Los Angeles – With two years to go until the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics, U.S. swimmer Ali Truwit said local support could help the Americans challenge China’s long-standing dominance while reshaping public perceptions of disability. Truwit, who won two silver medals in Paris a year after losing her lower left leg in a shark attack, saw firsthand how French fans lifted local athletes to new heights. While China has topped the medal table at every Summer Paralympics since 2004, including in Paris, where the U.S. finished third behind Great Britain, Truwit said competing in California could help challenge that order.
It’s enough to really move the dial.” Competing with heavily state-subsidized global sports programs like China’s requires direct investment, and while there has been progress in the U.S. on that front in recent years, 57% of Team USA athletes still earn less than $50,000 annually, with many working multiple jobs to sustain their athletic careers. Paralympians meanwhile often face larger medical costs outside of their sport and see less prize money relative to Olympians and other professional sports leagues. To combat this, Truwit’s foundation, Stronger Than You Think, is launching a first-of-its-kind Performance Incentive Fund.
Debuting at the Para Pan Pacific Championships, which will be held from August 28 to 30 in Walnut, California, the fund will offer financial rewards to U.S. swimmers who reach the podium, including a $10,000 bonus for breaking a world record. Truwit, who recently joined the LA28 Athletes’ Commission, sees the Games as a vital tool for social change. IPC President Andrew Parsons said that seeing visually impaired sprinters, wheelchair rugby players or wheelchair basketball players compete at the highest level can help audiences recognize the broader potential of people with disabilities if barriers are removed in education, employment and public life.
With the 2028 Paralympics expected to host a record 4,480 Para athletes across 23 sports, including the debut of para-climbing, the Games will be the world’s third-largest sporting event behind the Olympics and FIFA World Cup. The level of competition is likely to be higher than ever, Truwit said, and she is training up to five hours a day to remain in medal contention.
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