Paralympic Games facts for kids
The Paralympic Games, often called the Paralympics, are huge international sports events for athletes with different disabilities. There are both Winter and Summer Paralympic Games. Since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, these games have been held right after the main Olympic Games. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) runs all Paralympic Games.
The Paralympics started small in 1948 with British World War II veterans. By 1960, the Games in Rome had 400 athletes from 23 countries. Today, it's one of the biggest sports events in the world. For example, the 2020 Summer Paralympics had 4,520 athletes from 163 countries! Paralympians want to be treated equally to Olympic athletes, but there's still a big difference in funding.
The Paralympic Games are set up much like the Olympic Games. The Special Olympics World Games are for athletes with intellectual disabilities. The Deaflympics, which started in 1924, are only for deaf athletes.
Because para-athletes have many different types of disabilities, they compete in several groups. There are ten main types of disabilities allowed. These include weak muscles, limited movement, missing limbs, different leg lengths, short stature, stiff muscles (hypertonia), poor balance (ataxia), uncontrolled movements (athetosis), vision impairment, and intellectual impairment. These main groups are then split into smaller ones.
Contents
How the Games Started
Even before the Paralympics began, some athletes with disabilities competed in the Olympic Games. For example, George Eyser, a German-American gymnast, competed in 1904 with an artificial leg. Olivér Halassy, a Hungarian water polo player who had lost a limb, played in three Olympic Games starting in 1928. Károly Takács from Hungary competed in shooting in 1948 and 1952. He had lost his right arm but learned to shoot with his left. Lis Hartel, a Danish equestrian, won a silver medal in the 1952 Summer Olympics after getting polio.
The Stoke Mandeville Games
The first organized sports event for athletes with disabilities happened on the same day the 1948 Summer Olympics opened in London. Dr. Ludwig Guttmann, a German-Jewish doctor from Stoke Mandeville Hospital, started a sports competition for British World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries. These first games were called the 1948 International Wheelchair Games. Dr. Guttmann wanted to create a top-level sports event for people with disabilities, just like the Olympics.
The games were held at the same place every year. In 1952, veterans from the Netherlands and Israel joined the British athletes. This made it the first international competition of its kind. In 1960, the 9th annual games were held outside the UK for the first time, in Rome. They happened at the same time as the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. These games were later called the 1st Paralympic Games.
These early competitions were the start of the Paralympic Games. Stoke Mandeville is as important to the Paralympics as Greece is to the Olympics. Since 2012, a "heritage flame" from Stoke Mandeville has been part of the Paralympic torch relay. Starting in 2024, all future Paralympic torch relays will officially begin in Stoke Mandeville.
Important Moments
Many important things have happened in the Paralympic movement. The first official Paralympic Games were held in Rome in 1960. These games were no longer just for war veterans. Four hundred athletes from 23 countries competed. Since 1960, the Paralympics have always taken place in the same year as the Olympic Games.
At first, only athletes in wheelchairs could compete. But at the 1976 Summer Games, athletes with different disabilities were included for the first time. This made the 1976 Games much bigger, with 1,600 athletes from 40 countries.
The 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul was another big step. In Seoul, the Summer Paralympics were held right after the 1988 Summer Olympics. They used the same host city and most of the same sports venues. This became a tradition for future games. In 2001, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made an official agreement to continue this. This agreement has been extended until 2032.
The 1994 Winter Paralympics were the first Winter Games to use the same venues and organizing committee as the Winter Olympics.
Winter Games
The first Winter Paralympic Games happened in 1976 in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. This was the first Paralympics where many different types of athletes with disabilities could compete. The Winter Games were held every four years, in the same year as the Summer Games, just like the Olympics. This continued until the 1992 Games. After that, starting with the 1994 Games, the Winter Paralympics and Winter Olympics began to be held in different even-numbered years. The Winter Games now happen two years after the Summer Games.
International Paralympic Committee
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the main group that runs the Paralympic Movement worldwide. It includes 178 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) and four international sports groups for specific disabilities. The current president of the IPC is Andrew Parsons. The IPC's main office is in Bonn, Germany.
