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109-545: This Paralympics -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This parasport organization article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about sports in Brazil is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics , also known as the Games of the Paralympiad ,

218-638: A "heritage flame" lit at Stoke Mandeville, although it was combined with flames lit in the host country for the formal start of the torch relay. Beginning in 2024 , future Paralympic torch relays will officially begin in Stoke Mandeville, as an equivalent to the Olympic flame being created in Olympia . There have been several milestones in the Paralympic movement. The first official Paralympic Games, coincident with

327-463: A U.S. team represented by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at the Empire Stadium. Only one modern pentathlon event was contested, the five component sports– riding, fencing, shooting, swimming, and running- being held over six days. Scoring was by point-for-place system across the five phases with the winner being the athlete with the lowest combined ranking. The sport's international federation,

436-611: A candidate for 1948. Great Britain almost handed the 1948 games to the United States due to post-war financial and rationing problems, but King George VI said that this could be the chance to restore Britain from World War II . The official report of the London Olympics shows that there was no case of London being pressed to run the Games against its will. It says: In June 1946 the IOC, through

545-578: A competition held in parallel with the Olympic Games . The Summer Games of 1988 held in Seoul was the first time the term Paralympic came into official use. "Spirit in Motion" is the current motto for the Paralympic movement. The current Paralympic flag is used since 2020 and contains three colours, red, blue, and green, which are the colours most widely represented in the flags of nations. The colours are each in

654-721: A functional classification system which differs from sport to sport. The IPC has established ten disability categories, including physical, visual, and intellectual impairment. Athletes with one of these disabilities can compete in the Paralympics, though not every sport can allow for every disability category. These categories apply to both Summer and Winter Paralympics. Physical Impairment – There are eight different types of physical impairment: Visual impairment – Athletes with visual impairment ranging from partial vision, sufficient to be judged legally blind , to total blindness . This includes impairment of one or more component of

763-569: A gold medal in Helsinki , won bronze in the team jumping event. Seven events were contested, six for men and one for women. Ilona Elek , who had won the women's foil competition in Berlin , was one of only two competitors to successfully defend an Olympic title in London. Elek's sister, Margit, placed sixth in the same event. Edoardo Mangiarotti won three medals, two silver and a bronze, having previously won

872-621: A gold medal in the 1936 Games. Throughout his career the Italian won 13 Olympic fencing medals and 27 world championship medals, both of which remain records. Thirteen nations participated in the field hockey competition. The tournament was ultimately won by India, who defeated Great Britain to claim the country's first gold medal as an independent nation under captain Kishan Lal and Vice-Captain Kunwar Digvijay Singh . Eighteen teams entered

981-410: A medal sport, appearing as an indoor competition for the first time after poor weather disrupted the matches at the 1936 Berlin Games . The event, for men only, was contested by 23 nations split into four pools for the preliminary round; the top two in each pool advanced to the quarterfinals with the other teams entering playoffs for the minor placings. The United States and France reached the final which

1090-510: A member of the Hungary's world champion pistol shooting team in 1938 when a grenade shattered his right hand – his pistol hand. Takács taught himself to shoot with his left hand and, 10 years after his injury, he won an Olympic gold medal in the rapid-fire pistol event. Eleven events were contested, six for men and five for women. The United States won eight gold medals, including all six men's events, and 15 medals in total. Eighteen nations fielded

1199-514: A one-hour highlight program after the Games ended. For the Winter Olympics the BBC aired 160 hours of coverage. The response from the BBC was that budget constraints and the "time zone factor" necessitated a limited broadcast schedule. The reduction in coverage was done in spite of increased ratings for the 2008 Summer Paralympics , which was watched by 23% of the population of Great Britain. In Norway,

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1308-463: A postal vote, gave the summer Games to London and the winter competition to St Moritz . London was selected ahead of Baltimore , Minneapolis , Lausanne , Los Angeles , and Philadelphia . London, which had previously hosted the 1908 Summer Olympics , became the second city to host the Olympics twice; Paris hosted the event in 1900 and 1924. London later became the first city to host the Olympics for

1417-538: A right-arm amputee and could shoot left-handed. Another athlete with a disability who appeared in the Olympics prior to the Paralympic Games was Lis Hartel , a Danish equestrian athlete who had contracted polio in 1943 and won a silver medal in the dressage event in the 1952 Summer Olympics . The first organized athletic event for athletes with disabilities that coincided with the Olympic Games took place on

1526-575: A significant intellectual impairment and associated limitations in adaptive behaviour. The IPC primarily serves athletes with physical disabilities, but the disability group Intellectual Disability has been added to some Paralympic Games. This includes only elite athletes with intellectual disabilities diagnosed before the age of 18. However, the IOC -recognized Special Olympics World Games are open to all people with intellectual disabilities. 1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics , officially

1635-481: A spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play....Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement. While the charter is silent on discrimination specifically related to disability; given the language in the charter regarding discrimination it is reasonable to infer that discrimination on

