José T. Mejías Riquelme has defended his doctoral thesis on dual career for Paralympic athletes

Mejías' thesis focuses on studying the environments that shape the balance between sports and academics. Specifically, it examines the perspective of Paralympic athletes, who face additional challenges due to personal, social, and contextual barriers. The study's results highlight the differences between the Paralympic and conventional sports systems, emphasizing the classification system for disability in sports and the type of media coverage. This coverage is essential, as the media has the potential to promote a narrative centered on athletic achievements rather than physical characteristics, thereby reducing societal stigmatization.

A positive finding is the general sense of inclusion fostered by equal treatment from conventional athletes and professionals at High-Performance Centers, along with the accessibility of facilities. However, the research underscores the need to promote dual careers through contextualized and inclusive approaches that consider cultural characteristics, the structure of environments, and the experiences of athletes not represented by dominant research perspectives.

José Mejías Riquelme holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Chile and a master's in Sport and Physical Activity Psychology from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). He has been a predoctoral FPI researcher at UAB, where he completed his doctorate on the dual careers of vulnerable athletes. Regarding his research experience, he has participated in various projects within the Sport Psychology Research Group (GEPE) and the Social Sciences Research in Sport Group (GRECSE).