Paralympic Games

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The Paralympic Games , also called Paralympics (English [ ˌpærəˈlɪmpɪks ]), are the global sports competitions for athletes with disabilities , based on the idea of ​​the Olympic Games .

The Paralympics, organized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), are divided into the Paralympic Summer Games and Paralympic Winter Games. The respective summer and winter games take place regularly at the same locations every four years directly after the summer and winter olympic games .

Sports recognized as Paralympic and their starting classes are globally recognized, classified and organized in championships for athletes on a world and continental level.

The term "Paralympics"

The term "Paralympics" was initially created as a combination of the words Paraplegic (English: paralyzed ) and Olympic . In order to extend it to people with other types of disability, the word formation was redefined and is now based on the Greek words Para ( next to ) and Olympics to express the proximity to the Olympic movement and the coexistence of the Games. The term is officially used for the first time at the 1988 Olympic Games in Korea . These were previously known as the “World Games for the Paralyzed”, “Olympics for the Disabled” or the “World Games for the Disabled”.

Public interest

For many years the Paralympics were far less in the public eye than the Olympic Games; the media often only reported individual achievements. Live broadcasts of the numerous events found only a very small group of interested parties and are broadcast - if at all - at subordinate broadcasting slots or broadcast times according to demand. The 2012 Paralympic Games in London received a lot of media attention in Germany and the main broadcasting times of the Olympic Games were brought closer with numerous broadcasts.

history

In 1948, the first sports games for wheelchair users , the so-called Stoke Mandeville Games , began in Aylesbury (England) on the same day as the London Olympic Games . It was initiated by the neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttmann of German origin in order to combine the competitions of people with disabilities with the games of non-disabled people. 14 war disabled men and women with spinal cord injuries took part in the Stoke Mandeville Games . The participants measured their archery skills .

In 1960 the first "World Games of the Paralyzed" took place in Rome , but no longer parallel to the Summer Olympics, but a few weeks later. 400 athletes from 21 nations, initially only wheelchair athletes, took part in the games. Since then, the Paralympics have taken place every four years, always in the same year as the Olympic Games.

1964 started in Tokyo (Japan) 335 participants in the II. Paralympics.

1968 Tel Aviv (Israel) was the venue of the III. Paralympics, 750 athletes from 29 nations competed.

In 1972 already 1000 athletes took part in the IV Paralympics in Heidelberg (Federal Republic of Germany).

In 1976 in Toronto (Canada), amputees and visually impaired people started at the 5th Paralympics for the first time. 1,600 athletes from 42 nations competed in the games, and in Örnsköldsvik (Sweden) the Paralympic Winter Games were held for the first time , in which 250 ski racers from 14 nations competed.

1980 was home to Arnhem (Netherlands) at the VI. Paralympics 2500 participants from 42 countries, and 350 athletes from 18 nations took part in the II Winter Games in Geilo (Norway).

In 1984 the Los Angeles Olympics commercial organizing team refused to host the International Games for Disabled. The reason was that this "does not fit into the professional image of the LA Games". The Chicago suburb of Champagne then offered to host the event. A few months before the planned opening ceremony, the community returned the games on the grounds that there was a shortage of $ 100,000 to cover the costs. The games were then divided. The paralyzed people last competed in Stoke Mandeville, UK. All other handicapped people were cheered frenetically by the proud citizens of the New York Long Island community of Hempstead. The Hofstra University there collected the required funds within two hours and organized the games. After Yugoslavia was canceled, the Winter Games took place in Austria for the first time, in Innsbruck.

In 1988 3,053 athletes from 61 nations competed in Seoul at the summer games at the venues of the Olympic Games, and the Winter Paralympics were once again hosted in Innsbruck with 397 athletes from 22 countries.

In 1989, responsibility for the organization and development of the games for the disabled was transferred to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), which was founded in Düsseldorf and has its headquarters in Bonn.

