short-statured
people
and sport
Short-statured people can participate and play in a number of sports taking into account the following factors
the type and nature of their condition of short stature
their degree of mobility and flexibility
their general fitness and lifestyle
Short-statured people are capable of equal active participation with average-sized people in many sports such as golf, swimming, water-skiing, snow skiing, hockey and cricket. In some cases, their participation may depend on certain changes or modifications to sports equipment.
If short-statured people cannot actively participate in sport for whatever reason, then they can pursue other ways of remaining involved with sport such as coaching, scoring, time-keeping, or even adminstration.
The SSPA encourages its short-statured members to participate as much as possible in community activities, including sport.
Although the SSPA does not organize any regular sports
competitions because of both the geographical disparity and size of its
membership, it does host an annual basketball competition between teams of
short-statured people from both New South Wales and Victoria held in
Albury each Queen's Birthday weekend in June.
On occasions, it also includes sports days as part of National Convention
programmes.
Many of its short-statured members, both past and present, have been involved in regular sports competitions, either with average-sized people, or with other disabled groups, such as amputees, at a local, national or international level.
The SSPA generally advises short-statured people to undergo a medical examination before becoming involved in a sports activity for the first time. It is recommended that such examinations are conducted through the genetics clinics through the various children's hospitals in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart.
Any comments or suggestions should be
forwarded to: enquiries@sspa.org.au
Copyright: ©2000 Short Statured People of Australia Inc. All rights
reserved.
Last updated:
22 December, 2005