Building Momentum for Paralympic Mental Health Excellence at GAMeS 2025

I'm excited to share that I'll be presenting at the GAMeS International Conference for Mental Health and Sport this November in London. Our presentation, titled "Psychological Equity in Elite Sport: The Case for a Paralympic-Informed Mental Health Consensus Statement", celebrates the growing momentum in Paralympic mental health support and charts an exciting path forward.

This work, co-authored with Dr Amanda Gatherer (UK Sports Institute), Professor Jennifer Cumming (University of Birmingham), Dr Mary Quinton (University of Birmingham), and Sam Cumming (UK Sports Institute), makes the case for pulling together best practices to provide a reference for consistency in mental health support.

The landscape of Paralympic athlete mental health is rapidly evolving. Over the past five years, we've seen academic work, mental health guidance and toolkits, and practitioner best practices emerge from around the world. This work is advancing practice and research, creating a wealth of knowledge to learn from and build upon. Celebrating and consolidating what's emerging, our presentation recognizes that Paralympic sport has always been at the forefront of innovation and inclusion, and mental health support should reflect that same creative, adaptive spirit.

Understanding the Paralympic Sport Context

What makes Paralympic sport distinctive is that it’s a complex ecosystem that operates with its own governance structures, policies, and dynamics. This includes:

• Classification systems These are in place to ensure a fair competition, but requires thoughtful consideration of how this process may impact on para athletes' mental health (e.g., timing, communication, and athlete support).

• Diverse pathways to elite sport Many Para-athletes discover sport later in life or through rehabilitation, bringing valuable life experience and different trajectories to high performance.

• Strong community connections Paralympic athletes often develop deep bonds within disability sport communities, creating powerful networks for peer support and collective identity.

• Innovation and adaptation From cutting-edge assistive technology to creative problem-solving around accessibility, Paralympic sport embodies resilience and ingenuity.

  
  

In our presentation, I will make the case for developing collaborative global consensus on best practices for Paralympic Games mental health support across the sport system.

This collaborative spirit aligns with other SPRINT Project work being presented at GAMeS 2025, including research on intrusive mental imagery and trait competitive anxiety by Professor Jennifer Cumming.

Our methodology centres on:

• Ecological systems thinking that recognizes multiple levels of influence on wellbeing

• Consensus building that brings diverse voices into the conversation

• Participatory approaches that honour both lived experience and professional expertise

Join Us at GAMeS 2025 to find out more!

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Written by Dr Georgia Bird, Postdoctoral Research Fellow