Paralympic Games

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Lore & Background

Organised sport for persons with physical disabilities developed out of rehabilitation programs. Following World War II, in response to the needs of large numbers of injured ex-service members and civilians, sport was introduced as a key part of rehabilitation. Sport for rehabilitation grew into recreational sport and then into competitive sport. The pioneer of this approach was Ludwig Guttmann of the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England. In 1948, while the Olympic Games were being held in London, England, he organised a sports competition for wheelchair athletes at Stoke Mandeville. This was the origin of the Stoke Mandeville Games, which evolved into the modern Paralympic Games.

Reader's Guide

Globally, the International Paralympic Committee is recognized as the leading organisation, with direct governance of five sports, and responsibility over the Paralympic Games and other multi-sport, multi-disability events. Other international organisations, notably the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), Virtus Sport, and World Abilitysport (formed in 2023 from a merger between the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation and the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association) govern some sports that are specific to certain disability groups. In addition, certain single-sport federations govern sports for athletes with a disability, either as part of an able-bodied sports federation such as the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), or as a disabled sports federation such as the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation. At the national level, there are a wide range of organisations that take responsibility for Paralympic sport, including National Paralympic Committees, which are members of the IPC, and many others. Athletes are grouped into ten major categories based on their type of disability, including eight types of physical impairment, visual impairment, and intellectual disability. Classification provides a structure for competition which allows athletes to compete against others with similar disabilities or similar levels of physical function. Each sport has its own specific classification system which factors into the rules for Paralympic competition in the sport. The 2028 Summer Paralympics will include 23 sports and 560 medal events, and the 2026 Winter Paralympics included 6 sports and 79 events. On June 12, 2024, the organising committee for the 2028 Summer Paralympics in Los Angeles announced they would propose Paraclimbing, and the IPC executive voted to approve the proposal on June 26, 2024. Bob Balk, the chairman of the IPC Athletes' Council, launched a campaign in early 2012 to have sliding sports included at the 2018 Winter Paralympics, but at a meeting on September 10-11, 2018, the IPC executive board announced that Para Bobsleigh had failed in some evaluation criteria and would not be part of the official program for the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games.

Did You Know?

• The pioneer of organised sport for persons with physical disabilities was Ludwig Guttmann of the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England.
• In 1948, while the Olympic Games were being held in London, Guttmann organised a sports competition for wheelchair athletes at Stoke Mandeville, which was the origin of the Stoke Mandeville Games.
• The 2028 Summer Paralympics will include 23 sports and 560 medal events.
• The 2026 Winter Paralympics included 6 sports and 79 events.
• World Abilitysport was formed in 2023 from a merger between the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation and the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association.