Evolution of the Profile of a Polish Paralympian from Heidelberg to Tokyo Paralympic Games: A Study Protocol for a Prospective Longitudinal Study

The observation of sociodemographic characteristics is important for the characterization of Paralympic athletes and the identification of determinants of their athletic performance. The aim of this study is to present the changes that have occurred in the profile of the Polish Paralympian in the period from Heidelberg to Tokyo Paralympic Games based on basic demographic characteristics and selected social and sport-related features. The study included n=646 Polish Paralympic athletes, accounting for 96.6% of the population from the 1972-2021 Games. The research was conducted with the method of direct participant observation using a diagnostic survey. Analysis of the data showed that gender was not a differentiating factor among Polish Paralympic athletes, and the proportion of women was lower than men. Age, on the other hand, was a significant differentiating factor at (p<0.05). Furthermore, a significant differentiation of athletes in terms of the structure of education was observed, with a tendency to a steady increase in its level in subsequent years (chi2 = 68.83; df = 8; p<0.01). However, this did not have a significant effect on their professional fulfillment. The proportion of multiple participants of the Paralympic Games increased significantly (chi2 = 21.43; df = 8; p<0.01), while the proportion of athletes who won a Paralympic medal decreased (also significantly, chi2 = 59.11; df = 8; p<0.01).