Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Cheating manages to find a way into just about every competition. For one thing, performance-enhancing drugs are just as big of a problem in the Paralympic Games as they are in the Olympic Games. The main offenders are competitors in powerlifting.
In Sydney 2000, a total of 14 athletes tested positive in the drug tests. Some other athletes however, prefer to gain an unfair advantage through something more cringe-worthy. They purposely injure themselves by inserting thumbtacks, pins, ball bearings, etc. into the parts of their body that can’t feel any kind of sensation.
This raises their blood pressure, and triggers the kind of fight or flight response usually reserved for when the person is in danger; on average, their athletic can be boosted by up to 15%. In its own morbid way, this practice reminds us of how serious the Paralympics are to those who compete in it.