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Since what year have the Paralympic Games been held? Informational portal

Paralympic sports include many traditional disciplines designed for participation by people with disabilities. These games represent the culmination of a four-year sports cycle among all athletes, as well as other participants in this movement. Paralympic sports include the most prestigious competitions for people with disabilities, and selection for them takes place through a range of regional, national and international competitions.

Olympic and Paralympic Games

In 2000, it was signed between the Olympic and Paralympic International Committees, which established the basic principles of the relationship. Already in 2002, it was decided to use the “one application - one city” technology. In other words, the country’s application immediately extended to Paralympic sports, and the competitions themselves were held in the same facilities with the support of a single organizing committee. Moreover, these tournaments begin at intervals of two weeks.

Initially, the term “Paralympic Games” was encountered during the Games in Tokyo in 1964, but this name received official confirmation only in 1988, when the Winter Games were held in Austria, and before that they were usually called “Stoke Mandeville” (this name was given in honor of the place where they were held for the first time for combat veterans).

Origin story

Paralympic sports were largely due to a neurosurgeon named Ludwig Guttmann, who came up with the idea. In 1939, the doctor emigrated to England from Germany, where, on behalf of the British government, he opened his own Center for Spinal Injuries, based at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury.

Just four years after its opening, he decided to organize the first games for people suffering from musculoskeletal injuries, calling them the “National Stoke Mandeville Games for the Disabled.” It is worth noting that even then they began in parallel with the opening ceremony of the 1948 Olympic Games, which at that time were held in London, and the competitions themselves attracted a large number of former military personnel who were injured during hostilities. We can say that it was then that the first Paralympic sports appeared. Winter, summer and other groups appeared later, when they began to acquire a more official status.

The name itself was initially associated with the term parapledgia, which means paralysis of the lower limbs, since the first regular competitions were held specifically among people suffering from various diseases of the spine. Along with the beginning of participation in such games by athletes who had other types of injuries, it was decided to somewhat rethink this term and further interpret it as “near, outside the Olympics,” that is, to merge the Greek preposition Para, meaning “near,” together with in the word Olympics. Such an updated interpretation should talk about holding various competitions among people with disabilities together and on an equal footing with the Olympic ones.

Already in 1960, the IX international annual Stoke Mandeville Games were held in Rome. In this case, the competition program included summer Paralympic sports:

wheelchair basketball;
Athletics;
wheelchair fencing;
archery;
table tennis;
darts;
billiards;
swimming.

More than 400 athletes with disabilities took part in these competitions, who came from 23 countries, and for the first time in history, not only those people who were injured during various military operations began to be allowed to participate. In 1984, the IOC decided to officially designate such competitions as the First Games for athletes with disabilities.

In 1976, competitions that combined Paralympic sports (winter) began for the first time. These competitions took place in Ornskoldsvik, and the program included only two disciplines - alpine skiing and cross-country skiing. 250 athletes from 17 different countries decided to take part in such competitions, and people with visual impairments and amputees have already participated.

An association

Beginning in 1992, the athletes for whom Paralympic sports (summer and winter) were created began to compete among themselves in the same cities in which they were held. Olympic Games. With the development of the movement, various organizations gradually began to be created for athletes with different types disability. Thus, Paralympic sports for the visually impaired and many others appeared. Also founded in 1960, the Committee for the International Stoke Mandeville Games subsequently became the so-called International Federation of Stoke Mandeville Games.

Committee work

The first General Assembly held by international disability sport organizations is a landmark event in the history of how Paralympic sports have developed. Summer and winter Games began to be carried out under the leadership of the International Committee, which, as a non-profit international organization, began to lead this movement throughout the world. Its appearance was dictated by the ever-increasing need to expand national representation, as well as the creation of a movement that could mainly orient people with in different forms disability.

Thus, these games initially set themselves the goal of rehabilitation and treatment of disabled people, and over time they turned into a full-fledged sporting event highest level, as a result of which its own governing body was needed. For this reason, the ICC, the Disability Sports Coordinating Council, came into existence in 1982, and the IPC, known as the International Paralympic Committee, which was given full powers as a coordinating council, did not appear until seven years later.

Correct writing

It is worth noting the fact that the spelling of the term “Paralympic” is recorded in the Russian Spelling Dictionary, as well as in many other technical literature. At the same time, much more often you can find another spelling - “Paralympic Games”. and summer) are rarely called so, since this name is non-normative and is not indicated in dictionaries, although it is actively used in official documents modern organs state power, which is a carbon copy of the official name with in English, which is spelled Paralympic Games.

In accordance with federal legislation, a single concept is established that must be used in laws Russian Federation, as well as all phrases that are formed on their basis. Therefore, Paralympic sports for the blind and visually impaired, as well as for other categories of athletes, are usually called that way.

In current laws, the spelling of these words is in accordance with the rules established by international sports organizations, and the rejection of the original term is dictated by the fact that the use of the word “Olympic”, as well as any of its derivatives, for marketing or some other commercial purposes must always be agreed with the IOC, which will be quite inconvenient.

International Committee

The International Paralympic Committee is a non-profit organization whose responsibilities include the preparation and subsequent holding of various winter and summer games, world championships and many other international competitions for people with disabilities.

The highest body of the IPC is the General Assembly, which meets every two years, and absolutely all members of this organization take part in it. It is customary to use the IPC Code of Rules as the main summary document in accordance with which the issues of the Paralympic movement are regulated.

The Committee not only regulates issues of existing disciplines - new Paralympic sports are also appearing, the list of which is constantly growing. Since 2001, the position of president of this organization has been held by Sir Philip Cravan (English), who is a member of the management team of the British Olympic Association. It is worth noting that this man is a world champion, and also twice became a two-time European champion in wheelchair basketball, and in his discipline he served as president of the International Federation for quite a long time.