1744-460: A team in these games, which were ultimately won by Italy, who were undefeated throughout. The tournament was conducted in a mult-tier bracket, with the best four teams from the group stages participating in a final round-robin bracket. Silver was claimed by Hungary, and bronze by the Netherlands. Six events were contested, all for men only. These games marked the addition of the bantamweight class to

1853-740: A third time when the city hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics . Lord Burghley , a gold medal winner at the 1928 Olympics , member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and president of the Amateur Athletics Association was named Chairman of the Organising and Executive Committees. The other members of the committees were: Colonel Evan Hunter, General Secretary of the British Olympic Association , and Chief de mission for Great Britain; Lord Aberdare ,

1962-406: A total of 102 goals were scored; an average 5.66 goals per match. The joint top scorers with seven goals each were Gunnar Nordahl of Sweden and Denmark's John Hansen . Nordahl and Swedish teammates Gunnar Gren and Nils Liedholm went on to play for A.C. Milan and together were nicknamed Gre-No-Li . This was the first international football tournament ever to be broadcast on television, with

2071-419: A visual impairment are such a close and essential part of the competition that the athlete with visual impairment and the guide are considered a team, and both athletes are medal candidates. Starting at the 1992 Summer Paralympics, recent games have also been supported by contributions from major sponsors. Unlike the Olympics, where the IOC mandates that arenas be clean of sponsor logos, the Paralympics do allow

2180-759: Is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities . There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games , which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea , have been held shortly after the corresponding Olympic Games . All Paralympic Games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The Paralympics began as a small gathering of British World War II veterans in 1948 . The 1960 Games in Rome drew 400 athletes with disabilities from 23 countries, as proposed by doctor Antonio Maglio. Currently it

2289-580: Is one of the largest international sporting events: the 2020 Summer Paralympics featuring 4,520 athletes from 163 National Paralympic Committees . Paralympians strive for equal treatment with non-disabled Olympic athletes, but there is a large funding gap between Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The Paralympic Games are organized in parallel with and in a similar way to the Olympic Games. The IOC -recognized Special Olympics World Games include athletes with intellectual disabilities (although since 1992, people with intellectual disabilities also participate in

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2398-571: Is responsible for organizing the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. It also serves as the International Federation for nine sports ( Paralympic athletics , Paralympic swimming , Paralympic archery , Paralympic powerlifting , Para-alpine skiing , Paralympic biathlon , Paralympic cross-country skiing , ice sledge hockey and Wheelchair DanceSport ). This requires the IPC to supervise and coordinate

2507-522: The 1944 Olympic Games had been provisionally planned for London. This was the second time London hosted the Olympic Games, having previously hosted them in 1908 , making it the second city to host summer olympics twice (after Paris). The Olympics would return again to London 64 years later in 2012 , making London the first city to host the games thrice, and the only such city until Paris , who hosted their third games in 2024 , and Los Angeles , who will host theirs in 2028 . The 1948 Olympic Games were also

2616-514: The 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In 2008, Oscar Pistorius , a South African sprinter, attempted to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Pistorius had both his legs amputated below the knee and races with two carbon fibre blades manufactured by Össur . He holds the Paralympic world record in the 400 meter event. Pistorius missed qualifying for the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 400 meter race, by 0.70 seconds. He qualified for

2725-407: The 2008 Summer Paralympics where he won gold medals in the 100, 200, and 400 meter sprints. In 2011, Pistorius qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics and competed in two events: he made the semi-final in the 400 metres race; and his team came 8th in the final of the 4 × 400 metres relay race. Even though all athletes are given equal opportunities to participate in these events, such as

2834-420: The 2024 Summer Paralympics covering 75% of the world over a year in advance (in comparison to 2020 , where many deals were made "last minute"), and that it had been pushing for broader coverage and increased rights fees since broadcasters were starting to "[realize] that [the Paralympics are] actually a great sporting event", and not treat them as a low-effort obligation bundled with their Olympics rights. Unlike

2943-522: The Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948 , were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London , United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus caused by the outbreak of World War II , these were the first Summer Olympics held since the 1936 Games in Berlin . The 1940 Olympic Games had been scheduled for Tokyo and then for Helsinki , while

3052-644: The International Olympic Committee but appeared on the 1948 Official Report as springboard diving and highboard diving , respectively. All four gold medals, and 10 out of 12 awarded in total, were won by the United States. Victoria Manalo Draves , who won both gold medals in the women's events, and Sammy Lee , who took a gold and a bronze in the men's events, became the first Asian Americans to win gold medals at an Olympic Games. Six gold medals were awarded in equestrian, individual and team dressage , individual and team eventing and individual and team show jumping . Harry Llewellyn and Foxhunter , who would claim

