“I won't be participating at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.”

“I will be competing.”

Across social media, some of the world’s leading Paralympians have been posting that they won’t be participating in the upcoming Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, as part of a campaign created by Adam&EveDDB for the IPC that challenges language bias.

A striking social post that reads, “I won't be participating at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games” serves to strike an initial shock to audiences with the news that the Paralympian isn’t participating in this year's games. However, a swipe left clarifies that instead “I will be competing”, reminding audiences of the competitiveness of the games and underlining that Paralympians aren’t simply taking part. They are elite athletes and the games are fiercely competitive.

“Paralympians have often been described in the media as ‘participants’ and not ‘competitors’. At Paris 2024, it’s time we set the record straight” says Craig Spence, Chief Brand and Communications Officer at the International Paralympic Committee.

World-leading athletes are taking part in the campaign across social media including Jessica Long (USA), 29 Paralympic medal winner with 16 golds, Bebe Vio (Italy), multi-award and gold medal winning wheelchair fencer, Manasi Joshi (India), gold medal-winning javelin thrower, Marissa Papaconstantinou (Canada), 100m bronze medal winner at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and Bhavinaben Patel (India), silver medal-winning table tennis player.

On their own social media channels, the athletes are pushing out the striking creative assets alongside information about where the Paralympics can be viewed.

The campaign makes use of social media to drive conversation, challenge misconceptions and shine a light on the language bias used when describing Paralympians. It also aims to drive viewership to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, which open on 28 August.

Once the games begin, the campaign will also be supported by digital out-of-home in the UK and USA, continuing the conversation to challenge perceptions and celebrate the competitiveness of the games.