Under the leadership of Philip Cravan, the strategic objectives, as well as the basic structures and systems of governance within the IPC began to be reconsidered. Ultimately, the use of this innovative approach allowed the development of a whole package of proposals, as well as a new vision and mission of the entire movement, as a result of which the IPC Constitution was adopted in 2004, which is in force to this day.

It is worth noting that the USSR national team first turned its attention to the Paralympic sport “boccia” and others only in 1984, when it came to Austria for these competitions. The team began its debut with two bronze medals, won by a visually impaired team. In summer competitions, Soviet athletes were able to make their debut only in the games in Seoul, which took place in 1988 - there they competed in athletics and swimming, ultimately managing to take home 55 medals, of which 21 were gold.

Symbolism

For the first time, competitions were held under the emblem in 2006, which included each winter Paralympic sport. Athletics, swimming and other summer disciplines began to be held under this emblem later, but it itself remains unchanged to this day. This logo includes hemispheres of green, red and blue colors, which are located around the center. This symbol aims to reflect the IPC's core role in bringing together athletes with disabilities who delight and inspire people with their achievements around the world. Today, the colors of this emblem are quite widely represented in various national flags of different countries of the world, and they symbolize Body, Mind and Spirit.

The Games also feature a Paralympic flag, which displays the IPC emblem on a white background, and can only be used at official events that have been previously authorized by the IPC.

The anthem is an orchestral work Hymn de l’Avenir, and was written by a famous French composer named Thierry Darny back in 1996, and it was almost immediately approved by the IPC Board.

The Paralympic motto is “Spirit in Motion”, and it also clearly and succinctly conveys the main vision of this direction - providing opportunities for all athletes with disabilities to delight and inspire the world with your achievements, regardless of a person’s background and state of health.

Types of games

The Paralympic Games (sports) are divided into several categories.

Summer. They include off-season and summer Paralympic Games (sports), held at intervals of four years under the control of the IOC. This includes, in addition to the games already listed, relatively young sports such as goalball and others.
Winter. At first it included only skiing types sports, but over time sledge hockey and wheelchair curling were added. On this moment Winter Games are held in only 5 main disciplines.

Torch relay

As you know, the flame is usually lit in Olympia, and only then the relay race begins, during which it is delivered directly to the capital city of the games. Olympic and Paralympic sports differ in this regard, and here the route does not start from Olympia - the organizers themselves determine the city where this procession will begin, and the path of the fire to the capital, naturally, is always somewhat shorter.

For example, in 2014, the relay lasted for 10 days, and during this time 1,700 people from Russia and other countries carried the torch, including 35% of people with disabilities. Special attention should be paid to the fact that four thousand volunteers also took part in this relay, and the flame was carried through 46 cities different regions Russia. In addition, for the first time in the process of holding one of the stages of this relay, it was held in Stoke Mandeville, that is, exactly where the Paralympic Games were first held, although not yet on an official basis. Starting in 2014, fire will pass through this city constantly.

A kind of biathlon

Paralympic athletes take part in competitions in twenty different summer disciplines and only five winter disciplines - sledge hockey, biathlon, wheelchair curling and cross-country skiing. There are practically no fundamental differences in the basic rules for conducting such competitions, but there are some specific features.

Thus, Paralympic biathlon provides a reduced distance to the target, and it is only 10 meters, while standard biathlon provides for the target to be located 50 meters from the shooter. Also, athletes with visual impairments shoot from specialized rifles equipped with an optronic system that is triggered while aiming. This system involves the use of electroacoustic glasses that begin to emit loud sound signals, when the athlete's sight approaches the center of the target, which allows him to better orient himself to make accurate shots at the target.

also in various types Sports use a number of other auxiliary conditions and specialized technologies that simplify the performance of certain actions for athletes with disabilities, so they cannot be compared with standard sports, although in many ways they are quite similar.

The Paralympic Games have a lot of differences from the Olympic Games, but, one way or another, they pursue the same goals - to inspire to conquer new heights. For all the people who watch these competitions, disabled people who do not give up are definitely worthy role models.

is the culmination of a four-year sports cycle for Paralympic athletes and the rest of the Paralympic movement. The Paralympic Games are the most prestigious competition for athletes with disabilities, with selection taking place through national, regional and world competitions.

In 2000, the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee signed a Cooperation Agreement, which established the principles of relations between these organizations. A year later, the practice of “one application - one city” was introduced: the application to host the Olympic Games automatically extends to the Paralympic Games, and the Games are carried out at the same sports facilities by the same Organizing Committee. At the same time, the Paralympic competitions start two weeks after the end of the Olympic Games.

The term “Paralympic Games” was first mentioned in connection with the 1964 Games in Tokyo. This name was officially approved in 1988, at the Winter Games in Innsbruck (Austria). Until 1988 The games were called "Stoke Mandeville" (in accordance with the place where the first Paralympic competitions were held).

Name " " was originally associated with the term paraplegia (paraplegia), since the first regular competitions were held among people with spinal diseases. With the start of the participation of athletes with other disabilities in the Games, the term "Paralympic Games" was redefined as "next to, outside the Olympics": a merger of the Greek preposition " Para ” (near, outside, besides, about, parallel) and the words “ Olympics " The new interpretation was supposed to indicate the holding of competitions among people with disabilities in parallel and on an equal footing with the Olympic Games.

The idea of creating the Paralympic Games belongs to a neurosurgeon Ludwig Guttmann (July 3, 1899 – March 18, 1980). Having emigrated from Germany to the UK in 1939, he, on behalf of the British government, opened the Spinal Injuries Center at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury in 1944.

