This is the official theme song of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Mascot, Tom, composed by Alexandre De Faria. It was used to promote the mascot and the Paralympic games.

Soul Tom

Episode 107 brought on Team USA para-cyclist Sam Bosco!

Bosco spoke about limb-lengthening surgeries, rowing as physical therapy, finding adaptive cycling, TBIs, and finally standing atop a Paralympic podium. It's a jam-packed episode!

Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month.

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Libro.fm: tidd.ly/3JIHA3m

KT Tape: tidd.ly/43ivNQo

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Para-Sport Information: https://www.usparacycling.org/about-para-cycling

Closer Mentality: UNCENSORED: www.youtube.com/@CMuncensored

Ep. 107: Para-Cycling and Paralympic Gold with Sam Bosco

Episode 109 brought on Team USA Paralympian, Ryan Neiswender.

Neiswender, a wheelchair basketball player, spoke to adaptive sport opportunities, collegiate recruiting, representing Team USA all over the world, the program's golden legacy, and how para sport can rise in popularity.

Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month.

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Libro.fm: tidd.ly/3JIHA3m

KT Tape: tidd.ly/43ivNQo

A Sight for Sport Eyes: shorturl.at/sxCP6

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Learn more about Para sport: https://www.usopc.org/para-college-sport/about-para-sport

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Ep. 109: Para Sport Visibility and Gold Medal Legacies with Ryan Neiswender

Episode 111 brought on USA Team Handball captain and Wheelchair Handball Director of Operations, Dr. Sarah Gascon.

Dr. Gascon talked through her time on both the USA Volleyball and Baseball teams, as well as her introduction to handball and the opportunity to join USA Wheelchair Handball's inaugural season.

Let our sponsor BetterHelp connect you to a therapist who can support you - all from the comfort of your own home. Visit betterhelp.com/closermentality and enjoy a special discount on your first month.

If you have any questions about the brand relating to how the therapists are licensed, their privacy policy, or therapist compensation model, check out this FAQ: www.betterhelp.com/your-questions-answered/

Get 10% off of your first month at www.betterhelp.com/closermentality

Libro.fm: tidd.ly/3JIHA3m

KT Tape: tidd.ly/43ivNQo

A Sight for Sport Eyes: shorturl.at/sxCP6

Comfrt: www.comfrt.com/closermentality

USA Team Wheelchair Handball: https://www.usateamhandball.org/wheelchair-national-team

Closer Mentality: UNCENSORED: www.youtube.com/@CMuncensored

Ep. 111: The Defensive Mind and Team Handball with Dr. Sarah Gascon

In the latest podcast, two-time Paralympic champion Richard Whitehead discusses the impact of the sport on his mental health and his challenge of completing 100 career marathons by November this year.

#75: Richard Whitehead on mental health and 100 marathons

War Games (Berlin Olympics Novel)		
Written by Alan Gratz
Narrated by Jesse Vilinsky

All that glitters is not gold...
Evie can't believe she's made it to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. After fleeing the Oklahoma Dust Bowl for golden California, Evie's family is still poor and reeling from devastating losses. She could have never guessed that the sport she took up to escape her reality would lead to <i>this</i>.

Now, she's competing in gymnastics on Team USA, with some of the greatest athletes in the world like track and field star Jesse Owens.

But all is not as it seems in Berlin, a city now ruled by the Nazis and their tyrannical leader, Adolf Hitler.

And Evie has secrets of her own. That shiny gold medal isn't the only gold she has her eye on. With two other Olympic athletes, who each have their own reasons for despising the Nazis, Evie has been recruited for the biggest heist of the century by a mysterious criminal mastermind, who intends on robbing the Nazis right under their noses. If everything works out, Evie can go home rich beyond belief; her mother can stop scrubbing laundry to make ends meet, and they'll finally be able to afford the medicine her sister needs so desperately.

Evie didn't count on being stuck with an inquisitive Youth Services Host, Heinz, who is determined to follow her every step while concealing his own deadly secret. And she didn't count on discovering the truth behind all of the glittering fanfare of the Olympics: the Nazis are harshly persecuting Jewish people and preparing for a devastating war.

When the time comes, Evie is forced to face the reality around her, and the horrors that the Nazis can't quite hide. She must learn how to see the truth beneath the mirage and choose between saving her family or fighting to save strangers in a foreign land under deadly threat.

Print edition published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.  Text copyright 2025 by Alan Gratz.  Production copyright 2025 by Scholastic Inc.  All rights reserved.

War Games - Audiobook Clip

Mohammed Riaz Sabir is a visually impaired athlete from Rotherham who has less than five per cent of his sight. 

He trains on his treadmill at home, but came to England Athletics because he wants to pursue his dream to run outside with the support of a guide runner, and maybe one day run the London Marathon.

But so far, he hasn't been able to find a guide.

He tells Alex Seftel the story of losing his sight later in life, how he has adapted, and his hopes for the future.

#76: Visually-impaired runner who dreams of the London Marathon

A paralimpiai bajnok Illés Fanni és a Magyar Paralimpiai Bizottságot már több, mint 10 éve vezető Szabó László volt a Nemzeti Sportrádió Hazafutás című műsorának vendége. A paraúszó elárulta, hogy szerinte mi köti össze a paralimpikonokat, de arról is beszélt, hogy gondolkodik-e a Los Angeles-i játékokban. Szabó László a közeljövő néhány komoly kihívását igyekezett bemutatni a hallgatóknak. A riporter: Csisztu Zsuzsa

A történetek összekötik a paralimpikonokat - beszélgetés Illés Fannival és Szabó Lászlóval

Retired visually impaired swimmer Junichi Kawai was named the next commissioner of the Japan Sports Agency on Friday and will become the first Paralympian to assume the post when his appointment takes effect Oct. 1. Kawai expressed his determination to fulfill his role, saying at a press conference in Tokyo, “My goal is to build a society where citizens recognize the value and appeal of sports.” As it is rare for a government body to be led by someone who is totally visually impaired, he added, “The fact that someone like me has been appointed to this position shows that times have changed, and I hope this means a lot to many people.”

Episode notes:

‘Japan names 5-time Paralympic gold medalist Kawai to head sports agency’:

https://barrierfreejapan.com/2025/09/19/japan-names-5-time-paralympic-gold-medalist-kawai-to-head-sports-agency/


Japan names 5-time Paralympic gold medalist Junichi Kawai to head sports agency

Read the full article of geneveMonde here : https://genevemonde.ch/documents/01kb5mytqn29zjtxp50hs58a86

RAYMON BLONDEL, EUROPEAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE PRESIDENT

my alternative soundcloud account dedicated to archiving songs that i archived in the past on sites like internet archive and youtube so then i wont take up space on my actual soundcloud account

We want to hear your stories, feature your club and discuss the issues that matter to you in athletics, covering everything from participation to performance, nostalgia and mental health.

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Licencing: Please see soundcloud.com/englandathletics/ for details of the music used in this podcast.

Hosted by Michael Gillan Peckitt, who resides in Kobe, Japan, the Disability News Japan Podcast is News website 'Barrier Free Japan's podcast, a weekly digest of some of the news about disability in Japan in audio form. New episodes will usually be available every Friday at 6am Japan Time.

Closer Mentality is a peak performance-focused, documentary podcast. Each episode tells the stories of elite athletes, coaches, and sport psychologists and their relationships with the mental side of the game.

New tracks tagged #PARALYMPICS