Paralympians condemn the word 'participating' and instead opt for 'competing'

Some of the world’s leading Paralympians are set to declare that they’re not “participating” in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games as part of the International Paralympic Committee’s 'They’re not playing games' campaign, created by adam&eveDDB.

But by swiping left on the “I won’t be participating at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games” message, followers on social media will discover the athletes declaring “I will be competing” – a reminder that Paralympians have often been praised simply for taking part in sport, not because of their elite skills or fierce drive to win.

Among the world leading athletes registering interest in taking part are Jessica Long (USA), who has won 29 Paralympic medals including 16 golds, alongside Bebe Vio (Italy), multi-award and gold medal winning wheelchair fencer, gold medal-winning javelin thrower Manasi Joshi (India), silver medal-winning table tennis player Bhavinaben Patel (India), and sprinter Marissa Papaconstantinou (Canada), who won bronze in the 100m at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

The social strategy has been created to drive a conversation around the language used to describe Paralympians, compared to athletes who compete without a disability.

It also develops the message of the IPC’s wider campaign to drive viewership for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, also created by adam&eveDDB. Built around the hero film 'The Paralympic Dream', it teases audiences with the idea that the Games are an idyll of sporting harmony only to unleash a taste of the impressive athleticism and fierce competition that will actually be on show.

Craig Spence, chief brand and communications officer at the International Paralympic Committee, said: “Paralympians have often been described in the media as ‘participants’ and not ‘competitors’. At Paris 2024, it’s time we set the record straight. adam&eveDDB’s social strategy and the involvement of so many great Paralympians will help drive conversations about this – and also help achieve our wider campaign aims.”

Richard Brim, global chief creative officer at adam&eveDDB, added: “We’re super proud of this piece of work for the International Paralympic Committee out of New York with strategic support from London. When people talk about the athletes taking part in the Olympics, they tend to talk about them competing and yet when they talk about them taking part in the Paralympics, they talk more about them participating. What is that about?”

The Paralympians will share the message on their social channels, as part of a wider push featuring striking assets with the 'They’re not playing games' message, and information about where the Paralympics can be viewed. The social media assets break on 14 August, two weeks ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games opening ceremony on 28 August. Once the games commence, the campaign will also be supported by DOOH in the US, the UK (in partnership with Clear Channel) and Paris (in partnership with re-mind PHD Paris).