In July 1948, Ludwig Guttmann organized the first games for people with musculoskeletal injuries - the National Stoke Mandeville Games for the Disabled. They began on the same day as the opening ceremony of the 1948 Olympic Games in London. Former military personnel who were injured in the war took part in the competition.
The Stoke Mandeville Games were given international status in 1952, when former Dutch military personnel took part in them.

In 1960 in Rome (Italy) A few weeks after the XVII Olympic Games, the IX annual international Stoke Mandeville Games were held. The Games program included eight sports: archery, athletics, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, table tennis, swimming, as well as darts and billiards. 400 athletes with disabilities from 23 countries took part in the competition. For the first time in the history of the Paralympic Games, not only people with disabilities who were injured during combat were allowed to participate in the competition.
In 1984, the IOC officially gave the competition the status First Paralympic Games .

The first Paralympic Winter Games took place in 1976 in Sweden, in Ornskoldsvik. The program included two disciplines: cross-country skiing and skiing competitions. alpine skiing. More than 250 athletes from 17 countries (visually impaired and amputee athletes) participated.

Since the 1992 Games, which took place in Tignes and Albertville, France, the Paralympic Winter Games have been held in the same cities as the Olympic Winter Games.

With the development of the Paralympic movement, sports organizations began to be created for people with various categories of disabilities. Thus, in 1960, the Committee for the International Stoke Mandeville Games was established in Rome, which later became the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation.

The most important event in the development of the Paralympic movement was the first General Assembly of international sports organizations for disabled people. On September 21, 1989 in Düsseldorf (Germany) it established International Paralympic Committee (IPC) (International Paralympic Committee IPC), which, as an international non-profit organization, provides leadership to the Paralympic Movement throughout the world. The emergence of the IPC was driven by a growing need to expand national representation and create a movement more focused on sport for people with disabilities.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is an international non-profit, non-governmental organization that prepares and conducts the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, World Championships and other international competitions for athletes with disabilities.

The highest body of the IPC is the General Assembly, which meets once every two years. All members of the IPC take part in the General Assembly. The main summary document of the IPC regulating the issues of the Paralympic Movement is the IPC Handbook, an analogue of the Olympic Charter in the Olympic Movement.

Since 2001, the post of President of the IPC has been occupied by an Englishman Sir Philip Craven , member of the board of the British Olympic Association and the London 2012 organizing committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, world champion and two-time European champion in wheelchair basketball, former president of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation.

Under the leadership of Sir Philip Craven, a process was initiated in 2002 to review the strategic objectives, governance and structure of the IASC. This innovative approach resulted in the development of a package of proposals and a new vision and mission for the Paralympic Movement, leading to the adoption of the current IPC Constitution in 2004.

First USSR national team took part in the 1984 Paralympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria. The team had only two bronze medals, won by skier Olga Grigorieva, who is visually disabled. Soviet Paralympians made their debut in the Paralympic Summer Games in 1988 in Seoul. They competed in swimming and athletics, winning 55 medals, 21 of them gold.

First Paralympic emblem appeared at the Paralympic Winter Games in Turin in 2006. The logo is formed around center point three hemispheres of red, blue and green colors - three agitos (from the Latin agito - “to set in motion, to move”). This symbol reflects the role of the IPC in uniting athletes with disabilities who inspire and delight the world with their achievements. Three hemispheres, the colors of which - red, green and blue - are widely represented in the national flags of countries around the world, symbolize Mind, Body and Spirit.

Paralympic Games is the culmination of a four-year sports cycle for Paralympic athletes and the rest of the Paralympic movement. The Paralympic Games are the most prestigious competition for athletes with disabilities, with selection taking place through national, regional and world competitions.

Name " Paralympic Games " was originally associated with the term paraplegia (paraplegia), since the first regular competitions were held among people with spinal diseases. With the start of the participation of athletes with other disabilities in the Games, the term "Paralympic Games" was redefined as "next to, outside the Olympics": a merger of the Greek preposition " Para ” (near, outside, besides, about, parallel) and the words “ Olympics " The new interpretation was supposed to indicate the holding of competitions among people with disabilities in parallel and on an equal footing with the Olympic Games.

The first Paralympic Winter Games took place in 1976 in Sweden, in Ornskoldsvik. The program included two disciplines: cross-country skiing and alpine skiing competitions. More than 250 athletes from 17 countries (visually impaired and amputee athletes) participated.

Since the 1992 Games, which took place in Tignes and Albertville, France, the Paralympic Winter Games have been held in the same cities as the Olympic Winter Games.

First Paralympic emblem appeared at the Paralympic Winter Games in Turin in 2006. The logo consists of three hemispheres of red, blue and green colors located around a central point - three agitos (from the Latin agito - “to set in motion, to move”). This symbol reflects the role of the IPC in uniting athletes with disabilities who inspire and delight the world with their achievements. Three hemispheres, the colors of which - red, green and blue - are widely represented in the national flags of countries around the world, symbolize Mind, Body and Spirit.

On Paralympic flag depicts the main Paralympic symbol - the IPC emblem, located in the center on a white background. The Paralympic flag may only be used at official events sanctioned by the IPC.

Paralympic anthem is a musical orchestral work “Hymn de l’ Avenir” (“Hymn of the Future”). It was written by French composer Thierry Darny in 1996 and approved by the IPC Board in March 1996.

Paralympic motto – “Spirit in Motion” (“Spirit in motion”). The motto succinctly and powerfully conveys the vision of the Paralympic Movement - the need to provide opportunities for Paralympic athletes of all levels and backgrounds to inspire and delight the world through their sporting achievements.