The IPC is in charge of organizing both the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. It also acts as the international sports group for nine sports. These include Paralympic athletics, Paralympic swimming, Paralympic archery, Paralympic powerlifting, Para-alpine skiing, Paralympic biathlon, Paralympic cross-country skiing, ice sledge hockey, and Wheelchair DanceSport. For these nine sports, the IPC supervises and organizes World Championships and other competitions. The IPC also works with media partners, certifies officials and judges, and makes sure the rules of the Paralympic Charter are followed.
Since it started in 1989, the IPC has worked closely with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Even though they work together, they are separate groups with their own Games.
The Paralympic Games were created to show off the athletes' amazing skills, not their disabilities. Recent games have really focused on showing what athletes can do, not what they can't. The movement has grown a lot. For example, in 1960, 400 athletes competed in Rome. By 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, there were 4,342 athletes from 159 countries! Both the Summer and Winter Paralympics are now recognized worldwide.
Unlike the Olympic Games, English is the official language of the Paralympic movement. Other languages used at each Games are the official languages of the host country. For example, during the opening ceremony, announcements are made in English and the host country's language.
Name and Symbols
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The name "Paralympic" first came from combining "paraplegic" (for people with spinal injuries) and "Olympic." But as more disability groups joined, this name wasn't quite right. Now, the name comes from the Greek word pará, meaning 'beside' or 'alongside'. So, it means a competition held alongside the Olympic Games. The term "Paralympic" was first officially used at the Summer Games of 1988 in Seoul.
"Spirit in Motion" is the current motto for the Paralympic movement. The current Paralympic flag has been used since 2020. It has three colors: red, blue, and green. These are the most common colors found in flags around the world. The colors are shaped like an Agito, which is Latin for 'I move'. The three Agitos circle a central point, showing athletes coming together from all over the world. The motto and symbol were changed in 2003 to show that Paralympians have a strong competitive spirit. The IPC's goal is "To enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to inspire and excite the world." The Paralympic anthem is "Hymne de l'Avenir" (Anthem of the Future). It was composed by Thierry Darnis and became official in 1996.
Ceremonies
Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games has several important parts, just like the Olympics. It usually starts with the host country's flag being raised and its national anthem being played. After that, the "Parade of Nations" begins. Athletes march into the stadium, grouped by their country. Since the 1960 Summer Paralympics, countries enter in alphabetical order based on the host country's language. The host country's athletes always enter last. Starting with the 2020 Summer Paralympics, the next host countries also enter just before the current host. The host nation also puts on artistic shows about their culture.
Next, speeches are given to officially open the Games. The Paralympic flag is brought into the stadium and raised with the Paralympic Anthem. Athletes, coaches, and judges take oaths. Finally, the Paralympic flame is carried into the stadium. It is passed along until it reaches the last torch carrier, often a Paralympic athlete from the host country. This person lights the Paralympic flame in the stadium's cauldron.
Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony happens after all the sports events are finished. Flag-bearers from each country enter, followed by all the athletes together. The Paralympic flag is taken down. Since the 1988 Winter Paralympics, the flag of the next host country is raised while its national anthem plays. The Games are officially closed, and the Paralympic flame is put out. After these parts, the next host nation gives a short performance to introduce its culture.
Medal Presentation
After each Paralympic event, a medal ceremony is held. The first, second, and third-place athletes or teams stand on a podium. An IPC member gives them their medals. Then, the national flags of the medal winners are raised, and the national anthem of the gold medalist is played. Volunteers from the host country help with the ceremonies, assisting officials and carrying flags. Medal ceremonies usually happen within one day of the event's final.
Working with the Olympics
Relationship with the Olympics
In 2001, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) signed an agreement. This agreement means that any city bidding to host the Olympic Games must also plan to host the Paralympic Games. This started with the 2008 Paralympic Summer Games in Beijing and the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver. This agreement has been extended until the 2032 Summer Olympics.
