Finish Line or Starting Line? Life after Para-Sports

Time: 1530 - 1555 | Venue: TBC, Academia (SGH Campus)

Track: Session 4 - Sport & Exercise Medicine for Persons with Disabilities

Speaker:

Overview:

This presentation examines what happens when the competition ends—exploring the physical, psychological, and social dimensions of life after para-sport.

Para-athletes face a unique constellation of challenges upon retirement. Some carry sport-related injuries compounded by their underlying impairment. This can create complex long-term healthcare needs. Psychological adjustment can be particularly pronounced, given that athletic identity is often deeply intertwined with disability identity. At the same time, structural supports (such as coaching resources, peer networks and vocational transition programmes) may disappear.

Yet retirement need not be a finish line. Emerging evidence suggests that with appropriate support, former para-athletes go on to lead active, meaningful lives beyond competition. This presentation calls for a more deliberate, multidisciplinary approach to para-athlete retirement planning—one that begins well before the final race is run.