Evgeny Gik, Ekaterina Gupalo.

The history of the Olympic Games is well known to many. Unfortunately, the Paralympic, or, as they say, Paralympic, games are much less known - the Olympiads for people with physical disabilities and disabilities. Meanwhile, in 2010 it will be half a century since they were held.

Founder of the Paralympic movement Ludwig Guttmann.

Although Liz Hartel failed to win gold, she rightfully takes her place among the heroes of the Olympics.

Cycling competitions.

Tennis competition among wheelchair athletes.

The founder of the Paralympic movement, the outstanding neurosurgeon Ludwig Guttmann (1899-1980), was born in Germany. For a long time worked at a hospital in Breslau. In 1939 he emigrated to England. His medical talent was obvious and soon appreciated: on behalf of the British government in 1944, he opened and headed the Spinal Cord Injury Center at the hospital in the small town of Stoke Mandeville, 74 km from London. Using his techniques, Guttman helped many soldiers wounded in the battles of World War II return to normal life after severe wounds and injuries. An important place in these methods was given to sports.

It was in Stoke Mandeville in 1948 that Ludwig Guttmann held an archery competition among wheelchair athletes - the Olympic Games were opening in London at the same time. In 1952, again simultaneously with the next Olympics, he organized the first international competition with the participation of 130 disabled athletes from England and Holland. And in 1956, for organizing the next major competitions for people with disabilities, Guttman received an award from the International Olympic Committee - the Fernley Cup for his contribution to the development of the Olympic movement.

Guttman's persistence was crowned with success. Immediately after the 1960 Olympics, the first summer Paralympic Games took place in Rome, and since 1976, winter games have also been held regularly.

For outstanding services in saving people from physical and mental illnesses, helping to restore their sense of civic fullness and dignity, Guttman received a knighthood and the highest award - the Order of the British Empire.

Of course, all of them - Paralympic athletes - are heroes because they did not accept the fate prepared by fate. They broke it and won. And it doesn’t matter at all whether their victory is crowned with an official award. But first, it’s worth remembering the predecessors of modern Paralympic heroes.

George Acer (USA). He was born in 1871 in Germany, the birthplace of gymnastics - perhaps that is why he chose this sport, continuing to practice it in the USA, where his family emigrated. Achieved the first successes and - tragedy. I got hit by a train and lost my left leg. Using a wooden prosthesis, he continued to prepare for the Olympic Games, which were to be held in his city of St. Louis.

And when they took place, Eiser, a gymnast on a wooden prosthesis, won gold medals in exercises on the uneven bars, in the vault and in rope climbing. In addition, he won silver medals on seven apparatuses and bronze on the horizontal bar.

Oliver Halassi (Hungary)- silver medalist of the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, Olympic champion of the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles and the pre-war Olympics in Berlin of 1936. As a child, he lost his leg below the knee when he was hit by a car. He categorically refused to recognize himself as disabled, training in swimming and water polo.

In 1931, Oliver became the European champion in 1500 m swimming, and in 1931, 1934 and 1938, as part of the Hungarian team, he won the
won the title of European champion in water polo. He was the champion of his country in swimming 25 times (!) - at distances from 400 to 1500 m.

In our country, Oliver Halassi is almost unknown; there is no information about him in sports books. The reason is that in 1946 he died at the hands of a soldier Soviet army. According to one version, the athlete tried to stop the looters near his home. A few days later, his wife gave birth to their third child.

Károly Takás (Hungary)(1910-1976). Olympic champion in London 1948 and Helsinki 1952. Takash was a military man, but in 1938 his army career was cut short by a break in right hand defective grenade.

Károly quickly relearned how to shoot with his left hand: the very next year after the tragedy - in 1939 - he became the world champion as part of the Hungarian team. At the 1948 Olympics in London, Takash amazed everyone by winning gold in his signature event - shooting from 25 m from rapid fire pistol. Before the fight, Argentinean Carlos Diaz Valente, who was considered the favorite in this event, asked Takash, not without irony, why he came to the Olympics. Takash answered briefly: “To study.” During the award ceremony, Carlos, who took second place on the podium, sincerely admitted to him: “You learned well.”

Takash repeated his success at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics; he was the first two-time champion in the history of the Olympic Games. He also performed at the following games, but failed to become the champion of three Olympiads in a row.

Ildiko Uylaki-Reito (Hungary)(born in 1937). Participant in five Olympiads, two-time champion of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, winner of seven medals. The famous fencer, one of the strongest in the history of sports fencing, was born deaf. The physical deficiency was compensated by an incredible reaction. She started fencing at the age of 15. The coaches, who immediately appreciated the girl’s amazing talent, communicated with her in writing, conveying instructions through notes.

Ildiko's favorite weapon was the rapier. In 1956 she became the world champion among juniors, a year later she won the Hungarian adult championship, and in 1963 she became the world champion. At her first Olympic Games in Rome 1960, she won a silver medal in the team competition, and in Tokyo 1964 she rose to the top of her career: two golds, in the individual and team competition. At the next two Olympics she won four more medals - two silver and two bronze. In 1999, Ildiko became the world champion among veterans.

Liz Hartel (Denmark)(1921-2009). Silver medalist at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki and the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne (Stockholm). Hartel has loved horses since childhood and was passionate about dressage. However, after the birth of her daughter, she fell ill with polio and was partially paralyzed. But she didn’t give up her favorite sport and rode beautifully, although she couldn’t get into the saddle and leave it without help.

Until 1952, only men were allowed to participate in the Olympic Games in equestrian sports, mostly military men. But the rules were changed, and women received the right to compete in equestrian tournaments at any level on an equal basis with men. At the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, four women competed in dressage. Liz won a silver medal and became the first female Olympic medalist in equestrian competition. At the 1956 Games she repeated her success.

