Cycling at the Summer Paralympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cycling at the Summer Paralympics
Governing body	IPC
Events	44 (men: 30; women: 12; mixed: 2)
Games
1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Medalists

Cycling has been contested at every Summer Paralympic Games since the 1984 Summer Paralympics. From an original program of seven road races, the sport is now contested on both road and track, and since 2012 the cycling program at the Paralympics is typically the third largest of any sport in the Games, behind athletics and swimming, and running at approximately 50 separate events.

Summary of editions

Games	Year	Events	Best Nation
1	not held
2	not held
3	not held
4	not held
5	not held
6	not held
7	1984	7	Norway
8	1988	7	South Korea
9	1992	9	Germany
10	1996	23	Australia
11	2000	27	Australia
12	2004	31	Australia
13	2008	44	Great Britain
14	2012	50	Great Britain
15	2016	50	Great Britain
16	2020	51	Great Britain

Classification

Cyclists with visual impairments are paired with a sighted pilot. Here Scott McPhee pilots to Kieran Modra's stocker.

Cyclists are given a classification depending on the type and extent of their disability. The classification system allows cyclists to compete against others with a similar level of function.

At the 2008 Summer Paralympics and earlier, classes were:

• B&VI 1–3: Cyclists with a visual impairment, using a tandem bicycle
• LC 1–4: Cyclists with a locomotor disability, including those with amputations
• CP 1–4: Cyclists with cerebral palsy, using a tricycle (CP 1–2) or bicycle (CP 3–4)
• HC A, B, and C: Cyclists using a handcycle

At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, a functional para-cycling classification system was used.

• B: Cyclists with a vision impairment, using a tandem bicycle
• T 1–2: Cyclists with cerebral palsy, MS or similar neuro-motor impairment, using a tricycle
• C 1–5: Cyclists with amputations, neuromotor or musculoskeletal impairment, using a bicycle
• H 1–4: Cyclists using a handcycle

As a rule, because of the nature of the machine, tricycle racing and handbike racing does not take place in the velodrome, although both tandem and standard bicycles can be used there. With that restriction, generally every class will have four possible individual events to compete in - a road race and extended road time trial, a track time trial of between 500 and 100 metres and a pursuit between 3000 and 4000 metres. In addition, there are a number of team events; a mixed handbike relays on the road, and a mixed team sprint on the track.

Factoring

In some cycling events, cyclists with different classifications compete against each other for one set of medals. Many (but not all) such events are factored, reducing the times of riders in lower classifications to take their greater impairment into account. Factoring percentages are based on average race times by riders in each classification to give a notional equivalent time for each effort compared to riders in other classifications. Real times, however, are still recorded for world and Paralympic records purposes within each classification.

At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, factored races included the mixed tricycle time trial, Women's C1–3 road time trial, Women's H1–2 road time trial and track C1–3 and C4–5 events.

Road cycling

Men's events

Women's events

Mixed events

Medal table

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Germany (GER)	21	20	15	56
2	United States (USA)	19	28	20	67
3	Great Britain (GBR)	17	12	7	36
4	Australia (AUS)	14	15	15	44
5	France (FRA)	14	6	14	34
6	Spain (ESP)	13	15	21	49
7	Netherlands (NED)	13	10	11	34
8	Italy (ITA)	12	13	8	33
9	Canada (CAN)	9	8	9	26
10	Austria (AUT)	7	9	7	23
11	Ireland (IRL)	6	2	3	11
12	Poland (POL)	5	6	2	13
13	Czech Republic (CZE)	5	3	5	13
14	Switzerland (SUI)	4	6	7	17
15	Belgium (BEL)	4	5	7	16
16	China (CHN)	3	6	5	14
17	South Korea (KOR)	3	5	5	13
18	Slovakia (SVK)	3	3	2	8
19	Japan (JPN)	3	2	6	11
20	South Africa (RSA)	3	2	2	7
21	Ukraine (UKR)	3	2	0	5
22	Norway (NOR)	3	1	3	7
23	Belarus (BLR)	3	1	0	4
24	RPC (RPC)	2	0	0	2
25	Denmark (DEN)	1	0	0	1
26	Sweden (SWE)	0	2	2	4
27	Czechoslovakia (TCH)	0	2	0	2
	Finland (FIN)	0	2	0	2
	Romania (ROU)	0	2	0	2
30	New Zealand (NZL)	0	1	4	5
31	West Germany (FRG)	0	1	2	3
32	Brazil (BRA)	0	1	1	2
	Portugal (POR)	0	1	1	2
34	Israel (ISR)	0	1	0	1
35	Colombia (COL)	0	0	2	2
	Lebanon (LIB)	0	0	2	2
37	Argentina (ARG)	0	0	1	1
	Russia (RUS)	0	0	1	1
Totals (38 entries)		190	193	190	573

