Communication of National Paralympic Committees on Facebook: A case study focusing on the Czech Republic, Slovakia, the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom

The Paralympic Games are very often the only opportunity to get Para sport into mainstream news coverage in many countries (Brittain, 2016). While there has been a gradual shift in the presentation of disability sports, various entrenched stereotypes persist in the media, which national Paralympic committees are trying to change. The final thesis focused on the communication of five selected Paralympic Committees (US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, British Paralympic Committee, Australian Paralympic Committee, Slovak Paralympic Committee and Czech Paralympic Committee) on Facebook. Because social networks are often the only information channel where National Paralympic Committees can publish and present the results of their Para athletes. The results of the research showed that each Paralympic Committee communicates with the fans differently, yet they have one thing in common. They all want to present Para sport as a full-fledged and professional sport.