Liz Hartel lived a colorful life rich life. She raised two children, was involved in coaching and charity work, and founded special therapeutic equestrian schools in different countries. The therapeutic and rehabilitation direction of equestrian sport - hippotherapy - thanks to it, is popular all over the world.

Sir Murray Hallberg ( New Zealand) (born 1933) In his youth, Halberg played rugby and was seriously injured during one of his matches. Despite his long-term treatment left hand remained paralyzed. Murray took up running and within three years became the national champion. At the 1960 Olympics in Rome, he won the 5000 m and was fifth in the 10,000 m. Murray set four world records in 1961, and in 1962 became a two-time Commonwealth Games three-mile champion. He ended his career at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, where he finished seventh in the 10,000 m. After leaving sports, Halberg became actively involved in charity work. The Halberg Trust helps disabled child athletes.

In 1988, Halberg received a knighthood, and in 2008, the country's highest honor, the Order of New Zealand. The Halberg Awards are presented annually to New Zealand's most successful athletes.

Terry Fox (Canada) (1958-1981) - national hero countries. He did not participate in the Paralympic Games, but inspired the exploits of many Paralympic athletes. After losing his leg at age 18 after cancer-related surgery, three years later he ran the “Marathon of Hope” around his country using a prosthetic leg, raising money for cancer research. In 143 days he covered more than 5000 km.

CHRONICLE OF THE SUMMER PARALYMPICS

I Summer Games (Rome, 1960)

The first ever Paralympic Games were opened by his wife former president Italy, Carl Gronchi, and Pope John XXIII received the participants in the Vatican. Only wheelchair athletes who had suffered an injury participated in the Games spinal cord. Archery was introduced, Athletics, basketball, fencing, table tennis, swimming, as well as darts and billiards.

II Summer Games (Tokyo, 1964)

The Games were able to be held in Japan thanks to the established connections of Japanese medical specialists with the Stoke Mandeville Ludwig Guttmann Center. Wheelchair races appeared in athletics: individual 60 m and relay races.

III Summer Games (Tel Aviv, 1968)

The Games were to be held in Mexico City immediately after the 1968 Olympics. But the Mexicans abandoned the Paralympics two years earlier, citing technical difficulties. Israel came to the rescue, organizing the competition for high level. The main character was the Italian Roberto Marson, who won nine gold medals - three each in athletics, swimming and fencing.

IV Summer Games (Heidelberg, 1972)

This time the Games were held in the same country as the Olympics, but in a different city - the organizers rushed to sell the Olympic village for private apartments. For the first time, athletes with visual disabilities participated, they competed in the 100 m race. Goalball also appeared for them - for now as a demonstration event.

V Summer Games (Toronto, 1976)

For the first time, amputee athletes competed. The largest number of program types - 207 - were in athletics. Unusual competitions also appeared - wheelchair slalom and kicking a soccer ball for distance and accuracy. The hero was 18-year-old Canadian Arnie Bold, who lost his leg at the age of three. He showed an amazing technique for jumping on one leg: he won the high and long jumps, setting an incredible world record in the high jump - 186 cm. He participated in four more Paralympics and won a total of seven gold and one silver medals, and in 1980 he improved your achievement by another 10 cm - 196 cm!

VI Summer Games (Arnhem, 1980)

The games were supposed to be held in Moscow, but the leadership of the USSR did not want to enter into contacts on this issue, and they were moved to Holland. Sitting volleyball appeared in the program - volleyball players from the Netherlands became the first champions. The Americans won the team competition - 195 medals (75 gold). Here and below are the official data of the International Paralympic Committee.

VII Summer Games (Stoke Mandeville and New York, 1984)

Due to problems of interaction between the Organizing Committees of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the competitions were held in parallel in America and Europe: 1,780 athletes from 41 countries competed in New York and 2,300 from 45 countries in Stoke Mandeville. A total of 900 medals were awarded. If athletes of all categories competed in New York, then in Stoke Mandeville, according to tradition, only wheelchair athletes competed. The Americans again won the team competition - 396 medals (136 gold).

VIII Summer Games (Seoul, 1988)

This time, the Paralympic Games were again held on the same sports grounds and in the same city as the Olympic Games. The program included 16 sports. Wheelchair tennis was presented as a demonstration event. The hero of the Games was American swimmer Trisha Zorn, who won 12 gold medals - ten in individual swims and two relays. Soviet Paralympians competed only in athletics and swimming, but were able to win 56 medals in these events, including 21 gold, and take 12th team place.

Vadim Kalmykov won four gold medals in Seoul - in the high jump, long jump, triple jump and pentathlon.

IX Summer Games (Barcelona, 1992)

Wheelchair tennis has become an official sport. The CIS team won 45 medals, including 16 gold, and took eighth overall team place. And the US Paralympians won again, winning 175 medals, including 75 gold.

X Summer Games (Atlanta, 1996)

These Games were the first in history to receive commercial sponsorship. 508 sets of awards were raffled off in 20 program types. Sailing and wheelchair rugby were featured as demonstration sports.

Albert Bakarev became the first Russian wheelchair athlete to win the Paralympic gold medal in swimming at a competition in Atlanta. He had been swimming since childhood, but was seriously injured at the age of 20 when he unsuccessfully jumped into the water while on vacation. Returning to the sport, five years later he showed good results; in Barcelona 1992 he became a bronze medalist. In 1995 he won the world championship. In Sydney 2000 he won two medals - silver and bronze.

