paralympics gb staff - sportcentric
paralympics gb staff - sportcentric
paralympics gb staff - sportcentric
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HISTORY OF THE PARALYMPICS<br />
The Paralympic Games originate from 1948 when a sports competition was organised for World War II veterans with<br />
a spinal cord injury in Stoke Mandeville, England. Four years later athletes from Holland joined the event and so the<br />
international Paralympic movement was born.<br />
The first recognised Paralympic Games were held in Rome in 1960 and immediately followed the Olympics.<br />
Here, around 400 athletes from 23 countries competed in six different sports, including swimming.<br />
Today, the Games are an elite sports event for athletes from six different disability groups competing in 19 sports<br />
and the last Games in Sydney in 2000 involved more athletes that the 1998 Commonwealth Games.<br />
Swimming has been a part of the Games since its conception. Swimmers compete in events ranging from 50m to<br />
400m. This differs slightly from the Olympic Games where swimmers compete in events up to 800m for women and<br />
1500m for men.<br />
This year 580 swimmers from 58 countries have registered for the Games.<br />
PREVIOUS GAMES:<br />
YEAR<br />
1960<br />
1964<br />
1968<br />
1972<br />
1976<br />
1980<br />
1984<br />
1988<br />
1992<br />
1996<br />
2000<br />
CITY<br />
Rome, Italy<br />
Tokyo, Japan<br />
Tel Aviv, Israel<br />
Heidelberg, Germany<br />
Toronto, Canada<br />
Arnhem, Netherlands<br />
Stoke Mandeville, UK<br />
New York, USA<br />
Seoul, Korea<br />
Barcelona, Spain<br />
Atlanta, USA<br />
Sydney, Australia<br />
PARTICIPANTS<br />
400 athletes from 23 countries<br />
390 athletes from 22 countries<br />
750 athletes from 29 countries<br />
1000 athletes from 44 countries<br />
1600 athletes from 42 countries<br />
2500 athletes from 42 countries<br />
4080 athletes from 42 countries<br />
3053 athletes from 61 countries<br />
3020 athletes from 82 countries<br />
3195 athletes from 103 countries<br />
3843 athletes from 123 countries<br />
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