Paralympics

The Paralympic Games are held every four years, following the Olympic Games, and are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) -  (The Paralympic Games are sometimes confused with the Special Olympics, which are only for people with intellectual disabilities.)

When did the Paralympic Games First start?

The Paralympics first started in 1948 when Ludwig Guttmann organized a sports competition which involved world war 2 veterans that had spinal injuries.

Afterwards a similar event was organized in Toronto, Canada where different disability groups were added and the idea of merging together and taking part in athletic sports was a success.

The name derives from the Greek "para" ("beside" or "alongside") and thus refers to a competition held in parallel with the Olympic Games. No relation with paralysis or paraplegia is intended, however, the word Paralympic was originally a portmanteau combining 'paraplegic' and 'Olympic'.

The number of athletes participating in Summer Paralympic Games have increased from 400 athletes from 23 countries in Rome in 1960 to 3806 athletes from 136 countries in Athens in 2004.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and serves as the International Federation for nine sports, for which it supervises and co-ordinates the World Championships and other competitions.

The Summer and Winter Paralympic Games are the ultimate international competitions for world class athletes with a disability. They are linked to the Olympic celebrations every two years and athletes must meet strict qualifying standards in order to compete.

Disability Category Definitions for Paralympic Games:
(These categories apply to both summer and winter Paralympics.)

Amputee: Athletes with a partial or total loss of at least one limb.

Cerebral Palsy: Athletes with non-progressive brain damage, for example cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke or similar disabilities affecting muscle control, balance or coordination.

Intellectual Disability: Athletes with a significant impairment in intellectual functioning and associated limitations in adaptive behaviour (currently suspended.)

Wheelchair: Athletes with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities which require them to compete in a wheelchair.

Visually Impaired: Athletes with vision impairment ranging from partial vision, sufficient to be judged legally blind, to total blindness.

Athletes with a physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other five categories, such as dwarfism, multiple sclerosis or congenital deformities of the limbs such as that caused by thalidomide.

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Further Information Regarding Paralympics

U.S. Paralympic 2009 Amazing Awards
U.S. Paralympics presented its annual "Amazing Awards" to key contributors in the national Paralympic movement at the 2009 Developing Amazing Leaders Paralympic Conference, April 17-20.

Unique Program Develops Paralympic-Level Winter Athletes
Seven elite student-athletes with disabilities train alongside NCAA winter-sport athletes in a program that is unique to UNH, the only university in the nation that recruits and develops winter-sports student athletes with disabilities.

Nine-time Gold Medalist Supports Disabled Children
A nine-times gold-medal winning Paralympic athlete has been named as an ambassador for a campaign benefiting disabled children. Lee Pearson CBE, of Cheddleton in Staffordshire, will support the Enable Sport campaign, which aims to help youngsters engage in competitive sport by providing donations of specially adapted sports equipment such as wheelchairs, javelins and gymnastic equipment.

Watch Paralympic Sports Events Live Online ParalympicSport.TV
ParalympicSport.TV is a top quality 24/7 television channel broadcasting via the Internet with either regular or full screen size available for the best viewing experience. Free of charge, people all over the world are able to watch live and delayed events, or see the coverage on demand later. The goal of ParalympicSport.TV is to provide a variety of content from the Paralympic World including news, interviews, event reports and of course the Paralympic Games.

International Paralympic Committee Information
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and serves as the International Federation for nine sports, for which it supervises and co-ordinates the World Championships and other competitions.

IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in Korea
Around 160 athletes from 25 different countries are making their way to the High 1 Ski Resort in Gangwon-Do, Korea, for the 2009 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships. The event, taking place from 19 February to 1 March, is organized by the Korea Sports Association for the Disabled (KOSAD), the Korea Adaptive Ski Association (KASA) and the High 1 Ski Resort.

Popovich 2008 Paralympian of the Year
For the second time in her illustrious 11-year career, swimmer Erin Popovich (Silverbow, Mont.) has been named the U.S. Olympic Committee's Paralympian of the Year.

International Paralympic Committee New Years Message
In 2009, we have several big events taking place, including the last regular season of Winter Sport before the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, the first Paralympic Winter World Cup in Sweden, the General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur, International Paralympic Day in Berlin, the ten-year anniversary of our headquarters in Bonn, Germany, and 20 years of the IPC. This year also will be the decision for the 2016 Host City of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.