XI Summer Games (Sydney, 2000)

After these Games, it was decided to temporarily exclude athletes with intellectual disabilities from participation. The reason was the difficulties of medical control. The reason was the participation of several healthy athletes in the Spanish national basketball team. The Spaniards defeated Russia in the final, but the deception was exposed, however, the “gold” did not go to our basketball players, they remained silver medalists.

And the heroine of the Games was the Australian swimmer Siobhan Peyton, an athlete with an intellectual disability. She won six gold medals and set nine world records. The Australian Paralympic Committee named her Athlete of the Year and released her postage stamp with her image. She received a state award - the Order of Australia. Siobhan studied at a regular school and was very worried about the fact that she was constantly teased, calling her “slow.” With her victories, she adequately responded to her offenders.

XII Summer Games (Athens, 2004)

There has never been such an abundance of records at any of the past Games. In swimming competitions alone, world records were broken 96 times. In athletics, world records were broken 144 times and Paralympic records 212.

In Athens, famous Paralympic veterans competed successfully, including the visually impaired American Trisha Zorn, who at the age of 40 won her 55th medal in swimming. A participant in six Games, she won almost every swimming event at them and simultaneously held nine Paralympic world records. Trisha also competed in able-bodied competitions and was a candidate for the US team for the 1980 Olympic Games.

The heroine of the Games was Japanese swimmer Mayumi Narita. The wheelchair athlete won seven gold and one bronze medal and set six world records.

XIII Summer Games (Beijing, 2008)

The hosts created all the conditions for the participants. Not only sports facilities and the Olympic Village, but also the streets of Beijing, as well as historical sites, were equipped with special devices for the disabled. China, as expected, took first place with 211 medals (89 gold). The Russians took eighth place - 63 (18). A good result, considering that our Paralympians competed in less than half of the program’s events.

The most medals - 9 (4 gold, 4 silver and 1 bronze) - were won by Brazilian swimmer Daniel Diaz.

Another hero, Oscar Pistorius (South Africa), a runner on prosthetics, became a three-time Paralympic champion in Beijing. At 11 months old, he lost his legs due to a birth defect. The athlete uses specially designed carbon fiber prostheses for running and is now fighting for the right to participate on an equal basis with everyone else in the London 2012 Olympics. At least, in the courts, he seems to have defended this right.

TYPES OF PARALYMPIC SPORTS

SUMMER

Wheelchair basketball. The very first game type that was presented at the Summer Games. Teams have five players; the rules, with the exception of the fact that players move in wheelchairs, are close to the usual ones. In Beijing 2008, Australian basketball players became the winners.

Billiards. Classic billiards - snooker in a version for wheelchair users was presented at the Games in 1960 by one masculine looking. The British won the gold and silver medals. The rules are not fundamentally different from the usual ones.

Struggle. Paralympic wrestling is closer to freestyle, participants are divided into weight categories. The Americans were the strongest in this event: in 1980 they won eight gold medals, and in 1984 - seven. Perhaps for this reason wrestling was replaced by judo.

Bocce. Variation of the Greek ball game. The rules are simple: the leather ball must be thrown as close as possible to the control white ball. The competition involves athletes with severe disabilities, men and women together; There are individual, pair and team options.

Cycling. The rules are not adapted specifically for athletes with disabilities, but additional protective equipment has been introduced. Wheelchair users compete on manual wheelchairs, and visually impaired athletes compete on tandem bicycles in pairs with sighted assistants. Men and women participate. The modern program includes road racing, as well as track sports: team, individual, pursuit, etc.

Volleyball. There are two varieties - standing and sitting. In Beijing, Russia competed in this event for the first time and won bronze medals.

Goalball. A ball game for blind athletes, in which you need to roll a large ball with a bell inside into the opponent's goal.

Academic rowing. Competitions are held in four types: men's and women's singles (athletes using only their hands participate), mixed doubles (with their arms and body) and mixed fours (with their legs).

Darts. This event, in a version for wheelchair users, was presented at the Paralympic Games from 1960 to 1980, but it is possible that it will return to the program.

Judo. In the Paralympic version, blind wrestlers (both men and women) grab each other before the signal to start the fight. In Beijing, Oleg Kretsul won a gold medal, the first for Russia.

Athletics. Running, jumping, throwing, all-around, as well as specific types - wheelchair racing. 160 types of programs were presented in Beijing. China takes first place with 77 medals (31 gold).

Horseback Riding. Competitions are held according to the compulsory program, free and team. 70 athletes took part in Beijing, including two representatives of Russia. Team Great Britain was out of competition - 10 medals (5 gold).

Lawn bowl (bowl game). The game is reminiscent of both golf and bowling, invented in England in the 12th century, and was part of the Paralympic Games from 1968 to 1988. The strongest athletes were invariably from Great Britain.

Table tennis. Wheelchair users (a ball crossing the side of the table after bouncing does not count) and amputees participate; there are single and team competitions. In Beijing, the hosts were beyond competition - 22 medals (13 gold).

Sailing. Men and women compete together in three classes of boats. In Beijing, Paralympians from the USA, Canada and Germany each won one gold medal.

Swimming. The rules are close to the usual ones, but there are changes. Thus, blind swimmers are informed about touching the wall of the pool. There are three starting options: standing, sitting and from the water.

Wheelchair rugby. Although both men and women participate, the game is tough and uncompromising. A volleyball is used that can be carried and passed by hand. Wheelchair rugby combines elements of basketball, football and ice hockey and is played on a basketball court. Special wheelchairs are used to soften the impact of collisions. The US team won gold in Beijing.

Power types. The most widespread exercise is powerlifting - the bench press. In Beijing, the Chinese became the best, winning 14 medals (9 gold).

Archery. The first Paralympic event was the start of the wheelchair competition, organized by Ludwig Guttman in Stoke Mandeville. The program includes team competitions, standing and sitting in a wheelchair.

