Paralympic sports facts for kids

Ice Sledge Hockey: United States (blue shirts) vs Japan (white shirts) during the 2010 Paralympics in Vancouver.

Paralympic sports are all the exciting games and competitions played at the Paralympic Games. These games are huge international events for amazing athletes with different disabilities. This includes athletes with limited movement, those with amputations, people who are blind, and those with cerebral palsy. As of 2020, the Summer Paralympics had 22 sports and 539 medal events. The Winter Paralympics had 5 sports and about 80 events. The types and number of events can change for each Paralympic Games. All these sports are managed by the International Paralympic Committee and other sports groups.

The History of Paralympic Sports

Archery: Lindsey Carmichael from the United States, at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

Organized sports for people with physical disabilities started as part of rehabilitation programs. After World War II, many soldiers and civilians were injured. Sport became a key way to help them recover. Over time, these rehabilitation sports grew into fun recreational activities. Then, they became competitive sports.

A very important person in this history was Ludwig Guttmann. He worked at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England. In 1948, while the Olympic Games were happening in London, he organized a sports competition. This event was for athletes who used wheelchairs. This was the beginning of the Stoke Mandeville Games. These games later grew into the modern Paralympic Games we know today.

How Paralympic Sports Are Organized

The Paralympic symbol

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the main group that leads Paralympic sports worldwide. They directly manage nine sports. They are also in charge of the Paralympic Games and other big events for athletes with different disabilities.

Other international groups also help manage sports for specific disability groups. For example, the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) helps athletes who use wheelchairs or have lost limbs. The International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) helps blind athletes. The International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability (INAS) helps athletes with intellectual disabilities. Some sports federations, like the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), include disabled athletes in their regular sports. Others, like the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation, focus only on disabled sports.

In each country, many groups help with Paralympic sports. These include National Paralympic Committees, which are part of the IPC.

Understanding Disability Categories

Cycling: Karissa Whitsell and Mackenzie Woodring (pilot) from the United States, compete in Beijing 2008

Biathlon: Andy Soule from the United States, at the 2010 Paralympics in Vancouver.

Athletes in Paralympic sports are put into ten main groups. These groups are based on the type of disability they have.

Physical Impairment - There are eight different types of physical impairments:

• Weak Muscles - This means muscles are weaker, like in one arm, one side of the body, or the lower body. This can happen from a spinal-cord injury or conditions like polio.
• Limited Joint Movement - The ability to move one or more joints is reduced. This is a lasting condition, not something like temporary arthritis.
• Missing or Short Limbs - This is when a part of an arm or leg is missing. It can be from an amputation due to illness or injury, or from being born with a limb difference.
• Uneven Leg Length - One leg is much shorter than the other. This can be from birth or an injury.
• Short Height - A person is much shorter than average. This is due to problems with bones or cartilage.
• Hypertonia - Muscles are unusually stiff and hard to stretch. This can happen from injuries or conditions that affect the brain or spinal cord, like cerebral palsy.
• Ataxia - This means a lack of muscle coordination. People with ataxia might have trouble with balance or smooth movements. Examples include cerebral palsy or Friedreich’s ataxia.
• Athetosis - This involves uncontrolled, jerky movements. It can also make it hard to keep a steady posture. This is often seen in conditions like cerebral palsy.

Visual Impairment - This group includes athletes with vision problems. Their vision can range from being partly blind (legally blind) to totally blind. This includes any problem with the eyes or the parts of the brain that process vision. For athletes who are visually impaired, their sighted guides are very important. These guides help them during the competition. Since 2012, guides and sighted goalkeepers in 5-a-side football can also win medals.

Intellectual Disability - These athletes have a significant impairment in intellectual functioning. This means they have limits in how they learn and adapt. The IPC mainly focuses on athletes with physical disabilities. However, intellectual disability has been added to some Paralympic Games. This group includes only top athletes whose intellectual disability was diagnosed before they turned 18. The Special Olympics World Games are for all people with intellectual disabilities.

The disability category helps decide who athletes compete against. It also determines which sports they can play. Some sports are open to many disability groups, like cycling. Others are only for one group, like Five-a-side football. In some sports, athletes from different categories compete separately within their group, like in athletics. In other sports, different categories compete together, like in swimming. Paralympic events often have labels that show the disability category. For example, "Men's Swimming Freestyle S1" means athletes with a severe physical impairment. "Ladies Table Tennis 11" means athletes with an intellectual disability.

How Athletes Are Classified

Swimming at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

A big part of Paralympic sport is classification. This system helps make competitions fair. It allows athletes to compete against others who have similar disabilities or similar levels of physical ability. Think of it like weight classes in boxing or age groups in other sports.

Athletes are classified through different steps. These steps depend on their disability group and the sport they play. The process might include a physical check-up or a medical exam. It can also involve watching how an athlete performs certain sports moves. Sometimes, they are observed during practice and in actual competitions. Each sport has its own specific classification rules. These rules are part of how the sport is played in the Paralympics.

