORT: Sport and the Social Dimensions of the Present. Cultures, Practices, and Perspectives | University of Trento

Event organizer: Associazione Italiana di Sociologia (AIS)

Speakers: Prof. Paolo Diana, Dr. Valentina D’Auria (University of Salerno)

Paper: Paralympic storytelling: a hermeneutic analysis of interviews with Italian media professionals

Abstract: In recent years, the Paralympic Games have received growing media attention, establishing themselves as a sporting event of global relevance and attracting an increasingly broad following in contemporary society (Brittain & Beacom, 2016). This visibility has helped convey a message markedly different from the past: para-athletes are, first and foremost, athletes—elite competitors capable of engaging ever wider audiences. However, media narratives of their performances are not free from stereotypes, often tied to representations that frame disability as a “superpower” (Silva & Howe, 2012) or adopt pitying perspectives, celebrating athletes’ personal stories and reinforcing the idea of disability as a “personal tragedy” (Purdue & Howe, 2012; Pappous et al., 2011).

Our contribution is situated within a broader research project, a PRIN entitled “‘dis-ABILITY!’: Challenging the stigma of disability by altering the media representation of the Paralympic Games”. Accordingly, our aim is to further investigate media representations of Paralympic athletes by exploring the perspectives of Italian media professionals. Thirteen professionals (including journalists, photographers, technical commentators, and camera operators) involved in covering the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games for major national news outlets were selected. Through a hermeneutic analysis (Diana & Montesperelli, 2005) of qualitative interviews, the study aims to: examine current representational practices, investigate the role of the media in shaping social perceptions of disability, and identify the most effective narrative strategies. The findings offer a critical analysis of the media’s role in Paralympic storytelling, highlighting both progress toward more inclusive representation and the challenges that remain in promoting more informed and responsible communication.

Keywords: narrazione mediatica, Giochi paralimpici, interviste qualitative, disability sport