3161-566: The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) broadcast 30 hours of the 2010 Winter Games live. NRK-sport were critical of parts of the TV production from Vancouver, and notified the EBU of issues such as the biathlon coverage excluding the shooting, and cross-country skiing with skiers in the distance, making it hard to follow the progress of the competition. NRK were far more pleased with

3270-520: The Royal Family , at 2.45 pm. Fifteen minutes later the competitors entered the stadium in a procession that took 50 minutes. The last team was that of the United Kingdom. When it had passed the saluting base, Lord Burghley began his welcome: After welcoming the athletes to two weeks of "keen but friendly rivalry", he said London represented a "warm flame of hope for a better understanding in

3379-514: The S14 intellectual impairment category (provided they score low in IQ tests), they are often outmatched by the superior physicality of their opponents. At present there is no designated Paralympic category for swimmers with Down syndrome, meaning they have to compete as intellectually disadvantaged athletes. This disregards their physical disabilities. A number of advocacy groups globally have been lobbying for

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3488-485: The Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne was founded during the Games, on 3 August 1948. Sweden won two medals in the event; William Grut won the gold, with a final points total of 16, and Gösta Gärdin took bronze. American George Moore won the silver medal. Seven rowing events were contested, all open to men only. Great Britain and the United States each claimed two gold medals. The events were held on

3597-595: The University of Cambridge with impressive Olympian good looks. Mark ran a lap of the track – created with cinders from the domestic coal fires of Leicester – and climbed the steps to the Olympic cauldron. After saluting the crowd, he turned and lit the flame. After more speeches, Donald Finlay of the British team (given his RAF rank of Wing Commander ) took the Olympic Oath on behalf of all competitors. The National Anthem

3706-707: The Wembley area instead of an Olympic Village , as were the 1936 Games and the subsequent 1952 Games in Helsinki. A record 59 nations were represented by 4,104 athletes, 3,714 men, and 390 women in 19 sport disciplines . Germany and Japan were not invited to participate in the games; the Soviet Union was invited but chose not to send any athletes, sending observers instead to prepare for the 1952 Olympics. Israel requested to participate (symbolically represented by Raya Bronstein and Frieda Berson-Lichtblau  [ he ] ) but

3815-494: The Winter Olympics . This led the media to highlight the contrast between the achievements of the country's Olympic and Paralympic delegations, despite the greater attention and funding awarded to the Olympic athletes. The Russian Federation organizers of the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games have, since 2007, made efforts to make the host city Sochi more accessible. In 2012, as part of its prohibition on unauthorised advertising,

3924-471: The decathlon , Bob Mathias of the United States became the youngest male ever to win an Olympic track and field gold medal at the age of seventeen. The most individual medals were won by Veikko Huhtanen of Finland, who took three golds, a silver and a bronze in men's gymnastics. The United States won the most gold and overall medals, having 300 athletes compared to the United Kingdom's 404. France fielded

4033-481: The national anthem of the gold medalist is played. Volunteering citizens of the host country also act as hosts during the medal ceremonies, as they aid the officials who present the medals and act as flag-bearers. For every Paralympic event, the respective medal ceremony is held, at most, one day after the event's final. In June 2001, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) signed an agreement that would ensure that

4142-450: The 1948 Olympics. Guttman's aim was to create an elite sports competition for people with disabilities that would be equivalent to the Olympic Games. The games were held at the same location each year, and in 1952 Dutch and Israeli veterans took part alongside the British, making it the first international competition of its own kind. In 1960, the 9th annual games took place outside of the UK for

4251-459: The 1960 Games. Since 1960, the Paralympic Games have taken place in the same year as the Olympic Games. The Games were initially open only to athletes in wheelchairs; at the 1976 Summer Games , athletes with different disabilities were included for the first time at a Summer Paralympics. With the inclusion of more disability classifications the 1976 Summer Games expanded to 1,600 athletes from 40 countries. The 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul

4360-434: The 400 meter race, there has been growing criticism that the games may not be fair to all athletes. For example, athletes running a race with a left prosthetic leg may be disadvantaged compared to those with a right side prosthesis because the races are run in an anticlockwise direction, giving some athletes an advantage. Some athletes without a disability also compete at the Paralympics. The sighted guides for athletes with

4469-420: The BBC's Television Newsreel programme do also still exist. The 1948 Summer Olympics featured 136 medal events, covering 23 disciplines in 17 different sports and in arts. In the list below, the number of events in each discipline is noted in parentheses. These Games also included Lacrosse and Swedish (Ling) gymnastics as demonstration sports. Empire Stadium was the venue for 33 athletics events at

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4578-489: The Games as had been done at the 1992 and 1996 Games. Despite these advances, consistent media attention has been a challenge, which was evidenced in the coverage in Great Britain of the 2010 Winter Paralympics . The BBC was criticized for its minimal coverage of the 2010 Winter Paralympics as compared to its coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics . The BBC announced it would stream some content on its website and show

