Over the past few weeks, Rafik Arabat should have shut himself away, like his fellow athletes, to fully prepare for the Paralympic Games which open in Paris on August 28th. But this top-level athlete, who has been practising para powerlifting since the age of 18 – his heaviest bench press was 212 kilos – has instead had financial issues to tackle.
“I have to attract media attention and seek out some of the funding myself,” Arabat, 33, explained. “I'm both an athlete and an agent. If I miss the chance in Paris this time, I don’t think I’ll ever experience such a moment again. And now is when I have to give my all, even if it means losing energy, because it’s good energy I’m expending, in order to go out and get everything I can.”
The athlete was born with spina bifida, a malformation of the spine, which now confines him to a wheelchair after several exhausting years of walking with leg braces. He lives in La Courneuve in the northern suburbs of Paris, and achieved qualification for the 2024 Paralympic Games in August 2023, at the World Para Powerlifting Championships in Dubai. His past achievements are impressive: Silver medallist in the under-97 kilos category at the 2022 European Para Powerlifting Championships in Georgia, 8th place at the 2017 World Para Powerlifting Championships in Mexico (in the under-88 kilos category), Bronze medallist at the IPC European Powerlifting Open Championships in Hungary, and in 2014, at the age of just 14, he reached 19th position (in the under-88 kilos category) at the World Para Powerlifting Championships in Dubai.
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Arabat missed the Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 after contracting Covid-19, and is determined to make up for that missed opportunity. But his preparations for the 2024 Paris games come at a cost, which he estimates at 10,000 euros, a sum he cannot raise alone in such a short time.
A long-standing sports coach and founder of an association called Han'traide, which fights against discrimination and promotes inclusion through sport, Arabat decided five years ago to focus entirely on his discipline. “I stopped working because I couldn’t balance the two, and it took too much time,” he explained. “So, when I finished work late, training didn’t always go well, and vice versa. So the point came where I preferred to put work aside and dedicate myself to this high-level sports career.”
With no working income, Rafik Arabat relies on a recently increased French disability allowance (AAH), from which he receives a maximum amount of 1,016.05 euros per month, barely enough to cover for food and the rent of his social housing home. He has not had a holiday for four years.
Extra support for potential medal winners
Arabat’s lack of financial security is common to many of his fellow para-athletes, which is made worse for some by the difficulty of finding employment. In 2022, the unemployment rate for disabled people stood at 12%, according to France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, INSEE (which in August reported that of the working population as a whole at around 7.3%). According to a survey conducted during the 2016 Paralympic Games in Brazil by the Institut National du Sport, de l’Expertise et de la Performance (INSEP), almost half (48%) of French Paralympic athletes said they were experiencing financial difficulties, compared to just under a third (31%) of able-bodied athletes.
At that time, 40% of the French delegation, both for the Olympics and Paralympics, lived below the poverty line, which was then defined by an income for a single person of 1,026 euros per month (compared to 1,216 euros today). Securing the 2024 Games prompted France to make significant efforts. “No athlete will compete [...] while living below the poverty line,” sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra promised in an interview with Mediapart in May this year. “That equates to a gross annual income of at least 15,000 euros,” explained Pierrick Giraudeau, head of athletes' development at a federation for the promotion of the sports activities of disabled people, the Fédération Française Handisport. The financial support comes in the form of personalised aid provided by the Agence Nationale du Sport (ANS), a public agency, and employment aid schemes.
Another, more advantageous source of financial support has also been introduced in France, but only for those considered most deserving, namely those athletes considered to be medal contenders for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. These athletes are included in the “high-performance” group or the “performance unit” and benefit from a state pledge to ensure they arrive at the Games with a gross annual income of at least 40,000 euros, equivalent to 2,500 euros net per month. “If they earn less than that, the state pays them the difference,” explained Giraudeau.
For the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, 616 athletes have been included in these schemes, 143 of whom are Paralympians. To be selected for the high-performance group, an athlete must be ranked in the “top 3 of key competitions” which are mainly world championships, according to the Ministry of Sport. This includes athletes who rank “4th, 5th, or 6th in the world, with performances very close to those needed to reach the world top 3”.
I told myself I would grow up and win medals, earn money, gain fame, and be able to live comfortably. But no.
This incentive, unashamedly based on elite performance, was endorsed by President Emmanuel Macron, who in 2021 praised a sports programme “inspired by the success of mentorship initiatives”, with a very clear goal to “focus our efforts on profiles and disciplines with strong potential, to avoid spreading resources too thinly and to give more leverage to the best”. He wants France to rank among the top five countries in the medals table and is intent on primarily supporting those most likely to win the metal.
The budget allocated has nevertheless been sizeable and has greatly boosted the Paralympic financial situation which “started from a very low base,” oberved Pierrick Giraudeau. “For Paralympic athletes, the funding has increased in five years from 105,000 euros to more than 900,000 euros,” he said. “This is my fourth Paralympics, and I’ve seen that many strategic areas have evolved significantly.”
But for Rafik Arabat, the overwhelming feeling is one of disillusionment. “When I was younger, my role model was David Douillet [editor's note, a former French judo champion who won two Olympic golds],” he said. “I thought I would grow up, win medals, earn money, gain fame, and be able to live comfortably. But no. We're recognised as elite athletes, yes, but we don’t have a salary. The financial aspect is very important for us to be able to develop, to invest in our disciplines. Because the time we spend in the gym is work time, but it’s not currently paid.”