The IOC's rules, called the Olympic Charter, say that everyone should have equal access to sports. It states that practicing sport is a human right, and there should be no discrimination. While it doesn't specifically mention disability, it's understood that discrimination based on disability goes against the Olympic spirit. The Paralympic Charter also forbids discrimination.
Sebastian Coe, who led the organizing committee for the 2012 Summer Paralympics and 2012 Summer Olympics in London, said they wanted to change how people view disability. They aimed to celebrate Paralympic sport and show that the two Games are fully connected.
The 2014 Winter Paralympic Games were the first hosted by Russia. Russia had recently agreed to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. At the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver, Russia's Paralympic team won the most medals, while their Olympic team didn't do as well. This made people notice the difference, even though Olympic athletes usually get more attention and money. The organizers of the 2014 Games worked to make the host city, Sochi, more accessible.
In 2012, the Paralympic movement made a rule that athletes had to cover any tattoos of the Olympic rings during competition. This was because the Olympics were seen as a separate organization. However, this rule was stopped in 2024 after athletes protested.
Paralympians at the Olympics
Some Paralympic athletes have also tried to compete in the Olympic Games. Neroli Fairhall, a Paralympic archer from New Zealand, was the first paraplegic athlete to compete in the 1984 Summer Olympics.
In 2008, Oscar Pistorius, a sprinter from South Africa, tried to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Pistorius had both legs amputated below the knee and runs with special carbon fiber blades. He holds the Paralympic world record in the 400-meter race. He just missed qualifying for the 2008 Olympics but won gold medals in the 100, 200, and 400-meter sprints at the 2008 Summer Paralympics. In 2011, Pistorius did qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics. He ran in the 400-meter race and his team finished 8th in the 4x400-meter relay.
Sometimes, athletes without disabilities also compete in the Paralympics. For example, sighted guides for visually impaired athletes are a very important part of the competition. The visually impaired athlete and their guide are considered a team, and both can win medals.
Funding
Since the 1992 Summer Paralympics, major sponsors have helped support the Games. Unlike the Olympics, where sponsor logos are usually hidden in arenas, the Paralympics allow official sponsor logos to be shown inside venues and on uniforms.
Media Coverage
While the Olympic Games have seen a huge increase in global media coverage, the Paralympics have struggled to get consistent international media attention.
Television broadcasts of the Paralympic Games started in 1976. But this early coverage was often delayed and only shown in one country or region. At the 1992 Summer Paralympics, there were 45 hours of live coverage, but only in Europe. Other countries showed highlight videos. Coverage didn't really improve until the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney.
The 2000 Paralympics greatly increased global media exposure. Deals were made to broadcast the Games internationally, and they were also shown online for the first time. Because of these efforts, the Sydney Paralympics reached an estimated 300 million people worldwide. Also, the organizers didn't have to pay TV networks to show the Games, which had happened in 1992 and 1996. Despite these improvements, getting consistent media attention has been a challenge. For example, the BBC was criticized for its limited coverage of the 2010 Winter Paralympics compared to the Winter Olympics.
In 2012, Channel 4 in the United Kingdom got the rights to broadcast the 2012 Summer Paralympics. They planned to show a lot of the games, with 150 hours of coverage. Channel 4 also made a big effort to promote the Paralympics with a powerful two-minute trailer called "Meet the Superhumans." This trailer was shown on over 70 TV channels in the UK at the same time. Channel 4 has continued to broadcast the Games through 2024. In 2020, the Paralympics were made a "listed event" in the UK, meaning they must be shown, at least in part, on free-to-air TV.
Impact Outside the Games
A 2010 study about the 2010 Paralympic and Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada, found that many Canadians believed the Games led to more accessible buildings, sidewalks, and public spaces. Also, 23 percent of employers said the Games made them more willing to hire people with disabilities.
Xavier Gonzalez, CEO of the International Paralympic Committee, said that the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China, were a "transformation tool." He noted they helped change attitudes in China towards people with disabilities, led to building accessible facilities, and changed laws to include people with disabilities in society.