Bullet shooting. Wheelchair users shoot while sitting in a wheelchair or lying down. Athletes are divided into two categories: those who use and those who do not use additional arm support. There are male, female and mixed types.

Dance sport. Wheelchair dance competitions are divided into three types - partner in a wheelchair, partner in a wheelchair, and both dancers in wheelchairs.

Wheelchair tennis. Men's and women's, singles and doubles competitions are held. The main difference from regular tennis is that the ball is allowed to bounce twice off the court.

Wheelchair fencing. The first type adapted for athletes with disabilities. The fundamental feature is that the strollers are secured on a special platform, and instead of leg movements, the body or only the arms are used.

Football 7x7. Competitions for athletes with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders, the degree of disability is strictly specified by the rules: impairments must interfere with normal play, and movement disorders are allowed, but it is necessary to maintain normal coordination in a standing position and when hitting the ball. In addition to the reduced size of the court and fewer players, there is no offside rule and one-handed throw-ins are allowed. Two halves of 30 minutes are played. Russian football players are champions of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, medalists in 1996, 2004 and 2008.

Football 5x5. Game for blind and visually impaired athletes; close to goalball, but played standing up. There are four players on the team, and the goal is protected by a sighted coach-goalkeeper who directs the actions. The rattle ball game lasts 50 minutes. One team may have blind and visually impaired players; Blindfolds are required for everyone except the goalkeeper.

WINTER

Biathlon. In 1988, only men with lower limb impairments participated in the competition. In 1992, events for athletes with visual impairments were added, which was made possible thanks to special audio electrical equipment created in Sweden. The diameter of the target for athletes with visual impairments is 30 mm, for athletes with musculoskeletal disorders - 25 mm. For each miss, a penalty minute is assigned.

Athletes' rifles are kept on the range and do not need to be carried. Shooting only while lying down. Athletes with visual impairments are provided with a guide to help them get into position and load the rifle.

Ski race. First, athletes with amputations (used special devices for poles) and with visual impairments (walked the distance with a guide) participated. Since 1984, wheelchair athletes have also competed in cross-country skiing. They moved on sit-on sled skis - the seat is fixed at a height of about 30 cm on two ordinary skis - and held short poles in their hands.

Skiing. Three-ski slalom was invented: athletes descend the mountain on one ski, using two additional skis attached to the ends of poles. Monoski competitions are designed for wheelchair users and are similar to snowboarding. In Turin 2006 there were 24 types of programs, 12 each for men and women.

Wheelchair curling. Unlike traditional curling, there are no sweepers. Teams are mixed and the five players must include at least one representative of each gender. Athletes compete in their usual wheelchairs. The stones are moved by special sliding sticks with plastic tips that cling to the handle of the stone.

Ice sledge racing. Paralympic analogue of speed skating for wheelchair athletes. Instead of skates, sleighs with runners are used.

Sledge hockey. Invented by three disabled people from Sweden who played wheelchair sports on frozen lakes. As in traditional hockey, six players (including the goalkeeper) from each team play. Players move around the field on sleds; The equipment includes two sticks, one of which is used for pushing off the ice and maneuvering, and the other for hitting the puck. The game consists of three periods lasting 15 minutes.

Paralympic sport dates back to the 1880s. However, it was the development in 1945 of a new treatment regimen for people with spinal cord injuries that led to the development of the worldwide sports movement for the disabled, known today as the Paralympic Movement. After World War II, sports for the disabled took a step forward, greatly facilitated by the work of Ludwig Guttmann, a German doctor who fled to England from Nazism in 1936. He approved sport as a means of physical, psychological and social rehabilitation of disabled people with spinal injuries. Sir Ludwig Guttmann from Stoke Mandeville Hospital (England) radically changed the theory and practice of rehabilitation, placing special emphasis on sports. Over time, what began as auxiliary procedures for the physical rehabilitation of World War II veterans grew into a sports movement in which the physical performance of athletes takes center stage (Professor Ludwig Guttmann eventually became director of the Stoke Mandeville Center and president of the British International Organization for the Treatment of Disabled Persons musculoskeletal system). Disabled people with damage to the musculoskeletal system (PODA) began to actively participate in sports. At the Stoke Mandeville Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Centre, a sports program has been developed as an essential part of comprehensive treatment.

In 1948, Sir Ludwig Guttmann founded the Stoke Mandeville Games (SMI), which took place at the same time as the Olympic Games in Great Britain. Former military personnel - 16 paralyzed men and women - took part in the archery competition. The first multinational participation in the Stoke Mandeville Games (Dutch and English war veterans) led to the first International Stoke Mandeville Games (IMSG) in 1952, the forerunner of the modern Paralympic Games. In subsequent years, there was an increase in both the number of participants and the types of sports. The Games began to be held annually as an international sports festival. Disabled athletes from Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, and then other countries took part in it. There was a need for an international organization to coordinate the emerging Paralympic movement. This led to the creation of the International Stoke Mandeville Federation, which established a close relationship with the International Olympic Committee.

Already in 1956, during the Olympic Games in Melbourne, she was awarded a special cup by the IOC for realizing the Olympic ideals of humanism. In Stoke Mandeville, the first stadium for disabled athletes was built using funds from disabled people, pensioners and charitable donations. In 1959, Ludwig Guttmann developed and published in the “Book of Stoke Mandeville Games for the Paralyzed” the first ever regulations for competitions in sports for the disabled. The Paralympic Movement initially developed through the creation of various sports organizations for people with specific disabilities, known today as International organizations sports for the disabled (IOSD). In 1960, the first of these organizations, the Committee for the International Stoke Mandeville Games (CSMIG), was established in Rome. In 1972 it was renamed the International Federation of Stoke Mandeville Games (IFMSG) and later became the International Federation of Wheelchair Sports of Stoke Mandeville (IFWMS). In 1964, the International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD) was founded, which also included athletes with amputations. In 2004, IFSCSM and ISOD merged and became known as the International Federation of Wheelchair and Amputee Sports (IFAS).