4687-612: The Games had increased their willingness to hire people with disabilities. Chief Executive Officer for the International Paralympic Committee Xavier Gonzalez said about the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing , China, that: In China, the (Paralympic) Games were really a transformation tool for changing attitudes across the board in China towards people with disability, to building accessibility facilities in

4796-477: The Games internationally. Deals were reached with Asian, South American, and European broadcast companies to distribute coverage to as many markets as possible. The Games were also webcast for the first time. Because of these efforts, the Sydney Paralympics reached a global audience estimated at 300 million people. Also significant was the fact that the organizers did not have to pay networks to televise

4905-479: The Games was watched by at least one viewer in the Channel Islands . The BBC's official report on the coverage estimated that an average of half a million viewers watched each of their Olympic broadcasts. The BBC paid £ 1,000 for the broadcasting rights. Of the live television coverage, only a small section of the opening ceremony broadcast still exists in the archives. However, various filmed reports shot for

5014-515: The Games; 24 for men and nine for women. Of these, four were making their Olympic debut – the men's 10 km walk, and the women's 200 metres, long jump and shot put. A total of 754 athletes from 53 countries participated in athletics. Fanny Blankers-Koen of the Netherlands, a 30-year-old mother of two children nicknamed "The Flying Housewife", won four gold medals, in the 100 metres, 200 metres, 80 metre high hurdles, and 4 x 100 metre relay. As world record holder in

5123-764: The Olympic Flag at the Richmond Park camp at an opening ceremony in July as Minister of Works , Charles Key , declared the camp open. These were the first games to be held following the death of Pierre de Coubertin , founder of the International Olympic Committee , in 1937. They were also the last to include an arts competition , which took place at the Victoria and Albert Museum . Nicknamed "relay of peace" due to crossing through several countries in Europe to represent their union after

5232-401: The Olympic Games prior to the advent of the Paralympics. The first athlete to do so was German-American gymnast George Eyser in 1904 , who had one artificial leg. Olivér Halassy , a Hungarian amputee water polo player, competed in three successive Olympic Games, beginning in 1928 . Hungarian Károly Takács competed in shooting events in both the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics. He was

5341-413: The Olympic programme, the first change to the programme since 1920. The United States won four gold medals, and eight overall; the remaining two gold medals were claimed by Egypt. Rodney Wilkes won the first medal for Trinidad and Tobago in an Olympic games, winning silver and Mohammad Jafar Salmasi won the first medal for Iran in an Olympic games, winning bronze in the featherweight division; gold medal

5450-437: The Olympics, the IPC holds the digital rights to the Paralympics in some markets, allowing it to promote live coverage and other highlights via its own social media platforms to engage online audiences. Television broadcasts of Paralympic Games began in 1976, but this early coverage was confined to tape-delayed broadcasts to one nation or region. At the 1992 Summer Paralympics, there were 45 hours of live coverage but it

5559-709: The Paralympic Games), and the Deaflympics held since 1924 are exclusive for deaf athletes. Given the wide variety of disabilities of Para athletes , there are several categories in which they compete. The allowable disabilities are divided into ten eligible impairment types: impaired muscle power, impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature , hypertonia , ataxia , athetosis , vision impairment and intellectual impairment . These categories are further divided into various subcategories. Athletes with disabilities did compete at

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5668-503: The Paralympic Summer and Winter Games are recognized on the world stage. Unlike the Olympic Games, English is the official language of the Paralympic movement. The other languages used at each Paralympic Games are the official languages of the host country or host region. Every proclamation (such as the announcement of each country during the parade of nations in the opening ceremony) is spoken in these two or more languages. Although

5777-484: The Paralympic movement began requiring any tattoo of the Olympic rings to be covered during competition, on the basis that the Olympics is technically a third-party organisation. In 2024 the prohibition was ended after protests from athletes. Paralympic athletes have sought equal opportunities to compete at the Olympic Games. The precedent was set by Neroli Fairhall , a Paralympic archer from New Zealand , who competed at

5886-713: The River Thames at Henley, over the same course as the Henley Royal Regatta . The sailing events at the Games took place in Torquay , in the southwest of Great Britain. Five events were contested, with the United States winning four total medals. One of host nation Great Britain's three gold medals at the Games came in the Swallow class from Stewart Morris and David Bond . In the Firefly class Danish sailor Paul Elvstrøm won gold

5995-470: The Second World War, the torch relay for these games took place from 17 to 29 July 1948, with a distance of 3,160 kilometres (1,960 mi) and 1,416 torchbearers. The torch was designed by Ralph Lavers. There were three types of torches: the standard one made of aluminum and powered by solid fuel , a special one powered by butane gas (used aboard HMS  Whitesand Bay ) and a third one used in

6104-582: The Summer Olympics. The winter games happen two years after the summer games. The International Paralympic Committee is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. It comprises 178 National Paralympic Committees (NPC) and four disability-specific international sports federations. The president of the IPC is Andrew Parsons . The IPC's international headquarters are in Bonn , Germany. The IPC