Down Syndrome Participation
There have been discussions about including athletes with Down syndrome in the Paralympic Games. While the Paralympics aim to be inclusive, there isn't a specific category for athletes with Down syndrome in swimming events. This raises questions about fair competition for them.
The International Paralympic Committee's Para-swimming classification rules are based on having only one type of impairment. However, people with Down syndrome often have both physical and intellectual impairments. Swimmers with Down syndrome can compete in the S14 intellectual impairment category if they score low on IQ tests. But they are often outmatched by other athletes who are physically stronger. Right now, there is no special Paralympic category just for swimmers with Down syndrome, which means their physical disabilities are not fully considered.
Many groups around the world are asking for a separate classification category for Down syndrome swimmers within the IPC rules. They want to promote more inclusion and ensure equal chances for athletes with Down syndrome. Even with these efforts, the issue is still being worked on, and swimmers with Down syndrome continue to face challenges in getting the right classification.
Classification
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has set up ten disability categories. Athletes in each category are then divided into groups based on how much their impairment affects their ability to do sports. This system helps make sure the competition is fair.
Disability Categories
The IPC has ten disability categories, including physical, visual, and intellectual impairments. Athletes with one of these disabilities can compete. Not every sport can include every disability category. These categories apply to both Summer and Winter Paralympics.
Physical Impairment – There are eight different types of physical impairment:
- Impaired muscle power – This means muscles are weaker, for example, in one limb or the lower body. Examples include spinal cord injury or spina bifida.
- Impaired passive range of movement – This means movement in one or more joints is limited. This does not include temporary conditions like arthritis.
- Loss of limb or limb deficiency – This is when bones or joints are partly or totally missing due to injury, illness, or being born without them.
- Leg-length difference – One leg is much shorter than the other due to a birth condition or injury.
- Short stature – A person's height is reduced because of shorter legs, arms, and body. Examples include achondroplasia.
- Hypertonia – This means muscles are unusually stiff and hard to stretch. It can happen from injuries or conditions that affect the brain or spinal cord, like cerebral palsy.
- Ataxia – This is when muscle movements are not coordinated. Examples include cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis.
- Athetosis – This involves uncontrolled, jerky movements and difficulty holding a steady posture. An example is cerebral palsy.
Visual impairment – Athletes with visual impairment can have anything from some vision (but still considered legally blind) to total blindness. This includes problems with the eye, optic nerve, or brain areas that process vision. The sighted guides for visually impaired athletes are so important that they are considered part of the team and can also win medals.
Intellectual Disability – Athletes with a significant intellectual impairment and related difficulties with daily living skills. The IPC mainly works with athletes with physical disabilities, but intellectual disability has been added to some Paralympic Games. This group includes only top athletes whose intellectual disability was diagnosed before age 18. The Special Olympics World Games are open to all people with intellectual disabilities.
Classification System
Within each disability category, athletes are further grouped into "Sport Classes." This is based on how much their impairment affects their sports performance. The goal is to make sure athletes compete fairly against others with similar abilities. Sport Classes are numbered, with lower numbers meaning a greater level of impairment. For example, in Paralympic swimming, visually impaired athletes compete in classes S/SB11 to S/SB13. S/SB11 athletes have very little or no light perception, while S/SB13 athletes have the least severe visual impairment allowed in Paralympic sport.
Functional Classification (Modern System)
Since the 1980s, a "functional classification system" has been used. This system focuses on how an athlete's impairment affects their ability to perform in their sport. For example, athletes who cannot use their legs will compete together in most sports, regardless of why they can't use them. The only exception is the classification used by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), which still uses a system based on medical diagnosis.
Some sports are only for certain disability types. For example, goalball is only for visually impaired athletes. All players in goalball must wear eye shades so that athletes with less severe visual impairment don't have an unfair advantage. Other sports, like athletics, are open to athletes with many different impairments. In athletics, participants are put into classes based on their disability and then by their level of impairment. For example, classes 11–13 are for visually impaired athletes, with the class depending on how much vision they have.
