Deporte de élite y discapacidad, el reto de la conciliación del estudio y el deporte

Résumé

The present work is part of a larger study carried out in Tenerife in 2018 with elite swimmers of the Adaptive Swimming Club of Tenerife (ADEMI in Spanish). The research analyzes the details of inclusion of high performance swimmers with functional diversity and the specific challenges that they face combining regular studies and sport practice. From this research, that incorporates relevant life histories of five athletes, the reconciliation processes between high-performance sport and regular education is explored. The results shown that these swimmers with functional diversity are aware that their educational response was not adequate and that there were almost no available institutional guidance for vocational or professional issues. This lack of support was a significant handicap for them to successfully combine studies and sports. They even declared to have been teased and harassed during their school period, with the only benefits provided by swimming itself, along with teammates, coaches and family support attaching them to high performance sports. The lack of an attractive training adapted to their actual interests and abilities led them to academic failure and abandonment, with the result of uncertain employment future.