Using ethnographic methodology, my dissertation research examined the experiences of members of the para sport community with high-performance sport. The intent of the research was to capture the many voices of the Paralympic community and privilege their experience of high-performance sport. Historically the lived experience of sport and competition of para sport `insiders` has not been foregrounded in the sport science literature but for a few noteworthy exceptions (Berger, 2008; Howe 2008, 2017; McMaster, Culver, & Werthner, 2012). Ethnographic methods were used for data collection including interviews with and participant observation of para sport athletes and their entourage. Data collection tookplace at Commonwealth Games XXI, held at Gold Coast, Australia in 2018. As a sport medicine professional and veteran of high-performance sport including multiple Paralympic Games, my positionality is that of insider-outsider throughout the research. Initially, the research explored medicalized spaces and the embodiment of medical encounters during competition. The emergent nature of ethnographic research indicated the importance of sporting spaces on the experiences of inclusion and exclusion at these Games. Because of the integrated model of competition utilized by Commonwealth Games, exploration of athlete and non-athlete perspectives regarding integration was material to the project. The findings of this project reveal that medicalized assumptions around impaired bodies and athletic ability persist. Subtle acts of ableism impact the lived experience of high-performance for para sport insiders and continue toinform sporting spaces and practices. The realization of integration of para and able-bodied sport requires active pursuit, committed leadership and trustworthy knowledge of the experience of para sport athletes and others whose lives are intimately informed by para sports.
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