Summer Paralympic Sports

Current Summer Sports Played Today

Wheelchair basketball: Iran vs South Africa at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.

Here is a list of the sports currently played at the Summer Paralympics:

Sport			Eligible impairments			Governing body	Paralympic Games status
			Physical	Visual	Intellectual
Archery			Yes			WA	Summer sport (since 1960)
Athletics			Yes	Yes	Yes	IPC	Summer sport (since 1960)
Badminton			Yes	Yes	Yes	BWF	Summer sport (since 2020)
Boccia			Yes			BISFed	Summer sport (since 1984)
Canoeing			Yes			ICF	Summer sport (since 2016)
Climbing			Yes	Yes		IFSC	Summer sport (to be added in 2028)
Cycling:	Track cycling		Yes	Yes		UCI	Summer sport (since 1988)
	Road cycling		Yes	Yes		UCI	Summer sport (since 1984)
Equestrian			Yes	Yes		FEI	Summer sport (since 1996)
Football 5-a-Side				Yes		IBSA	Summer sport (since 2004)
Goalball				Yes		IBSA	Summer sport (since 1980)
Judo				Yes		IBSA	Summer sport (since 1988)
Powerlifting			Yes			IPC	Summer sport (since 1964)
Rowing			Yes	Yes		FISA	Summer sport (since 2008)
Shooting			Yes	Yes		IPC	Summer sport (since 1976)
Swimming			Yes	Yes	Yes	IPC	Summer sport (since 1960)
Table tennis			Yes		Yes	ITTF	Summer sport (since 1960)
Taekwondo			Yes	Yes	Yes	WT	Summer sport (since 2020)
Triathlon			Yes	Yes		ITU	Summer sport (since 2016)
Volleyball			Yes			WOVD	Summer sport (since 1976)
Wheelchair basketball			Yes			IWBF	Summer sport (since 1960)
Wheelchair fencing			Yes			IWAS	Summer sport (since 1960)
Wheelchair rugby			Yes			IWRF	Summer sport (since 2000)
Wheelchair tennis			Yes			ITF	Summer sport (since 1992)

Past Summer Sports No Longer Played

Here are some sports that used to be part of the Summer Paralympics:

Sport			Eligible impairments			Governing body	Paralympic Games status
			Physical	Visual	Intellectual
Basketball ID					Yes	INAS-FID	Summer sport (1992, 2000)
Football ID					Yes	INAS-FID	Summer sport (1992)
Football 7-a-Side			Yes			CP-ISRA	Summer sport (1984–2016)
Lawn bowls			Yes	Yes		IPC	Summer sport (1968–1988, 1996)
Sailing			Yes	Yes		IFDS	Summer sport (2000–2016)
Snooker			Yes			IWAS	Summer sport (1960–1976, 1984–1988)
Dartchery			Yes			IPC	Summer sport (1960–1980)
Weightlifting			Yes			IPC	Summer sport (1964–1992)
Wrestling				Yes			Summer sport (1980–1984)

New Summer Sports Coming Soon

On June 12, 2024, the group planning the 2028 Summer Paralympics in Los Angeles suggested adding Paraclimbing. This is a type of sport climbing. The IPC board agreed to this idea on June 26, 2024. So, paraclimbing will be a new sport in 2028!

Winter Paralympic Sports

Current Winter Sports Played Today

Alpine skiing: Talan Skeels-Piggins from Great Britain at the Winter Paralympics 2010 in Vancouver.

Here is a list of the sports currently played at the Winter Paralympics:

Sport			Eligible impairments			Governing body	Paralympic Games status
			Physical	Visual	Intellectual
Alpine skiing			Yes	Yes	Yes	FIS	Winter sport (since 1976)
Para ice hockey			Yes			IPC	Winter sport (since 1994)
Nordic skiing:	Biathlon		Yes	Yes		IBU	Winter sport (since 1988)
	Cross-country skiing		Yes	Yes		FIS	Winter sport (since 1976)
Wheelchair curling			Yes			WCF	Winter sport (since 2006)
Para-Snowboarding			Yes			FIS	Winter sport (since 2014)

Past Winter Sports No Longer Played

Here is a sport that used to be part of the Winter Paralympics:

Sport			Eligible impairments			Governing body	Paralympic Games status
			Physical	Visual	Intellectual
Ice sledge racing			Yes				Winter Sport (1980–1988, 1994–1998)

Future Winter Sports Being Considered

Bob Balk, who leads the IPC Athletes' Council, started a plan in 2012. He wanted to add sliding sports like bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton to the 2018 Winter Paralympics. These games were held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

However, in September 2018, the IPC board met in Madrid, Spain. They announced that Para Bobsleigh did not meet some requirements. So, it would not be part of the official program for the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games.

See also

In Spanish: Deportes paralímpicos para niños

• Olympic sports