Ninth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

The Paralympics games are considered a major sporting event, the second largest in the world after the Summer olympics games. The study that we conducted is part of the research on social representations of disability and identity building of the disabled. In fact, through a comparative approach between Tunisian sportsman and women, this work provides an update on the differences and similarities that emerge through the media coverage of the press Paralympics Games in 2012 and 2016 in Tunisian newspapers. Specifically, there is a lack of studies on whether the quantitative and qualitative differences exist in how male and female athletes are represented in the games. The results showed a difference in treatment between women and men. Statistical analysis, content analysis of speeches and photo analysis, used in this work, allowed, first to have an overview on the treatment of disabled athletes in Tunisia, a field which until now, was unexplored, then compare the results found with the work of other researchers in the discipline.