Track cycling

Men's events

Women's events

Mixed events

Medal table

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Great Britain (GBR)	34	18	9	61
2	Australia (AUS)	27	20	19	66
3	China (CHN)	10	9	12	31
4	United States (USA)	7	13	12	32
5	Netherlands (NED)	6	6	5	17
6	Italy (ITA)	5	2	6	13
7	Spain (ESP)	4	7	9	20
8	France (FRA)	4	5	7	16
9	Czech Republic (CZE)	3	4	5	12
10	Slovakia (SVK)	3	2	2	7
11	Germany (GER)	2	8	7	17
12	Japan (JPN)	2	5	0	7
13	New Zealand (NZL)	2	2	3	7
14	Austria (AUT)	1	3	1	5
15	Romania (ROU)	1	1	0	2
16	Switzerland (SUI)	1	0	1	2
	Ukraine (UKR)	1	0	1	2
18	Belarus (BLR)	1	0	0	1
	RPC (RPC)	1	0	0	1
20	Canada (CAN)	0	5	5	10
21	Ireland (IRL)	0	2	1	3
22	Norway (NOR)	0	1	2	3
23	Poland (POL)	0	1	1	2
24	South Korea (KOR)	0	1	0	1
25	Colombia (COL)	0	0	3	3
26	Belgium (BEL)	0	0	2	2
27	Argentina (ARG)	0	0	1	1
	South Africa (RSA)	0	0	1	1
Totals (28 entries)		115	115	115	345

Overall medal table

Updated to 2020 Summer Paralympics. Countries in italics are former countries who participated in the Paralympics.

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Great Britain	51	30	16	97
2	Australia	41	35	34	110
3	United States	26	41	32	99
4	Germany	23	28	22	73
5	Netherlands	19	16	16	51
6	France	18	11	21	50
7	Italy	17	15	14	46
8	Spain	13	15	21	49
9	China	13	15	17	45
10	Canada	9	13	14	36
11	Austria	8	12	8	28
12	Czech Republic	8	7	10	25
13	Slovakia	6	5	4	15
14	Ireland	6	4	4	14
15	Japan	5	7	6	18
16	Poland	5	7	3	15
17	Switzerland	5	6	8	19
18	Belgium	4	5	9	18
19	Ukraine	4	2	1	7
20	Belarus	4	1	0	5
21	South Korea	3	6	5	14
22	Norway	3	2	5	10
23	South Africa	3	2	3	8
24	RPC	3	0	0	3
25	New Zealand	2	3	7	12
26	Romania	1	3	0	4
27	Denmark	1	0	0	1
28	Sweden	0	2	2	4
29	Czechoslovakia (TCH)	0	2	0	2
	Finland	0	2	0	2
31	West Germany (FRG)	0	1	2	3
32	Brazil	0	1	1	2
	Portugal	0	1	1	2
34	Israel	0	1	0	1
35	Colombia	0	0	5	5
36	Argentina	0	0	2	2
	Lebanon	0	0	2	2
38	Russia	0	0	1	1
Totals (38 entries)		301	301	296	898

Nations

Afghanistan (AFG)																	2
Albania (ALB)																	1
Argentina (ARG)																	4
Australia (AUS)																	8
Austria (AUT)																	8
Barbados (BAR)																	2
Belarus (BLR)																	5
Belgium (BEL)																	8
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH)																	1
Brazil (BRA)																	7
Burkina Faso (BUR)																	4
Canada (CAN)																	9
China (CHN)																	4
Colombia (COL)																	4
Costa Rica (CRC)																	2
Croatia (CRO)																	2
Cuba (CUB)																	2
Czech Republic (CZE)																	6
Czechoslovakia (TCH)																	2
Denmark (DEN)																	4
Dominican Republic (DOM)																	2
Estonia (EST)																	1
Finland (FIN)																	5
France (FRA)																	9
Germany (GER)																	7
Ghana (GHA)																	2
Great Britain (GBR)																	9
Greece (GRE)																	4
Haiti (HAI)																	1
Hungary (HUN)																	1
Iran (IRI)																	3
Ireland (IRL)																	5
Israel (ISR)																	4
Italy (ITA)																	7
Japan (JPN)																	6
Lebanon (LBN)																	2
Luxembourg (LUX)																	2
Malaysia (MAS)																	2
Mexico (MEX)																	1
Netherlands (NED)																	8
New Zealand (NZL)																	4
Norway (NOR)																	9
Pakistan (PAK)																	1
Peru (PER)																	1
Poland (POL)																	4
Portugal (POR)																	5
Romania (ROU)																	4
Russia (RUS)																	1
Serbia (SRB)																	1
Singapore (SGP)																	2
Slovakia (SVK)																	6
Slovenia (SLO)																	4
South Africa (RSA)																	4
South Korea (KOR)																	8
Spain (ESP)																	7
Sweden (SWE)																	3
Switzerland (SUI)																	7
Ukraine (UKR)																	2
Unified Team (EUN)																	1
United States (USA)																	9
Venezuela (VEN)																	5
West Germany (FRG)																	2
Nations							8	11	19	23	25	39	39	48	45
Competitors							22	40	149	181	202	196	220	223	235
Year	60	64	68	72	76	80	84	88	92	96	00	04	08	12	16	20

See also

In Spanish: Ciclismo en los Juegos Paralímpicos para niños

• Cycling at the Summer Olympics
• Cycle sport
• Para-cycling
• Para-cycling classification
• UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships
• UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships