The story of Paralympics is a remarkable story of resilience, advocacy and the evolution of attitudes toward disability.
What actually is Paralympics?
The word “Paralympic” derives from the Greek preposition “para” (beside or alongside) and the word “Olympic”.
Its meaning is that Paralympics are the parallel Games to the Olympics and illustrates how the two movements exist side-by-side.
Paralympics are a major multi-sport event for athletes with special ability. Paralympics games is world’s second largest and one of the most prestigious sport events across the world. The Paralympic Games feature a wide range of sports adapted to various types of disabilities, including physical impairments, visual impairments, and intellectual disabilities
It takes place after every four year just after Olympic games. This year the Paralympics 2024 took place in Paris. Total 4,463 athletes with special abilities are participating in total 549 events across 22 sports. Total 170 nations are participating in Paralympics 2024.
History of Paralympics :
It actually started after the World War II when the soldiers with injuries and disabilities returned home . There was a need for their rehabilitation . So, on the request of British Government Dr. Ludwig Guttmann (a German neurologist) opened a spinal injury center at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Great Britain. It was there the rehabilitation sports changed into competitive sport. In 1948 he organised a sports competition for wheelchair athletes. He named it Stoke Mandeville Games. It is said the this was the precursor to the paralympic games.
Afterwards in 1952 many other countries joined the competition and participated in Stoke Mandeville Games which laid the foundation of paralympic games.
The Stoke Mandeville Games later became paralympic games. The first paralympic games took place in 1960 in Rome, Italy following the summer Olympics. A total of 400 athletes from 23 countries participated and since then it took place after every four years. In 1964 in Tokyo paralympic it was the first time when the game was expanded beyond athletes with spinal injury. In this athletes with cerebral palsy were also included.
1992 – Barcelona Paralympics: The Barcelona was one of the important for their inclusion of athletes with various types of impairments, including visual impairments and intellectual disabilities.
And hence the paralympic games become popular along with olympics. It showed the spirit of the fighters who didn’t gave up being disabled or specially abled. They grew and made their disability a special ability.
Paralympics is governed by global body INTERNATIONAL PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE which is an international non-profit organization in Dusseldorf, Germany which was established on 22 September 1989.
Sources of Information :
WIKIPEDIA { Do Donate even just Rs. 25/- to wikipedia }
International Paralympic Committee
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