The issue of healthcare is also particularly important. Arabat’s health sometimes means he has to go in for hospital treatment, while the “wear and tear on the body” requires physiotherapy, chiropractics or osteopathy to treat tendinitis and other ailments. “Unfortunately, a session costs 80 euros and if you multiply that each time, my disability allowance can't pay for all that,” he said, explaining that he cannot always afford the number of sessions he needs.
Turning to crowdfunding
Paralympic athletes also need to pay for specialised equipment, which can be costly for certain disciplines. For example, a wheelchair that meets the requirements for playing basketball, tennis, or rugby costs nearly 5,000 euros. Karim Mimouni, a municipal councillor in Bobigny in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris, and president of the Cap Sport Art Aventure Amitié (Cap SAAA), one of France’s largest wheelchair basketball clubs, described the struggle to acquire such equipment. “You have to apply to the Maison départementale pour les personnes handicapées (MDPH) [editor's note, the local disability centre], and submit a file for partial coverage,” he said. “The [mandatory health] insurance might cover part of it, but you’ll still need to add another 500 euros or 1,000 euros, which is too much for those living on disability allowance.”
As a result, some French athletes have turned to crowdfunding to purchase equipment, including Nélia Barbosa, who will compete in paracanoe at the Paralympics, and Sandrine Serres, a former medallist aiming to reclaim her past successes in Paralympic swimming events (two Silvers and one Bronze). According to a report by France Inter public radio, some 120 athletes, both Olympic and Paralympic, have plumped for this method of raising money.
The focus on the disability and the narrative around it sometimes overshadows the sporting performance.
Powerlifting champion Rafik Arabat has already turned to this in the past to pay for an especially adapted vehicle to move around in, and he has also resorted to launching a crowdfunding campaign for his participation in the Paralympics, and which was struggling to gain traction three weeks before the competition. “Today, you have to provide for travel, medical accommodation, and also the public relations aspect.”
Public relations is the lifeblood for attracting sponsors and patrons. “Some athletes are brand ambassadors and get a sponsored wheelchair or prosthesis,” said Pierrick Giraudeau from the Fédération Française Handisport. “It all depends on their discipline and their ability to communicate.” While able-bodied athletes face similar challenges with partnerships, there are stark disparities when it comes to athletes with disabilities. “Selling their sporting skills is much tougher for Paralympic athletes,” commented Hélène Joncheray, a researcher in sociology at the Institut National du Sport, de l’Expertise et de la Performance (INSEP). She was involved in a study, to be published after the Paris 2024 Paralympics, in which she interviewed 15 Paralympic athletes and their support teams. “The most prominent issue that emerged is access to sponsors,” she observed. “Firstly, because the business world doesn’t always understand what a Paralympic performance is, beyond getting medals.”
Appealing to sponsors and the media
When it comes to publicity, Joncheray noted that “The focus on the disability itself and the narrative surrounding it sometimes overshadows the sporting performance.” According to her, two categories of athletes are more likely to attract sponsorship. “The first are those presented as 'superheroes,' equipped with advanced technologies for example. These athletes 'appeal' to sponsors and the media because they make rather heroic use of their bodies. They are often depicted as 'resilient.'” Joncheray argues that this narrative poses a problem because it creates an impression that “only an extraordinary person can succeed in Paralympic sport”.
“The second category includes athletes who are viewed through a somewhat pitying, sentimental lens, with a dramatized backstory,” she added. “Their sporting achievements are overlooked or sidelined, and they're inevitably portrayed as unfortunate. Some athletes dislike this depiction, but others think, 'If this is what the media wants, then I'll go along with this narrative’.”
The limited visibility given to Paralympic sport also hinders financial support and worsens the inequalities with able-bodied athletes. “I think we all struggle, but not in the same way,” said Arabat. “For Paralympians, it's more difficult because, in terms of media coverage, we're not well recognised. Partners and sponsors aren't interested in us, or rather, they don't approach us.” The athlete hopes that these Paralympic Games will bring new visibility to disabled athletes and unlock sponsorships and partnerships.
On this last point, Pierrick Giraudeau is optimistic. “The Paris Games have been a catalyst. Even at Tokyo in 2021, we felt a real surge of interest,” he said. “In 2023, we generated more than 2 million euros in sponsorship revenue, which has been redistributed to the athletes. We're working closely with companies and sponsors to ensure this continues.”
Giraudeau’s federation supports Arabat by covering the costs of his training camps. He has also received a grant from the municipal authorities of La Courneuve and from the Greater Paris (Île-de-France ) regional authorities, although he prefers not to disclose the amounts. However, the help provided is patchy. “It varies from one region, département, or municipality to another,” explained Giraudeau (a département is an administrative region, equivalent to a county). More importantly, the lack of awareness about available support is a “real issue”, added Hélène Joncheray, though she acknowledges that the national sports agency, the Agence Nationale du Sport, is making significant efforts to boost awareness.
Karim Mimouni, the president of the wheelchair basketball club in Bobigny, also acts as a go-between, directing athletes towards all the existing schemes. Though he said he has seen progress, he remains realistic. There is not yet a comprehensive public policy to deal with the financial hardship of Paralympic athletes. “It’s still makeshift because not everyone knows this support exists,” he says.
Arabat, however, refuses to complain about this situation and instead embraces it as an additional challenge. “I’ve always been resourceful, which is why my family doesn't support me financially,” he said. In his view, there needs to be more consideration given to what is the best way to support athletes. “Because I see top-level athletes with incredible potential who deprive themselves of food and a decent life in the pursuit of medals and their passion.”
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- The original French version of this article can be found here.
English version by Michael Streeter