title: The Road to Rio: Medical and Scientific Perspectives on the 2016 Paralympic Games.
abstract: In August and September of this year, the world will turn its attention to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the 2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. Of interest to physiatrists, the Paralympic Games will take place from September 7 to 18, with an estimated total of 4 billion viewers. In the United States, for the first time in history, the Summer Games will be broadcast over a total of 66 hours on NBCUniversal. The Paralympic Games represent the pinnacle of elite sport for athletes with disabilities while also changing perceptions around the importance of grassroots sport and physical activity opportunities for the disability community more broadly.
authors.affiliation: Medical Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School, 300 First Avenue, Charlestown, MA 02120(∗). Electronic address: cblauwet@partners.org.
authors.forename: Cheri
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blauwet
authors.affiliation: Medical Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany; Department of Health Sciences, Rehabilitation Medicine Research Group, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden; Department of Health Science, Luleå University of Technology, Luleå, Sweden(†)(§§).
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lexell
authors.affiliation: Medical Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany; Institute for Sport and Exercise Medicine, Division of Orthopaedics, Stellenbosch University, South Africa; International Olympic Committee (IOC) Research Centre, South Africa(‡).
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Derman
authors.affiliation: Medical Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany; Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health, St. Petersburg, Russia; National Paralympic Committee of Russia, Moscow, Russia(§).
authors.forename: Guzel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Idrisova
authors.affiliation: Medical Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany; Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada; Carleton University Sport Medicine Clinic, Ottawa, Canada(¶).
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kissick
authors.affiliation: Medical Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany; Sports Medicine Department, Isala Klinieken, Zwolle, The Netherlands(#).
authors.forename: Jaap
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stomphorst
authors.affiliation: Medical Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA(∗∗).
authors.forename: Yetsa Tuakli
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Wosornu
authors.affiliation: Medical and Scientific Department, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany(††).
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van de Vliet
authors.affiliation: Medical Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Bonn, Germany; School of Sport and Service Management, University of Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom(‡‡).
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Webborn
mesh_terms: D056352:Athletes; D001938:Brazil; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D015444:Exercise; D006801:Humans; D013177:Sports