Paralympic Games – History, Categories and Characteristics

We explain what the Paralympic Games are, their origin, categories and characteristics. Also, differences with the Olympic Games.

What are the Paralympic Games?

The Paralympic Games are the world’s largest international competition for athletes with disabilities. Like the regular Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games take place every 4 years in a different city around the world and bring together sports delegations of different nationalities to compete in various disciplines over a couple of weeks.

These international competitions are organised by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), a body based in Bonn, Germany, which cooperates closely with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Details of the ceremony, the execution of the games and other important details are set out in the Paralympic Charter. You must read about Badminton once.

Paralympic athletes, on the other hand, are sports professionals grouped into ten categories according to their specific disability, called “disability layers”:

Muscle power layer

Refers to different levels of muscle weakness or slowness, either in the whole body or in a part, such as poliomyelitis, spina bifida or spinal cord injuries.

Passive range of motion layer

Refers to congenital conditions of systematically reduced movement in one or more joints of the body.

Limb loss or deficiency layer

Refers to the lack or dysfunction of a limb, such as amputations and malformations.

Short stature layer

Refers to height deficiency due to musculoskeletal deficit, dwarfism or other similar conditions.

Hypertonia layer

Refers to abnormal tension of the body’s muscles, which prevents their natural relaxation, as a consequence of congenital conditions such as cerebral palsy.

Ataxia layer

Refers to loss of muscle coordination in cases of cerebral palsy, Friedreich’s ataxia and other similar conditions.

Athetosis layer

Refers to conditions of loss of body balance, involuntary muscle movements and problems maintaining a symmetrical posture, as a consequence of conditions such as cerebral palsy or choreoathetosis.

Visual handicap layer

Refers to total or partial loss of vision, which is why athletes in this category compete alongside specialized guides.

Intellectual handicap layer

Refers to conditions of high or severe cognitive or intellectual disability.

Like the regular Olympics, the Paralympic Games award their top athletes with gold, silver and bronze medals, and organize them according to a complex classification system that takes into account the degree of disability and the effort expended. Maybe you should definitely read about Handball once.

Characteristics of the Paralympic Games

In general, the Paralympic Games are characterized by the following:

  • They are similar to the Olympic Games, but dedicated to athletes with severe disabilities of various kinds. They receive gold, silver and bronze medals depending on their sports performance.
  • They cover a total of 25 sports disciplines, which vary depending on whether it is summer or winter. These disciplines are specifically designed to be practiced by athletes with some disability, so they often involve wheelchairs, guides for the blind, and other necessary elements.
  • Athletes compete in 10 categories, depending on the type of disability they have.
  • They are organized by the International Paralympic Committee, based in Bonn, Germany.
  • They have as a symbol a logo based on the Tae-Geuks, a traditional Korean emblem similar to the one that appears on its flag, which combined the colors red, blue and green. Later, this logo was stylized and in 2003 its current image was approved.
  • They are held every 4 years in a different city. At the beginning of each edition, the Paralympic Anthem (“Hymn of the Future”) composed by Thierry Darnis and approved by the International Paralympic Committee in 1996 is played.

Origin of the Paralympic Games

The Paralympic Games are the heirs to initiatives born in the mid-20th century that sought to promote sport for people with disabilities, such as the International Sports Organisation for the Disabled, founded in 1964. This organisation sought to become an equivalent of the IOC that organises the International Olympic Games.

Thus, in 1982 the International Coordinating Committee for Sport for the Disabled (ICC) was established. Thanks to the cooperation between these two organisations, the first Paralympic Games were held in Seoul in 1988. The success of this initiative was such that in 1989 the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) was founded.

From then on, the Paralympic Games gained greater popularity and international reach, and new agreements were reached with the IOC to share facilities and be managed jointly. For this reason, the Paralympic Games share a year with the traditional Olympics.

In this way, the size and diversity of the Paralympic Games increased, going from the 400 athletes from 23 countries competing in 8 sports that the competitions had in 1960, to the more than 4,200 athletes from 164 countries who currently compete in more than 20 different sports.

Paralympic Games Types

The Paralympic Games have two types or editions, just like the regular Olympics: a summer edition and a winter edition. Depending on which one it is, some sports are practiced or others.

  • The Summer Paralympic Games feature: athletics, badminton, wheelchair basketball, boccia, cycling, wheelchair fencing, 5-a-side football, goalball, weightlifting, horse riding, judo, swimming, taekwondo, rowing, canoeing, wheelchair rugby, table tennis, wheelchair tennis, archery, Olympic shooting, triathlon and sitting volleyball.
  • The Winter Paralympic Games feature: biathlon, wheelchair curling, alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, ice hockey and snowboarding.

Difference between Olympic Games and Paralympic Games

The difference between the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games has to do with the athletes who compete in each. The Paralympic Games are designed for sports professionals who suffer from some type of severe disability, and who have not traditionally been represented in Olympic competitions.

Both competitions are very important and the Olympic and Paralympic committees work hard to ensure the equality of their athletes, so that the cities that host the Olympic Games must also host the Paralympics. Equal media coverage must also be guaranteed for both competitions.

Hello, I am Sunny Yadav. I am a writer and content creator. Through my blog, I intend to create simple and easy to understand content that will teach you how to start your online journey!

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