USOPC says it's confident in support provided to Paralympic athletes after Becca Meyers' withdrawal
TOKYO – Paralympic swimmer Becca Meyers has pulled out of the Tokyo Games because she said the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee did not accommodate her personal care assistant.
Meyers, a deaf-blind person who was born with Usher syndrome, wrote in a Paste BN op-ed that the USOPC did not approve her PCA, who can help athletes navigate unfamiliar environments and situations.
Meyers’ mother, Maria, has been her PCA at other international competitions, according to the Washington Post. Tokyo organizers have barred foreign visitors, including athletes’ families, from the Games and limited other participants because of coronavirus concerns.
“I strongly believe the reduction in staff was not intended to reduce the number of essential support staff for Paralympians, like PCAs, but to reduce the number of nonessential staff,” wrote Meyers, who has won three gold medals, two silver and a bronze in two previous Games.
“Athletes with disabilities are able to compete in a setting like the Paralympics because of PCAs.”
The USOPC disputed Meyers’ characterization that she would have to rely on one PCA for the entire U.S. team.
While the pandemic forced a reduction in accredited support staff in Japan, the USOPC said a PCA with 11 years of experience with para swimmers would be assigned to the team. That person is supported by 10 other staffers, the USOPC said.
“The decisions we’ve made on behalf of the team have not been easy, and we are heartbroken for athletes who are unable to have their previous support resources available,” the USOPC said in a statement. “We are confident in the level of support we will offer Team USA and look forward to providing them a positive athlete experience even in the most unprecedented times.”
The Paralympic Games run Aug. 24 to Sept. 5.