The Paralympic Summer Games started in Paris on Wednesday evening. Switzerland is hoping to win medals here too. With 27 athletes, the delegation is significantly smaller than the one at the Summer Olympics, which ended a few weeks ago, but that does not dampen hopes.
What is striking is that a third of Swiss Paralympians are employed in the military as sports soldiers. The Department of Defense particularly highlights Elena Kratter (athletics) and Fabian Recher (cycling), who were the first para-athletes to graduate from the elite sports recruit school in Magglingen in 2021. This year’s Summer Games are thus the first in which sports soldiers with disabilities take part.
At least until recently, the military still rejected recruits if they had knee problems, for example. The fact that men and women with disabilities are now serving as sports soldiers indicates a major cultural change. In fact, Swiss citizens with a disability of 40 percent are not only unfit for service, but are also exempt from the military service contribution.
The responsible media office of the VBS simply says about the new culture: “Para-athletes are in the army in their role as top athletes, they are sports soldiers. In this role they are fit for military service.” It is therefore likely that this is also a political decision – but the federal government does not want to comment further on it.
The Swiss Confederation also provides state-sponsored sports support to its sports soldiers. The sporty army members benefit from being able to use the facilities at the elite sports center in Magglingen for up to 130 days a year as military personnel. On days they are on duty, they also receive compensation for loss of earnings, which can amount to up to 30,000 francs a year.
At the Summer Games in Paris, five of the eight Swiss medals went to sports soldiers – the only gold medal was also won by Private Chiara Leone. The army currently has 860 athletes in its ranks.
In return for the support, the military also has expectations of “its” athletes. They are officially considered ambassadors of the army. “That is why military-correct behavior and a general 100 percent commitment to the army are expected,” they explain.
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