The Paralympics

The idea for the Paralympic Games came from German neurologist, Sir Ludwig Guttmann, who organised a sports event for soldiers injured in World War II at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Buckinghamshire in 1948. In 1949 he said, ‘Maybe one day there would be Olympics for the disabled’. In 1952 Dutch athletes participated and the first international games for athletes with a disability took place.

About the Paralympic Games

• The Paralympic Games are the world’s second largest event after the Olympics. In 1952 two nations and 130 athletes took part. In 1960 400 athletes from 23 nations participated with medals presented in 57 events. In London in 2012 4,200 athletes from 160 countries are expected to attend with 471 medal events on the programme.
• Rome, in 1960, was the first host city to use its Olympic venues for the Paralympic Games. 5,000 spectators watched the Opening Ceremony. In 2012 up to 80,000 spectators will watch the Opening Ceremony on August 29 2012.
• Para means ‘alongside’ so ‘parallel’ to the Olympic Games.

2012 Paralympic Sports

• There will be 20 sports at the 2012 Paralympic Games: Paralympic Archery, Paralympic Athletics, Boccia, Paralympic Cycling - Road, Paralympic Cycling -Track, Paralympic Equestrian, Football 5-a-side, Football 7-a-side, Goalball, Paralympic Judo, Powerlifting, Paralympic Rowing, Paralympic Sailing, Paralympic Shooting, Paralympic Swimming, Paralympic Table Tennis, Volleyball - Sitting, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Fencing, Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Tennis.
• Boccia is a sport open to athletes with cerebral palsy. The aim is to propel a set of coloured balls closer to the white ‘market’ ball or jack than your opponent, so not unlike ‘petanque’ or French ‘boules’.
• Goalball is for athletes who are blind or visually impaired. The object is to roll the ball into the opponent’s goal while the opposing team tries to block the ball with their bodies. Bells located inside the ball help players locate the ball’s whereabouts. Because of the unique nature of the game total silence is required inside the venue when play is in progress.
• Rowing is the newest sport on the Paralympic programme. The first Paralympic competition was at Beijing in 2008.

London 2012 Paralympic Games

• For London 2012 there will be 12 days of world class Paralympic sport – 29 August until 9 September, 20 Paralympic sports, 21 disciplines and 471 events, 20 competition venues, 4,200 athletes, 163 competing nations.
• 2 million tickets will be available for the 2012 Paralympic Games.
• London 2012 will be the most compact Games ever. Around half of the 20 sports will be held in the Olympic Park and the majority of the remainder in the River Zone. These two zones are 15 minutes apart.
• Eton Manor, in the north of the Olympic Park, is a brand new sports facility that will host Paralympic Tennis.  Work began in 2010 and includes construction of 10 new tennis courts, four indoor and six outside. After the Games it will be transformed into a new multi-sports complex including a hockey centre, tennis centre and five-a-side football pitches.
• London 2012 will be the most accessible Games ever for athletes and spectators. Train platforms are being widened, buses will be low-floored and have wheelchair accessible and all river piers will have ramps. More than 8,250 London buses have been fitted with the new iBus system an automatic radio and on bus passenger display announcement system which helps the visually and hearing impaired and those unfamiliar with London.
• The Paralympic Games run from 29 August until 9 September just two weeks after the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games. 

UK Paralympians

• Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and David Roberts are amongst Britain’s most successful Paralympians, with 11 gold medals each. Grey-Thompson won hers on the track and Roberts in the pool. Swimmer Chris Holmes won nine gold medals including six in one Games (Barcelona 1992), the largest medal haul at a single Paralympic Games by a British Paralympian ever.
• In the last three Paralympic Games (Beijing 2008, Athens 2004 and Sydney 2000) Paralympics GB has never finished lower than second in the medal table. Beijing 2008 was the most successful Paralympic Games ever for Paralympics GB with a final tally of 42 gold medals.
• Britain’s youngest ever individual winner of a Paralympic gold medal was Walsall’s Eleanor Simmonds who took gold in the 100 metres freestyle in Beijing in 2008. She followed up with a second gold in the 400 metres freestyle. Britain’s youngest ever gold medallist was Joanne Round who won swimming relay gold in Seoul in 1988 at the age of 12.
• Sarah Storey (nee Bailey) won five gold medals in Paralympic Games swimming events before switching to cycling in 2005. In Beijing in 2008, at her 5th Paralympic Games, Bailey won two more gold medals in the Velodrome, 16 years after her first gold at the age of 14.