Michał Starczewski - michal.starczewski@awf.edu.pl
Faculty of Rehabilitation
Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw

Polish Paralympic Committee

The professionalization of Paralympic sports brings increasingly higher demands on athletes. Paralympic sports results are no longer just a reflection of innate talent. An example of this are the results achieved in swimming, where the time to complete the 50 m freestyle was shortened by almost 50% (43 vs. 30 seconds) between the 1964 and 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
It partially proves that it results from a long-term training process supported by the coaching staff, which now increasingly includes teams of scientists in addition to coaches and medical teams.
During preparations for the most important sporting event, the Paralympic Games, the Polish Paralympic Committee (PKPar) demonstrates its unwavering commitment by investing in numerous research initiatives aimed at supporting coaches and athletes in achieving high sports results.
A few examples of implementing the latest scientific solutions in the training and preparation of Paralympians will be presented, including 3D motion analysis using markerless methods and AI algorithms in natural athletics conditions, the application of velocity-based training in swimming, and the introduction of cognitive tests to assess fatigue in wheelchair fencing.
Firstly, In the year 2023 Józef Piłsudski University of Physical Education (AWF Warsaw) and Polish Paralympic Committee (PKPar) conducted the project „Assessment of motion capture analysis methods (3D analysis) in natural conditions to optimize throws in para-athletics national team athletes” supported by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism Republic of Poland (MSiT) under grant number RPW/8985/2023.
The objectives were the determination of kinematic and kinetic parameters during athletics throws in athletes with various disabilities, which will optimise training and injury prevention and assess the activity of selected muscle groups during paraathletic throws. We used state of the art equipment (3D Simi Reality Motion System, GmbH, Germany, consisting of the 8 cameras matrixVision, video with high-speed footage rate of 200 – 250 Hz).
Several kinetic variables were determined, and chosen for further evaluation (e.g. wrist maximal speed and acceleration, throw angle and trunk velocity) and to assess changes resulting from sports training during the season. We also validated the markerless method for the assessment of parathrowers.
Secondly, in the years 2022-2023, AWF Warsaw and PKPar conducted a project with the financial support of MSiT in the programme SuperTrener – Use of Repeated Sprints Abilities (RSA), Velocity Based Training (VBT) and Reaction Time (RT) measurement in Wheelchair Fencing.
The aims of the project were to determine the sport-specific anaerobic test in Wheelchair Fencers, assess the impact of fatigue that occurred during the fight on cognitive functions and implementation of the velocity based training in the Paralympic preparations.
Several measurement equipment were used (LODE arm crank ergometer to establish anaerobic power, FithLight Trainer to measure reaction time and Vitruve Encoder to establish 1RM based on the movement velocity).
Based on the results, we concluded that the RSA test is valid and reliable for assessing the anaerobic power and total work of wheelchair fencing athletes, repeated high-intensity arm crank exercise has a positive impact on simple post-exercise cognitive tasks in wheelchair-treated patients, and leads to a decrease in reaction time.
A third project that is currently implemented in cooperation with AWF Warsaw and PKPar is the Development of the BEST application for evaluating the physical condition of participants of PKPar sports sections, financed by the National Disabled Persons Rehabilitation Fund (PFRON) under project grant number BEA/000063/BF/D.
The aim of the project is to develop the application „BEST”, allowing the evaluation of cardiorespiratory fitness, physical fitness and their improvement in people with disabilities undertaking physical activity.
The application will also serve to plan training sessions, track participation in classes and track the progress of participants in sports sections run by PKPar as part of subsidies received from PFRON.
At this stage of the implementation, we have conducted a study related to the needs of the application end users and developed the MVP of the application.
We also conducted a primary study of the cardiorespiratory and anaerobic capacity tests as well as field tests for para swimmers. Based on those results, several tests were chosen for further implementation in the BEST app.
In conclusion, it needs to be highlighted that the use of innovative solutions in sports for people with disabilities is essential for adapting and optimizing training methods and loads.
It is also necessary for optimizing the use of equipment and other functions of the athlete's body to achieve maximum sports performance.
Further research and projects are necessary to increase the performance and position of Polish Paralympic Team during Paris 2024, Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Games.

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