6213-478: The Superhumans " receiving an overall Grand Prix award. In January 2020, the Paralympics were classified as a Category A "listed" event by the British telecom regulator Ofcom as with the Olympics, mandating that they be broadcast in whole or in part by a free-to-air network, as with the Olympics. Channel 4 reported that its coverage of the 2024 Summer Paralympics was seen by a total audience of 20 million, with

6322-565: The Wembley stadium, made of stainless steel and powered by a magnesium candle. The journey began with the lighting of the flame in Olympia . Due to the civil war in Greek soil , the Greek part of the relay went directly to Corfu , where HMS Whitesand Bay picked the flame to transport it to Bari . From there, the flame crossed Italy, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg and Belgium. After a boat trip from Calais to Dover (aboard of HMS  Bicester ),

6431-527: The World Championships and other competitions for each of the nine sports it regulates. IPC membership also includes National Paralympic Committees and international sporting federations. International Federations are independent sport federations recognized by the IPC as the sole representative of a Paralympic Sport. International Federations responsibilities include technical jurisdiction and guidance over

6540-417: The athletes who enter together, without any national distinction. The Paralympic flag is taken down. Since the 1988 Winter Paralympics , with some exceptions, the national flag of the country hosting the next Summer or Winter Paralympic Games is hoisted while the corresponding national anthem is played. The games are officially closed, and the Paralympic flame is extinguished. After these compulsory elements,

6649-622: The basis of disability would be against the ideals of the Olympic Charter and the IOC. This is also consistent with the Paralympic Charter, which forbids discrimination on the basis of political, religious, economic, disability, gender, sexual orientation or racial reasons. Chairman of the London organising committee , Sebastian Coe , said about the 2012 Summer Paralympics and 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, that, "We want to change public attitudes towards disability, celebrate

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6758-553: The channel achieving its highest viewer share since the 2012 Paralympics. A 2010 study by the University of British Columbia (UBC) on the Olympic Games Impact (OGI), showed that of roughly 1,600 Canadian respondents, 41 to 50 percent believed the 2010 Paralympic and Olympic Games in Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, triggered additional accessibility of buildings, sidewalks and public spaces. 23 percent of employers said

6867-864: The city, to changing laws to allow people with a disability to be part of society. Within the framework of the International Olympic Committee's commitment to equal access to athletics, concerns have been raised regarding inclusion of athletes with Down syndrome in the Paralympic Games. While the Paralympic movement strives for inclusivity, the absence of a specific classification for athletes with Down syndrome within Paralympic swimming events raises questions about equal and fair competition for Down syndrome athletes. International Paralympic Committee Para-swimming classification codes are based upon single impairment only, whereas Down syndrome individuals have both physical and intellectual impairments. Although swimmers with Down syndrome are able to compete in

6976-605: The close working relationship. The Paralympic Games were designed to emphasize the participants' athletic achievements and not their disability. Recent games have emphasized that these games are about ability and not disability. The movement has grown dramatically since its early days – for example, the number of athletes participating in the Summer Paralympic Games has increased from 400 athletes in Rome in 1960 to 4,342 athletes from 159 countries in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 . Both

7085-580: The competition and training venues of their respective sports during the Paralympic Games. The IPC also recognizes media partners, certifies officials, judges, and is responsible for enforcing the bylaws of the Paralympic Charter . Since its creation in 1989, IPC has a cooperative relationship with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Delegates of the IPC are also members of the IOC and participate on IOC committees and commissions. The two governing bodies remain distinct, with separate Games, despite

7194-502: The day of the opening of the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. The German-Jewish doctor Ludwig Guttmann , of Stoke Mandeville Hospital , who had fled Nazi Germany with the help of the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics (CARA) in 1939, hosted a sports competition for British World War II veteran patients with spinal cord injuries. The first games were called the 1948 International Wheelchair Games , and were intended to coincide with

7303-499: The despite the Danish Olympic Committee having misgivings about sending him to compete as the 18-year-old could speak no English. This was the first of four consecutive Olympics with a gold medal for Elvstrøm. Four events were contested, all open to both men and women, although all medals were won by men. In the 50 metre rifle, prone position, only two points separated the top three competitors. Károly Takács had been

7412-468: The excellence of Paralympic sport and to enshrine from the very outset that the two Games are an integrated whole." The 2014 Winter Paralympic Games is the first such Paralympics hosted by Russia. Russia ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during that period. Notably at 2010 Vancouver, their Paralympic team topped the medal table at the Winter Paralympics , while their Olympic team performed well below expectations at

7521-460: The first of two summer Games held under the IOC presidency of Sigfrid Edström . The 1948 Olympics came to be known as the "Austerity Games" due to the difficult economic climate and rationing imposed in the aftermath of World War II. No new venues were built for the games (with events taking place mainly at Wembley Stadium , also known as Empire Stadium, and the Empire Pool at Wembley Park ), and athletes were housed in existing accommodation at

