Official social media accounts of the Paralympics slammed
Viewers of official promotional material for the Paralympic Games have been accused of ‘disrespect’ towards the athletes over clips posted online ahead of the opening ceremony on Wednesday.
The social media platforms, including TikTok and YouTube shorts, have come under fire for some of their lighthearted content – including several videos which feature ‘meme’ sound effects over clips of athletes.
Content produced by the team of four people (three of whom are disabled) has been called ‘disrespectful’ and ‘depraved’ by spectators – though the team insists its ‘borderline’ content is actually directing more people towards their content.
One clip shows footage of a Paralympian swimmer hitting his head against the wall of the pool while swimming backwards.
It is not uncommon for Paralympic swimmers to use their heads to hit sensors in the pool to indicate they have finished a race. However to the untrained eye, the athlete looks like he could potentially have injured himself. The clip is dubbed with a trivial sound effect; Dory’s ‘Just Keep Swimming’ rhyme from Disney Pixar film Finding Nemo.
As the world gears up to take on yet another huge sporting event of the year, those behind the Paralympic social media teams has been accused of promoting ‘unserious’ and ‘disrespectful’ material
Another video shows an athlete in running blades doing the long jump, paired alongside a ‘meme’ sounds from the adult cartoon sow, Family Guy, featuring a joking voice of the character, Peter Griffin
Another video shows an athlete in running blades competing in the long jump, paired alongside a ‘meme’ sound from the cartoon comedy Family Guy. It features the voice of main character, Peter Griffin, singing along to a silly tune.
As the athlete leaps into the sandbox, the caption on the clip reads: ‘Me when I see the sofa.’
In another clip, posted on TikTok, a Tunisian shotput thrower is pictured taking to the field as she is about to compete.
She appears to call out as she hypes up herself – and the crowd – for her attempt.
However, dubbed over the clip is a song called ‘Squirrels in my Pants’ from the Phineas and Ferb cartoon.
The controversial clips on the Paralympic accounts have drawn attention from a number of new viewers, after raking in 250,000 new followers in the last two weeks.
But viewers are divided on the content, with some slamming the account for ‘bullying’ Paralympic athletes while others take amusement from the clips.
And the team behind the controversial social media strategy have revealed that they intended to divide people’s opinions in order to drive engagement to the page.
Speaking to Self magazine, the International Paralympic Committee’s chief brand and communications officer Craig Spence admitted the content was ‘borderline’ but stressed he felt like the team had found a ‘balance’ in its clips.
The magazine also reported that the social media team is made up of four people between the ages of 20 to 30 – three of whom are disabled.
‘We realised that our content had to be really edgy in order to get the engagement. Now you have a lot of people on there saying, ‘I don’t know whether I should laugh at this, and if I do laugh, do I go to hell’,’ Mr Spence said.
However, those who believe the clips have gone too far are unwavering in their outrage as they slam what they say is ‘insensitivity’ from the team and its strategy.
One furious spectator wrote: ‘Trying to create a funny meme out of [the athlete’s] accomplishments. The depravity of modern society knows no bounds,’
A second wrote: ‘You do understand that sound of your posts are not just insensitive but straight up bullying, right? This isn’t going to end well for whoever is in charge of the Paralympics social media accounts…’
A third disagreed with the ‘mocking’ tone of the clips. They said: ‘Why the Peter Griffin voiceover on the clips? Feels silly, like you’re mocking them. You don’t hear Peter Griffin on shorts from the official Olympic channel.’
However, some viewers saw the funny side of the dark humour behind the clips, suggesting the social media strategy was a hit in places.
However, the videos have not come without criticism as several flocked to the comments to express their outrage of the ‘insensitivity’ of the humuorous music featuring alongside the Parasports
With the help of his guider, he is able to reach the handlebars; a scene which paired with a sound bite from Beethoven
Another TikTok shows an athlete with dwarfism screaming as she throws the heavy metal ball as song that goes ‘Squirrels in My Pants’, plays
However, not ever video posted on the channel is has meme audio attached, with other, less ‘borderline’ content revealing an playful side inoffensively
The formula for the videos, according to Mr Spence, was to offer a realistic take on Parasports.
Though he insisted that viewers should be amused with the athletes rather than by them, an aim which appears to have missed the mark with many of its spectators.
Another video shows the US Paralympic triathlon athlete, Brad Snyder, reaching his hands out in attempt to find his bike before a race.
With the help of his guide, he is able to reach the handlebars. This clip is paired with a sound bite from Beethoven, as though it were Brad playing the piano to the tune.
Mr Spence explained that the team had sought permission from Brad before making the clip, and that it was not created without his consent.
The video was captioned: ‘Brad Snyder on piano while on his way to winning gold with guide Greg Billington. He loves a bit of Beethoven.’
While Craig explained that the humour behind the clips is intended make viewers laugh at the situation, rather than the individual, it’s unclear whether this is fully achieved.
One viewer wrote: ‘HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA good thing he can’t see this,’ while another mocked, ‘hope he doesn’t see this…’
While many watching the channels have expressed their horror at the caricatured humour, Craig insisted that the videos are educational as well as attention grabbing.
Speaking to Self, he assured viewers that a number of videos are checked by members of the team at the International Paralympic Committee workforce – 19 per cent of whom have a disability.
