
Characteristics of the Paralympic Games
Paralympic games feature guides
Some Paralympic disciplines involve guides for the blind.
In general, the Paralympic Games are characterized by the following:
They are similar to the Olympic Games but dedicated to athletes with severe disabilities of various kinds. These receive gold, silver and bronze medals depending on their sports performance.
They cover a total of 25 sports disciplines, varying depending on whether summer or winter. These disciplines are designed to be practised by athletes with a disability, which is why they often involve wheelchairs, guides for the blind, and other necessary elements.
Athletes compete and are classified into ten categories, depending on the type of disability they present.
They are organized by the International Paralympic Committee, based in Bonn, Germany.
Their symbol is a logo based on the Tae-Geeks, a traditional Korean emblem similar to the one on their flag, combining the colours red, blue, and green. Later, this logo was stylized, and in 2003, its current image was approved.
They are held every four years in a different city. At the beginning of each edition, the Paralympic Anthem (“Hymn of the Future”), composed by Thierry Darnis and approved by the International Paralympic Committee in 1996, sounds.
Origin of the Paralympic Games
paralympic games‘ origin history
The Paralympic Games seek to promote sports for people with disabilities.
The Paralympic Games are heirs to initiatives born in the mid-20th century that sought to promote sports for people with disabilities, such as the International Sports Organization for the Disabled, founded in 1964. This organization sought to become an equivalent of the IOC that organizes the International Olympic Games.
Thus, in 1982, the International Coordination Committee for Sport for the Disabled (CIC) was established. Thanks to the cooperation between these two organizations, the first Paralympic Games were held in Seoul in 1988. The success of this initiative was such that in 1989 the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) was founded.
From then on, the Paralympic Games became more popular and spread internationally, and new agreements were reached with the IOC to share facilities and manage them jointly. For this reason, the Paralympic Games share the year with the traditional Olympics.
In this way, the size and diversity of the Paralympic Games increased, going from 400 athletes from 23 countries competing in 8 sports that had competitions in 196 to more than 4,200 athletes from 164 countries currently competing in more than 20 different sports.