7630-431: The first time in Rome , to coincide with the 1960 Summer Olympics which were also being held in Rome. These were to be later designated the 1st Paralympic Games . These early competitions have been described as the precursors of the Paralympic Games, and Stoke Mandeville holds a similar place in the history of the Paralympic movement as Greece holds in the Olympic Games; since 2012, the Paralympic flame has incorporated

7739-569: The first time that a women's canoeing event had been contested in the Olympics. Sweden won four gold medals (two by Gert Fredriksson ) and Czechoslovakia three. Six events were contested – two road bicycle racing events and four track cycling events. No women's cycling events were contested. France won three gold medals and Italy two, while Great Britain captured five medals overall, but none were gold. Four diving events were contested, two for men, and two for women. The events are labelled as 3  metre springboard and 10  metre platform by

7848-502: The first time. In the UK, Channel 4 assumed the television rights beginning in the 2012 Summer Paralympics , promising major increases in coverage on television and digital platforms, efforts to heighten the Games' profile, and commitments to incorporate people with disabilities among its staff and presenters. Its coverage of the Paralympics have been promoted through major marketing campaigns; several of its advertisements have won Cannes Lions awards, with its trailer for 2016 " We're

7957-406: The first time. There were twenty of them—one for each Olympic sport and three separate pictograms for the arts competition, the opening ceremony and the closing ceremony. They were called "Olympic symbols" and intended for use on tickets. The background of each pictogram resembled an escutcheon . Olympic pictograms appeared again 16 years later, and were used at all subsequent Summer Olympics. At

8066-626: The flame traveled to several towns in Southeast England until the arrival at Wembley for the Opening ceremony. The cities and towns visited by the Olympic flame were as follows: The Games opened on 29 July. Army bands began playing at 2 pm for the 85,000 spectators in Empire Stadium at Wembley Park . The international and national organisers arrived at 2.35 pm and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth , with Queen Mary and other members of

8175-481: The football competition at these Olympics. Due to the rise of the professional game during the 12 years since the Berlin Olympics the number of talented amateurs for teams to select from was reduced. The gold medal was won by Sweden, who defeated Yugoslavia 3–1 in the final. Denmark defeated hosts Great Britain, managed by Matt Busby of Manchester United , 5–3 to win the bronze medal. In the tournament's 18 matches

8284-466: The host country flag, and the oaths by athletes, coaches, and judges are taken. Finally, the Paralympic flame is brought into the stadium and passed on until it reaches the final torch carrier—often a Paralympic athlete from the host nation—who lights the Paralympic flame in the stadium's cauldron. The closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games takes place after all sporting events have concluded. Flag-bearers from each participating country enter, followed by

8393-450: The idea that Paralympians have a spirit of competition and that the IPC as an organization realizes its potential and is moving forward to achieve it. The vision of the IPC is, "To enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to inspire and excite the world." The Paralympic anthem is "Hymne de l'Avenir" or "Anthem of the Future". It was composed by Thierry Darnis and adopted as

8502-774: The inclusion of a distinct classification category for Down syndrome swimmers within the IPC Classification Codes framework. Initiatives aimed at promoting greater inclusivity within the Paralympic movement have emerged, including advocacy and awareness-raising efforts targeting discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for athletes with Down syndrome. Despite ongoing advocacy, the issue remains unresolved, and swimmers with Down syndrome continue to face challenges in accessing appropriate classification pathways. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has established ten disability categories. Athletes are divided within each category according to their level of impairment, in

8611-460: The line for the bronze. The decathlon was won by 17-year-old Bob Mathias of the United States. He became the youngest ever Olympic gold medallist in athletics and when asked how he would celebrate he replied: "I'll start shaving, I guess." Categories: sports-related architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture. These Olympics were the last time art competitions were considered Olympic events. Basketball made its second appearance as

8720-448: The logos of official sponsors to be displayed inside arenas and on uniforms. While the Olympic Games have experienced tremendous growth in global media coverage since the 1984 Summer Paralympics , the Paralympics had been slower to develop a consistent mainstream media presence. In June 2023, IPC executives noted that interest in the Paralympics had been improving among broadcasters, citing that that it had already reached rights deals for

8829-413: The long jump and high jump Blankers-Koen may have been able to win further medals but, at this time, female athletes were limited to three individual events. Duncan White won the first medal of any kind for Sri Lanka (then Ceylon ) when he finished second in the 400 metre hurdles. Arthur Wint became the first Jamaican to win an Olympic gold medal, in the men's 400 metres; he also won silver in

8938-403: The men's 800 metres. Audrey Patterson became the first African-American woman to win a medal, winning bronze in a track and field event. A few days later Alice Coachman became the first woman of colour in the world and the first African-American woman to win a gold medal in track and field in the history of the modern Olympics with a jump of 1.68 m (5' 6 1 ⁄ 4 "). She also

