John MacFall | What is Paralympics game

From July 26th to August 11th, the Summer Olympic Games were organized in Paris, France. And right after that, the Paralympic Games started on August 8th according to the 2001 agreement and ended on September 8th. Paralympic Games are for physically disabled people like Olympic Games. Now, they have been taken forward not only in the world of games but also in space travel. In today's video, I'm going to talk about a person who is a Paralympic sprinter, an orthopedic surgeon and a prosthesis holder. I mean, he is a physically disabled person who does not have the lower part of his foot. Now, he has been selected by the European Space Agency as the first parastronaut to visit space. So far, only physically fit people have been allowed to travel to space. But the head of the European Astronaut Center, Frank D. Wynne, wants to change this. And the European Space Agency is such an agency that is carrying out such projects. In November 2022, John McFaul was selected by the European Space Agency for a fly-feasibility test. So that they can understand what are the barriers to sending physically disabled people to space. In the case of Paralympic Games, there is a criteria for selecting players. Similarly, the European Space Agency also has a criteria for selecting parastronauts. Now, if a person is completely blind or a person is completely deaf, then the technology is not so advanced that we can send such people to space. You can't see someone who is blind, or you can't communicate instantly with someone who is deaf or black. So, there is a need for more advanced technology that has not been developed yet. The European Space Agency had three criteria. First, those who do not have feet. Second, those who have small feet and big feet. And third, those who have less than 130 centimeters. The ESA was trying to select someone with an athlete's background. Because in the case of space, bone density and muscle mass, staying healthy is very crucial. Finally, the European Space Agency selected John McFaul. In this case, he had two advantages. First, he was a Paralympic athlete. And second, he was an orthopedic surgeon. Orthopedic surgeon means a doctor who specializes in bones, joints, tendons, ligaments, muscles, etc. In short, on the total musculoskeletal system. The European Space Agency selected John McFaul and had two advantages. On the one hand, he was an orthopedic surgeon. That is, he specializes in musculoskeletal studies. And on the other hand, he was an athlete. That is, he was physically fit. John McFaul, 2008 Beijing Paralympic bronze medalist. His previous Paralympic experience currently helps him become a parastronaut. Like the first Parastronaut John McFaul, the Paralympic background is also very interesting. Which was hosted in Paris after the Olympics. And interestingly, this year's Paralympic flag hoster was John McFaul. The word Paralympic is made up of the Greek preposition para and olympic. Para means together. That is, the game organized for physically disabled players along with the Olympics is called Paralympics. In 1944, a German-British neurologist Dr. Ludwig Gutmann was requested by the British government to open a spinal center at the Stroke Mandeville Hospital in Britain. To provide a rehabilitation service to the injured soldiers who participated in World War II. In 1948, when the London Olympics were held, Dr. Ludwig Gutmann organized a multi-sports event Historically known as the Stroke Mandeville Games or the 1948 Wheelchair Games. Like this, for the next 12 years, that is, until 1960, such multi-sports events were organized once a year for the rehabilitation of the injured soldiers. In 1960, when the Olympics were held in Rome, Gutmann brought about 400 athletes to Rome to compete in the Olympic Parallel. From there, the Paralympics are organized every Olympic year. From 1960 to 1980, three prominent organizations were founded. In 1964, the International Sport Organization for the Disabled, which provides support to physically disabled athletes who cannot be affiliated with the International Stroke Mandeville Games. Then in 1978, the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association was founded. And in 1980, the International Blind Sports Federation was founded. These three international organizations worked as a coordinating organization. Finally, in 1980, when the Olympic Games of the summer season were organized in Seoul, South Korea, from then on, the city of the Olympic and Paralympic Games was made the same. That is, the city in which the Olympic Games will be organized, the Paralympic Games will be organized in that city. Then in 1989, the International Paralympic Committee was formed, which is now the governing body of the Paralympics. In 2001, the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee came to an agreement and finalized that the city that will host the Olympics will host the Paralympics, so that the spirit of the Paralympics can be further developed. There are two main differences between the Olympics and the Paralympics. First of all, the Olympics are for the able-bodied athletes, and the Paralympics are for those who are physically or intellectually disabled. Secondly, the International Olympic Committee manages the Olympics, and the International Paralympic Committee manages the Paralympics. These two separate independent governing bodies work independently. In the Paralympics, disability categories were divided into 10 impairment types for para-athletes. These categories include short stature, vision impairment, intellectual impairment, and they were also divided into sub-categories. John McFaul, whom I mentioned at the beginning of the video, once went to Thailand when he was 19 years old. He loved to ride a motorcycle and while staying in Thailand, he lost one of his legs in an accident while riding a motorcycle. John McFaul wanted to serve the country as a military man, but after the motorcycle accident, he lost his military career. During the post-accident times, he did not sell sports to escape frustration. In 2040, when he graduated from Swansea University with a BSc, he started practicing running at Swansea Harriot Athletic Club. At that time, he started having problems with his prosthesis in terms of running because his prosthesis did not fit for running. Later, the Federation of Disability Sports Wales provided him with a carbon fiber blade. During his graduation, he competed in regional and national level sports and after completing his master's in 2005, he started preparing for the Paralympics. In 2008, even after becoming a bronze medalist in the Paralympics, he was not satisfied with his life. He started medical studies further. In 2014, in the early 30s, he passed his MBBS from Cardiff University School of Medicine and from 2016, he started working as a trauma and orthopedic specialist in South England. Even after becoming a doctor, he was not satisfied with his medical career. He then left for space exploration. In 2021, he saw an advertisement that the European Space Agency was conducting a study Finally, in 2022, John McFaul was selected by the European Space Agency as a reserve astronaut for their fly and feasibility study. The ESA is focusing on whether John McFaul will fit the safety and emergency requirements required for space exploration. Recently, in a July announcement, the ESA confirmed that it is technically possible to send a physically disabled astronaut to space. Two tests have been conducted on John McFaul so far. The first is the microgravity test, which will determine how microgravity will affect his body. The second is the medical bone test. When leaving the Earth's atmosphere and entering the Earth's atmosphere again, the gravitational force becomes extreme in the body. And to test this on Earth, the European Space Agency uses a centrifuge machine. The more this machine rotates, the more extreme G-load will be applied. So far, 6 G-loads have been tested, which is about 6 times the gravitational force. This load will return to Earth in a sewage capsule when it is replicated. In space, it is necessary to keep the body fit. To keep the body fit, astronauts use treadmills. Anti-gravity treadmills are used on Earth to create the same weightlessness condition as in an international space station. John uses leg blades and 80% of his body weight is lightened so that the microgravity field comes properly. John McFaul is not guaranteed space exploration. The ESA is only testing what kind of adaptation is required to send such astronauts to space. It can be space suit, space craft, or prosthetic legs. In personal life, John is married and his wife Sonia is an Olympic gymnast. They have three children, Finn, Izala, and Emi. Finally, John thinks that if he is successful in space travel, then he can give a powerful message to the Earth. And the ESA will conclude this project by the end of 2024. And then it will be known whether John McFaul is fit or unfit for space travel. So today's video ends here. Next, I will talk in a new video.