Here's a riddle for you — who can be a Para athlete without being disabled? Who can contribute to a Paralympic race or match win without receiving a medal for their hard work?

Sighted guides on the track, pilots in the velodrome, and ramp operators on the court are considered the unsung heroes of the Paralympics.

These guides and operators are a crucial part of the Games. Many athletes would be unable to compete without them and until recently, their hard work has been unacknowledged.

The Australian team has several guides and ramp operators over in Paris for the Games, including Tim Logan who guides Jaryd Clifford in the T12 1500m and 5000m races on the track, and Jasmine Haydon, who is Jamieson Leeson's ramp operator in Boccia.

Earlier this week Haydon was awarded a silver medal alongside Leeson in the BC3 Women's individual boccia event.

This would not have happened pre-London Games, where only the athletes stood on the podium to receive a medal.

For Haydon and Leeson, this was a special moment in Paris, considering Haydon hasn't been in the sport long and this is her first Paralympics.

You can't underestimate the importance of the relationship between the boccia player and their ramp operator, or the pilot on the bike or the guide on the track.

Shadows of the athletes

A level of trust is needed between the guide and the athlete because the athlete is relying on their guide to get them through the competition as effectively and safely as possible.

Until the London Games, guides and ramp operators were like shadows of the athletes, training and competing alongside them, but without the podium glory and acknowledgement.

The guides need to be as fit and fast as the athletes they are guiding, but the job role calls for so much more.

Events where you will see these guides and operators competing include athletics, cycling, and Boccia.

On the track, guides are tethered together with their athlete, setting their athlete up on their blocks, running alongside them and monitoring where they are on the track and how fast they are going.

In the velodrome pilots ride tandem with their athletes, guiding the bike around the track and road, working the gears and monitoring their progress.

On the boccia court, the ramp operator takes instructions from the athlete and maneuvers the ramp into position and places the ball on the ramp for the athlete to push.

That it took until 2012 for them to finally receive acknowledgement could be considered a travesty; but they are not the only people that support our athletes in their sport.

Making the impossible possible

The Paralympics wouldn't be the colossal movement of inclusion if athletes with more severe disabilities couldn't compete.

These guides, pilots and assistants are the backbone of the movement, making the impossible possible.

Support of athletes at the Paralympics can take many forms.

Swimmers with low vision can have a "tapper" who uses a long stick with a ball on the end to tap them on their bodies to indicate they are near the wall, preparing them to turn or finish the race.

Also in swimming, some athletes may need support to start their race, including swimmers with balance issues who may need a coach to hold them steady on the blocks, or swimmers with no arms who need their foot held to start their race.

In the field, long jumpers rely on audio cues from their guides. The guide will first position the athlete at the start of the runway, then stand at the sand pit, clapping and shouting to tell them where to run and when to take off.

And in blind football, the goalie can have partial or full vision and can communicate with their team in defence. Each team also has a guide at the halfway line and another behind the goal the team is attacking.

The sighted goalies in blind football also receive a medal, as they are a part of the team, whereas the swimming "tappers" are regarded as more logistical.

So while not all assistants receive medals on the podium, it is a huge step forward that people like Haydon are now getting the recognition they deserve.