9047-399: The name was originally coined as a portmanteau combining paraplegic (due to its origins as games for people with spinal injuries) and Olympic , the inclusion of other disability groups meant that this was no longer considered very accurate. The present formal explanation for the name is that it derives from the Greek preposition παρά , pará ('beside' or 'alongside') and thus refers to

9156-412: The next host nation briefly introduces itself with artistic displays of dance and theater representative of its culture. A medals ceremony is held after the conclusion of each Paralympic event. The winner, second and third-place competitors or teams stand on top of a three-tiered rostrum when they are awarded their respective medal by an IPC member. The national flags of the medalists are then raised while

9265-617: The ninth Stoke Mandeville Games but no longer open solely to war veterans, was held in Rome in 1960 . They were the brainchild of Antonio Maglio, a friend and follower of Guttmann and were financed almost entirely by Maglio's employer, the Workers National Accident Insurance Fund of Italy, then led by Renato Morelli , who was also Chairman of the International Social Security Association. Four hundred athletes from 23 countries competed at

9374-522: The official anthem in March 1996. As mandated by the Paralympic Charter, various elements frame the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Games. Most of these rituals were established are the same that 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp and were shared with the Olympic Games . The Opening ceremony typically starts with the hoisting of the host country's flag and a performance of its national anthem. Immediately after

9483-564: The other British member of the IOC; Sir Noel Curtis-Bennett ; Alderman H.E. Fern; E.J. Holt; J. Emrys Lloyd, who became the committee's legal advisor; C.B. Cowley of the London Press and Advertising; R.B. Studdert, managing director of the Army & Navy Stores ; A.E. Porritt , a member of the IOC for New Zealand who resided in London; S.F. Rous , Secretary of The Football Association ; and Jack Beresford . Olympic pictograms were introduced for

9592-589: The production of the ice sledge hockey and wheelchair curling events, which they felt reached the same level as the Olympic Games. Not all Paralympic events have received television coverage; the IPC and its organisers currently contract with the IOC's media unit Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) to produce the broadcast feeds for the Paralympics. At the Summer Paralympics, coverage was limited to 16 sports in 2016, but increased to 19 sports in 2020. In 2024, all 22 Summer Paralympic sports were televised for

9701-405: The second largest team, with 316 athletes and finished third in the medal standings. The host nation ended up twelfth. In June 1939, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the 1944 Olympic Summer Games to London, ahead of Rome , Detroit , Budapest , Lausanne , Helsinki , Montreal and Athens . World War II stopped the plans and the Games were cancelled so London again stood as

9810-401: The shape of an Agito (which is Latin for 'I move/I shake/I stir'), which is the name given to an asymmetrical crescent specially designed for the Paralympic movement. The three Agitos circle a central point, which is a symbol for the athletes congregating from all points of the globe. The motto and symbol of the IPC were changed in 2003 to their current versions. The change was intended to convey

9919-555: The staging of the Paralympic Games is automatically included in the bid for the Olympic Games . The agreement was set to take effect at the 2008 Paralympic Summer Games in Beijing and the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver. However, the Salt Lake 2002 Organizing Committee (SLOC) chose to follow the practice of "one bid, one city", with one Organizing Committee for both Games, which

10028-487: The succeeding hosts of the respective Olympic Games (summer or winter) will enter immediately before the current host in descending order. The host nation presents artistic displays of their culture and folklore. Protocolary segments are held with the speeches given, formally opening the games. After the opening declaration, the Paralympic flag enters the stadium and is hosted along with the Paralympic Anthem, aside from

10137-757: The time of the Games, food, petrol and building were still subject to the rationing imposed during the war in Britain; because of this the 1948 Olympics came to be known as the " Austerity Games". Athletes were given the same increased rations as dockers and miners, 5,467 calories a day instead of the normal 2,600. Building an Olympic Village was deemed too expensive, and athletes were housed in existing accommodation. Male competitors stayed at RAF camps in Uxbridge and West Drayton , and an Army camp in Richmond Park ; female competitors in London colleges. Lord Burghley unfurled

10246-704: The total medals given. London was the first Olympics to have a political defection. Marie Provazníková , the 57-year-old Czechoslovak President of the International Gymnastics Federation , refused to return home, citing "lack of freedom" after the Czechoslovak coup in February led to the country's inclusion in the Soviet Bloc . For the 1948 Olympics, the Technicolor Corporation devised

10355-488: The two semi-finals, the bronze medal match and the final all being shown live in full by the BBC. Nine events were contested, eight for men, and one for women. In the men's pommel horse, a tie was declared between three competitors, all Finns, and no medals other than gold were awarded in this event. Finland won six gold medals overall, and Switzerland three. Lacrosse was an exhibition sport at these Olympics. An English team composed of players from various universities played

10464-461: The visual system (eye structure, receptors, optic nerve pathway, and visual cortex). The sighted guides for athletes with a visual impairment are such a close and essential part of the competition that the athlete with visual impairment and the guide are considered a team. Beginning in 2012, these guides along with sighted goalkeepers in 5-a-side football became eligible to receive medals of their own. Intellectual Disability – Athletes with