In 1978 it was created International Association sports and physical culture for Persons with Cerebral Palsy (SP-ISPA), followed in 1981 by the International Federation of Blind Sports (IBSA) and in 1986 by the International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (INAS-FID). In 1960, the 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games were held in Rome, Italy, a few weeks after the Olympic Games. As a consequence of this symbolic action and the participation of more than 400 athletes from 23 countries in these games, they are honored as the first Paralympic Games. It was decided that every fourth year these games would be held in the country of the Olympiads and would be considered the Olympic Games for the Disabled.

Since then, the Paralympic Games have been held in the same year of the Olympic Games, and since the 1988 Seoul Paralympics, they have been held in the same cities and locations as their Olympic counterparts. Twice the games were held in countries, but not in the cities of the Olympics - in Germany and Canada, and three times in other countries, bypassing the Olympic ones - in Israel and Holland in 1980 and 1994. The term "Paralympic Games" became official in 1988. This name comes from the Greek preposition "para" ("about" or "alongside") and the word "Olympic Games". The first Paralympic Winter Games were held in Ornskoldsvik (Sweden) in 1976. Since the 1992 Games in Tignes-Albertville (France), the Paralympic Winter Games have been held in the same cities as the Olympic Winter Games.

As the movement grew, so did the need for increased coordination and collaboration between different organizations. In 1982, IFSM, SP-ISRA, IBSA and ISOD joined forces to create the International Committee for the Coordination of Sports for the Disabled Worldwide (ICC). In 1986, they were also joined by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (CIDS) and the International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (INAS-FID). The ICC represented the interests of disabled people's groups and governed the Paralympic Games between 1982 and 1992. However, the growing need for increased national representation and the creation of a more sport-oriented movement led to the founding of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in 1989 in Düsseldorf, Germany, as a recognized governing body Paralympic movement. The meeting was attended by representatives of the six IOCDs, which are considered founding members of the IPC, and forty-two National Paralympic Committees and National Disability Sports Organizations. They approved the first IPC Constitution and elected the first President, Dr. Robert Steadward from Canada. It was only five years later, in 1994, that the IPC assumed full responsibility for the Paralympic Games.

In 2001, the IPC General Assembly authorized a review of the governance and structure of the IPC. Under the leadership of the new President, Sir Philip Craven, a process of strategic review was initiated in 2002. The process culminated in the approval of a package of proposals at the historic 2003 General Assembly “Designing the Future” in Turin, which led to the adoption of the current Constitution in 2004. The Constitution and the Regulations adopted on its basis are the governing documents of the IPC and the Paralympic Movement.

In 2003, the IPC adopted a Vision reflecting main goal Paralympic Movement: to create all the conditions for Paralympians to achieve sports excellence, inspire and delight the world.

The Paralympic Movement, under the supreme leadership of the IPC, includes all athletes and officials belonging to the NPCs, IOSD, International Sports Federations (IFS), Regional organizations(RO), IPC Sports Committees, IPC Councils, IPC Standing Committees, as well as other persons and other organizations that agree to be governed by the IPC Constitution and Regulations. The criterion for membership of the Paralympic Movement is official membership of the IPC or recognition by the IPC. When the IPC was created in 1989, its headquarters were located in Bruges, Belgium. In 1997, the IPC General Assembly voted to move its headquarters to Bonn, Germany, and create its first professional staff structure. The official opening of the new headquarters took place on September 3, 1999.

Year	Summer Paralympics	Winter Paralympic Games
	Games	City	Games	City
1960	I Summer Paralympic Games	Rome, Italy
1964	II Summer Paralympic Games	Tokyo, Japan
1968	III Summer Paralympic Games	Tel Aviv, Israel
1972	IV Summer Paralympic Games	Heidelberg, Germany
1976	V Summer Paralympic Games	Toronto, Canada	I Winter Paralympic Games	Ornskoldsvik, Sweden
1980	VI Summer Paralympic Games	Arnhem, Netherlands	II Winter Paralympic Games	Geilo, Norway
1984	VII Summer Paralympic Games	Stoke Mandeville, UK New York, USA	III Winter Paralympic Games	Innsbruck, Austria
1988	VIII Summer Paralympic Games	Seoul, South Korea	IV Winter Paralympic Games	Innsbruck, Austria
1992	IX Summer Paralympic Games	Barcelona and Madrid, Spain	V Winter Paralympic Games	Tines and Abberville, France
1994			VI Winter Paralympic Games	Lillehammer, Norway
1996	X Summer Paralympic Games	Atlanta, USA
1998			VII Winter Paralympic Games	Nagano, Japan
2000	XI Summer Paralympic Games	Sydney, Australia
2002			VIII Winter Paralympic Games	Salt Lake City, USA
2004	XII Summer Paralympic Games	Athens, Greece
2006			IX Winter Paralympic Games	Turin, Italy
2008	XIII Summer Paralympic Games	Beijing, China
2010			X Winter Paralympic Games	Vancouver, Canada
2012	XIV Summer Paralympic Games	London, Great Britain
2014			XI Winter Paralympic Games	Sochi, Russia
2016	XV Summer Paralympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2018			XII Winter Paralympic Games	Pyeongchang, Korea
2020	XVI Summer Paralympic Games	Tokyo, Japan
2022			XIII Winter Paralympic Games	Beijing, China

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