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Athletics at the Summer Paralympics facts for kids

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Athletics at the Summer Paralympics
Athletics pictogram (Paralympics).svg
Governing body IPC
Events 160 (men: 100; women: 60)
Games
  • 1960
  • 1964
  • 1968
  • 1972
  • 1976
  • 1980
  • 1984
  • 1988
  • 1992
  • 1996
  • 2000
  • 2004
  • 2008
  • 2012
  • 2016
  • 2020
  • 2024
  • Medalists

Para-athletics is a super exciting sport at the Summer Paralympics. It has been part of every Summer Paralympic Games since they first started in 1960. Both boys and girls, men and women, with all kinds of disabilities get to compete in this sport.

Some athletes use special wheelchairs for racing. Others might use prosthetic limbs, which are artificial arms or legs. They compete on their own power, just like in regular athletics.

Athletes who are visually impaired (meaning they can't see well or at all) run with a special helper called a sighted guide. They might be connected to their guide with a tether (a short rope). For throwing events, like javelin, or jumping events, like long jump, special sound devices or a person calling out directions help them know where to aim or jump. This makes sure everyone can compete fairly and safely.

To make sure competitions are fair, athletes are put into different groups called "classifications." These groups are based on their disability and how it affects their movement. This way, athletes compete against others with similar abilities. Almost all the events you see in regular athletics are also available in the Paralympics!

History of Para-athletics at the Paralympics

Para-athletics has a rich history at the Paralympic Games. When the first Summer Paralympic Games happened in 1960, Italy was the top country in athletics, winning the most medals. From 1964 to 1996, the United States was super strong, winning most of the athletics medals.

But things changed in 2000! Australia took the lead when the games were held in their home country. Since 2004, China has been the leading country in Para-athletics, showing amazing strength and skill.

Games and Top Nations

Here's a quick look at which country won the most athletics medals at each Paralympic Games:

Games Year Events Best Nation
1 1960 25  Italy
2 1964 42  United States
3 1968 70  United States
4 1972 73  United States
5 1976 208  United States
6 1980 274  United States
7 1984 443  United States
8 1988 333  United States
9 1992 240  United States
10 1996 211  United States
11 2000 226  Australia
12 2004 194  China
13 2008 160  China
14 2012 170  China
15 2016 177  China
16 2020 168  China

How Athletes are Grouped

Athletes compete in different groups, or "classes," depending on their physical abilities. This system makes sure that everyone competes fairly against others with similar challenges. For example, athletes with visual impairments are grouped together, and those using wheelchairs are in different classes based on how much their body is affected. This way, the competition is about athletic skill, not just the level of disability.

Types of Events

Para-athletics includes many exciting events, just like regular track and field. These events are split into three main types:

  • Running events: These include short sprints like 100m, 200m, and 400m, as well as middle-distance races like 800m and 1500m. There are also longer races such as 5000m and the challenging marathon. Relay races, where teams run together, are also popular.
  • Jumping events: Athletes compete in events like the high jump and long jump, showing off their power and agility.
  • Throwing events: These events test strength and technique. They include the shot put, discus throw, javelin throw, and club throw.

Not all events are available for every classification at every Paralympic Games, but the sport always offers a wide range of challenges.

Medal Summary

The United States has won the most medals in Para-athletics over all the Paralympic Games. Great Britain and Canada are also strong competitors. Some countries listed below are former countries that no longer exist.

