Tomasz Tasiemski, Piotr Urbański and Maciej Wilski
Department of Physical Culture of People with Disabilities, University School of Physical Education, Królowej Jadwigi str. 27/39, 61-871 Poznan, Poland
Citation
Tasiemski, T., Urbański, P., Wilski, M. (2013). Athletic identity and sport performance in athletes with disabilities participating in the Paracanoeing World Championship. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 44(5), 458-470. doi:10.7352/IJSP.2013.44.458
Abstract
The main purpose of this study was to find out what is the level and structure of athletic identity (AI) in athletes with disabilities participating in the Paracanoeing World Championship. The other aim was to examine if level of AI is associated with sport performance achieved by these athletes. A group of 58 athletes with physical disabilities (female = 14, male = 44) representing 28 countries participated in this study. The Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) was used to assess AI. The major finding were that analyzed athletes had high level of AI, and the AIMS has 3-factor structure for this population. The total AIMS scores were not significantly different for World Championship medalists and those who performed less well. However, there was significant difference between these groups with regard to AIMS subscale called negative affectivity. There was also significant positive correlation between training load i.e. number of hours of training per week and the total AIMS score. The training load significantly predicted sport performance during the World Championship in Paracanoeing. The results of this study demonstrate the need to investigate other factors that may contribute to sport performance in athletes with disabilities.
Keywords: Athletic identity, Paracanoeing, Physical disability, Sport