Speaking at Monaco’s Handipact event on Wednesday December 3rd, Olympic cécifoot champion Gaël Rivière delivered a powerful message about how sport can change perceptions of disability.
The President of the French Handisport Federation and practising corporate lawyer was the keynote speaker at the Méridien Beach Plaza gathering, which marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and reviewed two years of the Principality’s Handipact policy.
Rivière shared his conviction that “sport can be a weapon of mass inclusion” drawing on both his professional experience as a lawyer and his sporting journey from silver at London 2012, through failing to qualify for Rio, finishing last at Tokyo 2010, to finally winning gold at Paris 2024.
The presumption of incapacity
Rivière described what he calls a “generalised presumption of incapacity” that people with disabilities frequently encounter. He gave the examples of renewing his passport, when the official asked his ‘companion’ – who happened to be a stranger in the waiting room – for Rivière’s personal details; and when buying his first property – despite being a qualified lawyer – the notary insisted that random people from the waiting room witness his signature.
“These attitudes show that people naturally associate visual impairment with the idea that you’re incapable of knowing your name and address; incapable of signing; incapable of moving around,” he said.
He highlighted the importance of focusing on the “situation of disability” rather than defining people by their condition.
In his legal work, Rivière uses screen-reading software with a synthetic voice that he can accelerate to a speed faster than most people can read visually. As a result, he often processes information more quickly than his sighted colleagues. Most of his clients work with him remotely and are unaware of his visual impairment. “It’s satisfying to know that clients can’t tell whether I have a disability,” he said. “The way I work, the quality of what I deliver — I make mistakes like anyone, but not because I can’t see.”
How sport changes everything
The Paris Paralympics demonstrated sport’s power to shift perceptions. The public created silent waves of applause to support the athletes. One child told Rivière afterwards: “Honestly sir, you’re really great, even if you didn’t touch the ball much during the final.”
“I find something superb in this somewhat painful compliment,”Rivière explained, “because it shows the only thing that mattered to this kid was the sporting performance. There was no more compassion; no more benevolence.”
He quoted his coach’s philosophy: “Are we the best in the world? We’re not the best in the world footballistically. Do we need to be the best to win? We don’t need to be the best to be winners.”
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Main photo of Gaël Rivière by Monaco Life.