There are also team sports like wheelchair rugby. Each team member is given a point value based on their disability. A lower score means a more severe disability. A team cannot have more than a certain total number of points on the field at one time. This ensures fair competition. For example, in wheelchair rugby, the four players on the field cannot have a combined disability score of more than eight points.
Sports
There are 22 sports in the Summer Paralympic program and six sports in the Winter Paralympics program. Some sports have many different events. For example, alpine skiing includes downhill, super combined, super-G, slalom, and giant slalom. The IPC manages some of these sports, but not all. Other international groups, called International Sports Federations (IFs), manage sports specific to certain disability groups. These include the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS), the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), and the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CP-ISRA). There are also national groups for these federations, like National Paralympic Committees, which find athletes and manage sports at the national level.
Amazing Athletes and Achievements
Trischa Zorn from the United States is the most decorated Paralympian ever. She competed in blind swimming events and won an incredible 55 medals, with 41 of them being gold! Her Paralympic career lasted 24 years, from 1980 to 2004.
Ragnhild Myklebust from Norway holds the record for the most medals won at the Winter Paralympic Games. She competed in many events between 1988 and 2002, winning 22 medals, including 17 golds. She retired at age 58 after winning five gold medals in 2002.
Neroli Fairhall, a paraplegic archer from New Zealand, was the first paraplegic athlete to compete in the Olympic Games. She competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She finished thirty-fourth in the Olympic archery competition and also won a Paralympic gold medal in the same event.
Host Cities
| Year | Summer Paralympic Games | Winter Paralympic Games | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edition | Host(s) | Top nation | Edition | Host(s) | Top nation | |
| 1960 | 1 |  Rome |
 Italy |
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| 1964 | 2 |  Tokyo |
 United States |
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| 1968 | 3 |  Tel Aviv |
United States |
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| 1972 | 4 |  Heidelberg |
 West Germany |
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| 1976 | 5 |  Toronto |
United States |
1 |  Örnsköldsvik |
West Germany |
| 1980 | 6 |  Arnhem |
United States |
2 |  Geilo |
 Norway |
| 1984 | 7 |  New York City Stoke Mandeville |
United States |
3 |  Innsbruck |
 Austria |
| 1988 | 8 |  Seoul |
United States |
4 | Innsbruck |
Norway |
| 1992 | 9 |  Barcelona & Madrid |
United States |
5 |  Tignes and Albertville |
United States |
| 1994 | 6 | Lillehammer |
Norway |
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| 1996 | 10 | Atlanta |
United States |
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| 1998 | 7 | Nagano |
Norway |
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| 2000 | 11 |  Sydney |
 Australia |
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| 2002 | 8 | Salt Lake City |
Germany |
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| 2004 | 12 |  Athens |
 China |
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| 2006 | 9 |  Turin |
 Russia |
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| 2008 | 13 |  Beijing |
China |
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| 2010 | 10 | Vancouver-Whistler |
Germany |
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| 2012 | 14 | London |
China |
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| 2014 | 11 |  Sochi |
Russia |
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| 2016 | 15 |  Rio de Janeiro |
China |
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| 2018 | 12 |  PyeongChang |
United States |
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| 2020 | 16 |  Tokyo |
China |
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| 2022 | 13 | Beijing |
China |
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| 2024 | 17 |  Paris |
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| 2026 | 14 | Milan-Cortina |
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| 2028 | 18 | Los Angeles |
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| 2030 | 15 | Nice-French Alps |
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| 2032 | 19 | Brisbane |
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| 2034 | 16 | Salt Lake City |
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The 2020 Summer Paralympics were postponed to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the first time the Games had been postponed. They are still called the 2020 Summer Paralympics, even though they happened a year later, from August 24 to September 5, 2021.
Images for kids
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The first Paralympic symbol (1988–1994) used five pa.
See also
In Spanish: Juegos Paralímpicos para niños
- All-time Paralympic Games medal table
- Parapan American Games
- Asian Para Games
- Commonwealth Paraplegic Games
- Cybathlon
- Disability flag
