U.S. Paralympians to Receive Bonuses Equal to Olympians for the First Time
One positive development emerged in this year’s Paralympic planning: bonuses to athletes with disabilities competing this year will now be equal to those received by Olympians. Increased payouts for all athletes – at the Olympics and Paralympics – were approved by the board of directors for the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). The change is retroactive to the 2018 Winter Paralympics, when “U.S. Paralympians won 36 medals in South Korea and garnered more than $1.2 million in bonuses,” according to the 2018 USOPC report. While these increases benefit those who win medals, participating in the games themselves can be unaffordable, since unlike some nations, the U.S. government does not sponsor athletes financially. Many athletes need to secure external funding to participate. Read the coverage about the increased bonuses and other issues related to the Paralympics in The Mighty. Read about what this change means to several women competing in this year’s events in The Lily.
“Blindness doesn’t deter Paralympian Brown”
David Brown lost his left eye at the age of three and vision in his right eye began to diminish when he was six years old. He lost his vision completely by the time he was 13. “Speed, however, was a commodity Brown had in excess, and it was only getting more impressive with age.” He attended Missouri School for the Blind, where he learned to hold a wire in his left hand, “pump with the right and let the line lead him down the track.” With that guidance, he could sprint without sight and is now recognized as the fastest totally blind sprinter in the world. Brown will compete in the 100 meters event during the Paralympics in Tokyo in August. In 2016, he won the gold medal for the 100 in Brazil. Read more about this remarkable Paralympian athlete in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
