Paralympic Games
From ATWiki
The Paralympic Games are an elite sports competition for athletes with motor, sensory, or intellectual disabilities. They are held every four years, following the Olympic Games and more recently sharing the same venues, and are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Both individual (e.g., track and field, archery, skiing) and team competitions (e.g., wheelchair basketball, seated volleyball, ice sledge hockey) take place. The Paralympic Games are not related to the Special Olympics.
Athletes from six categories compete against others with similar disabilities:
- Amputee
- Spinal cord injuries
- Cerebral palsy
- Visual impairment
- Intellectual disability
- Those that do not fit into the aforementioned groups (les autres).
Summer Sports
- Archery
- Athletics
- Boccia
- Bowls
- Cycling
- Equestrian
- Football 5-a-Side
- Football 7-a-Side
- Goalball
- Judo
- Powerlifting
- Rowing
- Sailing
- Shooting
- Swimming
- Table Tennis
- Volleyball
- Wheelchair Basketball
- Wheelchair Dance Sport
- Wheelchair Fencing
- Wheelchair Rugby
- Wheelchair Tennis
History
The first Paralympic Games were held in 1960 in Rome. Winter sports were added to create the Winter Paralympic Games in 1976. From the 2012 bid process onwards, the host city chosen to host the Olympic Games will be obliged to also host the Paralympics. The 2004 games in Athens featured 3806 athletes from 136 countries.
