Paralympic Games: Information, News and Events
Disabled World (disabled-world.com)
Revised/Updated: Friday, 25th October 2019
Synopsis and Key Points:
The Paralympic Games are multi-sport disability events for athletes with physical mental and sensorial disabilities.
The Paralympic Games are a multi-sport event for athletes with physical, mental and sensorial disabilities.
Paralympic Games are sometimes confused with Special Olympics, which are only for people with intellectual disabilities.
Main Document
The Paralympic Games are a multi-sport event for athletes with physical, mental and sensorial disabilities. This includes mobility disabilities, amputees, visual disabilities and those with cerebral palsy. 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.)
There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea, are held almost immediately following the respective Olympic Games. All Paralympic Games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
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 logo of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) since 2004.
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 behavior (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.
| Winter Paralympic Games: |
|---|
| 1976 - Paralympics - Ornskaldsvik - Sweden |
| 1980 - Paralympics - Geilo - Norway |
| 1984 - Paralympics - Innsbruck - Austria |
| 1988 - Paralympics - Innsbruck - Austria |
| 1992 - Paralympics - Albertville - France |
| 1994 - Paralympics - Lillehammer - Norway |
| 1998 - Paralympics - Nagano - Japan |
| 2002 - Paralympics - Salt Lake City - United States |
| 2006 - Paralympics - Turin - Italy |
| 2010 - Paralympics - Vancouver - Canada |
| 2014 - Paralympics - Sochi - Russia |
| 2018 - Paralympics - Pyeongchang - South Korea |
| 2022 - Paralympics - Beijing - China |
| 2026 - Paralympics - Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy |
| Summer Paralympic Games: |
| 1960 - Paralympics - Rome - Italy |
| 1964 - Paralympics - Tokyo - Japan |
| 1968 - Paralympics - Tel Aviv - Israel |
| 1972 - Paralympics - Heidelberg - West Germany |
| 1976 - Paralympics - Toronto - Canada |
| 1980 - Paralympics - Arnhem - Netherlands |
| 1984 - Paralympics - Stoke Mandeville - UK, New York - US |
| 1988 - Paralympics - Seoul - South Korea |
| 1992 - Paralympics - Barcelona - Spain |
| 1996 - Paralympics - Atlanta - United States |
| 2000 - Paralympics - Sydney - Australia |
| 2004 - Paralympics - Athens - Greece |
| 2008 - Paralympics - Beijing - China |
| 2012 - Paralympics - London - United Kingdom |
| 2016 - Paralympics - Rio de Janeiro - Brazil |
| 2020 - Paralympics - Tokyo - Japan |
| 2024 - Paralympics - Paris - France |
Subtopics and Associated Subjects
Related Information
- 1 - Beijing 2022 and Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Media Rights : International Paralympic Committee (IPC) (2020/09/17)
- 2 - Harder Than You Think - Paralympic Games Documentary Film : Craig Spence, IPC Chief Marketing and Communications Officer (2019/08/26)
- 3 - Wheelchair Dance Sport Rules Update - IPC : International Paralympic Committee (IPC) (2015/08/04)
- 4 - Boston Applicant city for 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games : United States Olympic Committee (2015/01/09)
- 5 - International Paralympic Committee Turns 25 - We should be proud of our achievements, says President : International Paralympic Committee (IPC) (2014/09/22)
- 6 - IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport Rulebook Changes : International Paralympic Committee (2014/08/14)
- 7 - Sport Needs More Women - Gender Parity at Paralympic Games : International Paralympic Committee (IPC) (2014/06/13)
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