ABSTRACT
The international achievements and regular participation of Swiss ‘wheelchair racers’ are noteworthy. With 144 medals since 1976 in both individual and relay races, a group of 19 athletes has won 45% of the medals taken by Switzerland in all categories of the summer Paralympic Games. In this paper, we will answer the question: how has this paralympic elite been constructed institutionally since the 1980s, when Swiss wheelchair athletes intensified their participation in the Paralympic Games? By studying the manufacture of this exemplar of sporting excellence through written sources and some 15 interviews, we underline the central role played by the Swiss Group for Paraplegics in the development of Swiss wheelchair athletics. Its novel sports policies were based on considerable human and financial means, an advanced medical environment, good sports infrastructure and the constant recruitment of former champions.