10573-403: The welcome act and the host country anthem and hosting their flag the "Parade of Nations" starts with the athletes into the stadium grouped by nation. Since the 1960 Summer Paralympics , the nations enter the stadium alphabetically according to the host country's or region official language, though with the host country's athletes being the last to enter. Beginning with the 2020 Summer Paralympics,

10682-601: The world which has burned so low." At 4 pm, the time shown on the clock tower on the London Games symbol, the King declared the Games open, 2,500 pigeons were set free and the Olympic Flag raised to its 35 ft (11 m) flagpole at the end of the stadium. The Royal Horse Artillery sounded a 21-gun salute to welcome the last runner in the Torch Relay: John Mark , a British track and field sprinter and student at

10791-511: Was another milestone for the Paralympic movement. It was in Seoul that the Paralympic Summer Games were held directly after the 1988 Summer Olympics , in the same host city, and using the majority of the venues. This set a precedent that was followed in 1992 , 1996 and 2000 . It was eventually formalized in an agreement between the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2001, and

10900-544: Was available only in Europe. Other countries broadcast highlight packages during the Games. No meaningful improvements in coverage occurred until the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney. The 2000 Paralympics represented a significant increase in global media exposure for the Paralympic Games. A deal was reached between the Sydney Paralympic Organizing Committee (SPOC) and All Media Sports (AMS) to broadcast

11009-491: Was denied as the International Olympic Committee did not yet recognize the country, while the Olympic mandate of Palestine expired. This in turn shifted the view of the Arab countries who had intended to boycott the event and now decided to take part. One of the star performers at the 1948 Games was Dutch sprinter Fanny Blankers-Koen . Dubbed the "Flying Housewife", the thirty-year-old mother of two won four gold medals in athletics. In

11118-478: Was extended through 2020. On March 10, 2018, the two committees further extended their contract to 2032. Despite being held in the same region, the 1992 Winter Paralympics used different competition venues than those used for the Olympic Games. 1994 Winter Paralympics were the first Winter Games to use the same venues and had the same Organizing Committee as the Winter Olympics . The first Winter Paralympic Games were held in 1976 in Örnsköldsvik , Sweden. This

11227-580: Was followed up by the 2004 Summer Games in Athens. The agreement was adjusted in 2003. An extension was signed in June 2006, after some troubles at the 2006 Winter Paralympics . Initially agreed to remain in effect until the 2012 Summer Olympics, this was later extended to encompass all Summer and Winter games up until the 2020 Summer Olympics. Even beyond this, all Summer and Winter host cities currently announced are preparing pairs of Olympic and Paralympics Games. This

11336-458: Was further confirmed when on 10 March 2018, the IOC and the IPC agreed to further extend the contract to the 2032 Summer Olympics. The IOC has written its commitment to equal access to athletics for all people into its charter , which states, The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with

11445-414: Was sung and the massed athletes turned and marched out of the stadium, led by Greece, tailed by Britain. The 580-page official report concluded: The opening ceremony and over 60 hours of Games coverage was broadcast live on BBC television , which was then officially available only in the London area. However, the BBC's transmissions could be received much further away in the right conditions, and some of

11554-566: Was the first Paralympics in which multiple categories of athletes with disabilities could compete. The Winter Games were celebrated every four years on the same year as their summer counterpart, just as the Olympics were. This tradition was upheld through the 1992 Games in Albertville , France; after that, beginning with the 1994 Games , the Winter Paralympics and the Winter Olympics have been held in those even-numbered years separate from

11663-450: Was the only American woman to win an athletics gold medal during the 1948 Olympics. The marathon saw a dramatic finish with the first man to enter the stadium, Etienne Gailly of Belgium, exhausted and nearly unable to run. While he was struggling, Argentinian athlete Delfo Cabrera and Tom Richards of Great Britain passed him, with Cabrera winning the gold medal and Richards obtaining the silver. Gailly managed to recover enough to cross

11772-410: Was won by Egyptian Mahmoud Fayad , with a new Olympic and World record of 332.5 kg. Sixteen wrestling events were held, eight Greco-Roman and eight freestyle. All were open to men only. Both categories were dominated by two nations. Turkey was the most successful nation with six gold medals followed by Sweden receiving 5 gold medals. These two teams claimed 24 total medals, in other words half of

11881-568: Was won by the Americans 65–21 to claim the gold medal. This was the second of the United States' seven consecutive gold medals in Olympic men's and women's basketball. Brazil defeated Mexico 52–47 to claim bronze. Eight different classifications were contested ranging from flyweight , for boxers weighing less than 51 kg, to heavyweight , for boxers over 80 kg. South Africa, Argentina and Hungary each won two gold medals. Nine events were contested, eight for men and one for women. This marked

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