Medal Table

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  United States (USA) 390 383 335 1,108
2  Great Britain (GBR) 205 163 186 554
3  Canada (CAN) 199 165 164 528
4  China (CHN) 187 149 100 436
5  Australia (AUS) 155 162 165 482
6  West Germany (FRG) 140 125 121 386
7  Poland (POL) 117 107 90 314
8  Spain (ESP) 85 67 61 213
9  France (FRA) 74 86 77 237
10  Germany (GER) 70 96 106 272
11  South Africa (RSA) 70 55 54 179
12  Switzerland (SUI) 67 68 61 196
13  Mexico (MEX) 64 64 68 196
14  Japan (JPN) 60 66 54 180
15  Sweden (SWE) 55 48 34 137
16  Italy (ITA) 53 58 67 178
17  Belgium (BEL) 53 46 34 133
18  Brazil (BRA) 51 73 54 178
19  Finland (FIN) 46 64 53 163
20  Austria (AUT) 43 62 65 170
21  Russia (RUS) 43 30 21 94
22  Tunisia (TUN) 42 39 23 104
23  New Zealand (NZL) 40 32 29 101
24  Ukraine (UKR) 38 55 44 137
25  Ireland (IRL) 38 39 63 140
26  Netherlands (NED) 36 48 45 129
27  Iran (IRI) 36 30 28 94
28  Denmark (DEN) 36 24 17 77
29  Israel (ISR) 35 37 39 111
30  Cuba (CUB) 34 16 17 67
31  Norway (NOR) 27 29 26 82
32  Egypt (EGY) 25 27 35 87
33  Algeria (ALG) 23 22 30 75
34  South Korea (KOR) 21 16 17 54
35  Soviet Union (URS) 21 9 6 36
36  Kenya (KEN) 18 14 14 46
37  Portugal (POR) 17 14 21 52
38  Thailand (THA) 16 16 14 46
39  Morocco (MAR) 16 11 9 36
40  Argentina (ARG) 15 33 31 79
41  Czech Republic (CZE) 15 19 18 52
42  Jamaica (JAM) 14 8 13 35
43  Nigeria (NGR) 14 3 4 21
44  RPC (RPC) 12 13 13 38
45  Kuwait (KUW) 11 16 16 43
46  Unified Team (EUN) 11 10 7 28
47  Belarus (BLR) 10 17 20 47
48  Yugoslavia (YUG) 10 11 16 37
49  Hong Kong (HKG) 8 7 17 32
50  Uzbekistan (UZB) 8 3 5 16
51  Azerbaijan (AZE) 7 7 8 22
52  Greece (GRE) 6 17 24 47
53  India (IND) 5 14 7 26
54  Lithuania (LTU) 5 9 12 26
55  Bulgaria (BUL) 5 8 3 16
56  Latvia (LAT) 5 5 8 18
57  Croatia (CRO) 4 6 14 24
58  Rhodesia (RHO) 4 5 5 14
59  Angola (ANG) 4 3 1 8
 Serbia (SRB) 4 3 1 8
61  Czechoslovakia (TCH) 4 2 6 12
62  Malaysia (MAS) 4 0 3 7
63  Hungary (HUN) 3 10 6 19
64  Colombia (COL) 3 9 19 31
65  Venezuela (VEN) 3 7 9 19
66  Panama (PAN) 3 4 1 8
67  Ivory Coast (CIV) 3 1 1 5
 Trinidad and Tobago (TTO) 3 1 1 5
69  Slovenia (SLO) 2 4 5 11
70  Namibia (NAM) 2 4 4 10
71  Bahrain (BRN) 2 3 5 10
72  Iraq (IRQ) 2 3 2 7
 Myanmar (MYA) 2 3 2 7
 Zimbabwe (ZIM) 2 3 2 7
75  Slovakia (SVK) 2 1 5 8
76  Chile (CHI) 2 0 0 2
Chinese Taipei Paralympic Flag.svg Chinese Taipei (TPE) 2 0 0 2
78  United Arab Emirates (UAE) 1 6 6 13
79  Iceland (ISL) 1 5 6 12
80  Jordan (JOR) 1 4 2 7
81  Indonesia (INA) 1 3 4 8
82  Estonia (EST) 1 3 2 6
83  Puerto Rico (PUR) 1 2 2 5
 Saudi Arabia (KSA) 1 2 2 5
85  Ethiopia (ETH) 1 2 0 3
86  Pakistan (PAK) 1 1 1 3
87  Costa Rica (CRC) 1 1 0 2
 Independent Paralympic Participants (IPP) 1 1 0 2
89  Sri Lanka (SRI) 1 0 3 4
90  Ecuador (ECU) 1 0 2 3
91  Botswana (BOT) 1 0 0 1
 Dominican Republic (DOM) 1 0 0 1
 Fiji (FIJ) 1 0 0 1
 Sudan (SUD) 1 0 0 1
95  East Germany (GDR) 0 3 0 3
96  Bahamas (BAH) 0 2 2 4
97  Luxembourg (LUX) 0 2 1 3
98  Cyprus (CYP) 0 2 0 2
99  Palestine (PLE) 0 1 2 3
100  Malta (MLT) 0 1 1 2
 Uganda (UGA) 0 1 1 2
102  Papua New Guinea (PNG) 0 1 0 1
103  Cape Verde (CPV) 0 0 1 1
 Moldova (MDA) 0 0 1 1
 Mozambique (MOZ) 0 0 1 1
 Oman (OMA) 0 0 1 1
 Peru (PER) 0 0 1 1
 Qatar (QAT) 0 0 1 1
 Rwanda (RWA) 0 0 1 1
 Serbia and Montenegro (SCG) 0 0 1 1
 Turkey (TUR) 0 0 1 1
 Uruguay (URU) 0 0 1 1
 Vietnam (VIE) 0 0 1 1
Totals (113 entries) 2,984 2,930 2,809 8,723

Images for kids

  • Athletics pictogram (Paralympics)

    Athletics pictogram (Paralympics)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Atletismo en los Juegos Paralímpicos para niños

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