What are the Paralympic Games?
The Paralympic Games are the largest multi-sport event in the world for athletes with a physical disability. The origins of the Paralympic Games date back to 1948 when Sir Ludwig Guttman staged the International Wheelchair Games to coincide with the 1948 London Olympic Games. The first official Paralympic Games were held in Rome, Italy in 1960, and the event gradually grew to encompass other sports and other disability categories, with the Paralympic Summer and Winter Games now representing the highest level of competition for elite athletes with a physical disability. They are linked to the Olympic celebrations every two years using the same facilities and athletes must meet strict qualifying standards in order to compete. Canada has participated in every Paralympic Games since 1968, with Toronto hosting the V Paralympic Summer Games in 1976 and Vancouver preparing to host the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010.
The Paralympic Games are elite sports competition for athletes with physical and visual disabilities. Held in the same year, the same city and same venues as the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games are the second largest sporting event in the world. The term “Paralympic” means “parallel to the Olympics.
The Paralympic Games are the second largest sporting event in the world, conceding top honors only to the Olympics. The multi-sport competition showcases the talents and abilities of the world’s most elite athletes with physical disabilities. The Paralympics feature 21 sports, 18 of which are also contested in the Olympics. The first Paralympics were held in 1960 in Rome, Italy. Only 400 athletes from 23 countries participated. It wasn’t until the 1988 Paralympics in Seoul, Korea, that the modern-day practice of the Olympic-host nation also hosted the Paralympic Games. Today more than 4,000 athletes from 120 countries participate in the Summer Paralympics, while more than 1,100 athletes from 36 countries compete in the Winter Paralympic Games. Joining Deb and Mike at the Paralympic Trials were three other Connecticut athletes: Mary-Christine Beck (CDEV), Jaclyn Lanzetti (BRS) and Lauren Roseman (SNCO). All athletes recording life-time best swims. Congratulations! Paralympic Trials Resu
The Paralympic Games are an international competition held for people with physical disabilities. The name is a portmanteau of the words paralyzed and olympics and its purpose is to highlight the athletic achievements of the physically disabled. Both the summer and winter events of the Paralympic Games are held in the same year and at the same venues of the Olympic Games. In 1948 in Stoke Mandeville, England, Sir Ludwig Guttmann organized a sports competition that involved veterans of World War II with spinal cord injuries. In 1952, competitors from the Netherlands joined the games. In Rome in 1960, the games were modeled after the Olympic Games and named the Paralympic Games. That year, the competition included 400 athletes from 23 countries. In Toronto in 1976, people from different disability groups were added for the first time to the Paralympic Summer Games. Also that year, the Paralympic Winter Games were held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. In Athens in the summer of 2004, the Paralymp
The Paralympic Games are the second largest sporting event in the world, conceding top honors only to the Olympics. The multi-sport competition showcases the talents and abilities of the world’s most elite athletes with physical disabilities. More than 4,000 athletes from over 140 countries will participate. The Paralympic Games are held after the Olympic Games in the same host city/country. The Paralympic Games are distinctly different than the Special Olympic World Games. The two, which are often confused as one in the same, are totally separate competitions. Each Games are developed by two entirely different organizations which have different objectives. The Paralympic Games provide world-class competition for elite disabled athletes at the highest level. Much like Olympians, Paralympians compete for gold, silver and bronze medals against the best-disabled athletes in the world. Special Olympics International focuses on participation of everyone and involves athletes from ages 8 to