Since the 1988 Summer Paralympics, the Games have been held regularly at the same location as the Olympic Games. In an agreement concluded on June 19, 1991 between the International Olympic Committee and the IPC, this practice was implemented for all Games from the IX. 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona (Spain). There were 3020 participants and Tignes (France) hosted the 5th Winter Games.

In 1994, Lillehammer (Norway) set new standards at the Winter Games with 1,000 starters from 31 countries.

The 1996 Summer Games not only saw a new record of participants with 3,195 participants, but also a disgrace for the USA despite the new agreement: the organizers in Atlanta had the facilities dismantled after the Olympics, so that the Paralympics took place in ruins.

In 1998 the VII Winter Paralympics took place in Nagano (Japan).

In 2000 it became clear to around 650,000 spectators in Sydney (Australia) that the Paralympics with 4,000 athletes from 125 nations were a major event.

In 2001 an agreement was signed between the IOC and IPC that the Paralympics should always take place two weeks after the end of the Olympic Games at the same venue and at the same competition venues, and that an application for both events must be submitted.

In 2002, Salt Lake City (USA) hosted the VIII Winter Paralympics for 500 winter sports enthusiasts from 35 nations.

In 2004 in Athens (Greece), the country of the "birthplace" of the Olympic movement, the XII. Summer Paralympics 4000 athletes from 136 nations in 19 sports will be at the start.

2006 fought with the IX. Winter Paralympics in Turin (Italy) 477 athletes from 39 nations in 4 sports for a total of 70 medals.

In 2007, at the 7th General Assembly of the European Paralympic Committee (EPC) in Heraklion (Greece), Vienna was selected as the EPC's new headquarters and permanent office alongside the candidate cities of Rome, Istanbul and Lausanne.

In 2008 the XIII. Summer Paralympics took place in Beijing, China, where 4,000 athletes competed in 20 sports.

In 2010 more than 600 athletes from over 40 nations competed for medals at the X Winter Paralympics in Vancouver (Canada).

Since applying for the 2012 Olympic Games, cities have also had to include the Paralympics in their applications, which are then coordinated by the same local organizing committee as the Olympic Games. According to this agreement, the Paralympics always begin in the third week after the end of the Olympic Games.

Not all sports and competitions for the disabled are Paralympic, despite the growth of the Paralympic movement, traditionally, for example, the Deaflympics for the deaf and the Special Olympics for people with cognitive disabilities act independently .

Paralympic symbols

Paralympic oath

The Paralympic oath is the promise made at the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games by an active athlete from the host country and a referee to observe the idea of ​​fair play / fairness. Since the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg , the oath has also been taken by a referee and, since the Summer Paralympics in London in 2012 , by a trainer. The oath is no different from the Olympic oath , but the word Olympic is replaced by Paralympic .

The current version is:

“On behalf of all athletes, I promise that we will take part in the Paralympic Games, respecting and following the rules in force and committed to a sport free of doping and drugs, in the true spirit of sportiness, for the glory of the sport and the honor of ours Team."

Paralympic torch relay

The Paralympic torch relay is an opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in modern times. It is the Paralympic counterpart to the Olympic torch relay , which has its origin in the Olympic flame of ancient Greece; the fire was lit in honor of the goddess Hestia .

Until 2010, the host country was allowed to decide the type and location of the ignition itself. This has changed since the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London . Since then, the Paralympic torch has been lit in Stoke Mandeville , the birthplace of the Paralympic movement and the venue for the predecessor of the Paralympic Games. For this purpose, an armillary sphere was built there through which a wheelchair user can generate sparks.

The torch of the Paralympic torch relay is identical to the torch of the Olympic torch relay, but the handle of the torch is sky blue instead of red.

Logos

Until 1987, the IPC carried the logo of the Olympic Games. After the IOC insisted on its exclusive rights to the Olympic rings , the IPC had to switch to an alternative logo: five tears in the same color and arrangement as the Olympic rings. The IOC later also objected to this logo because it is too similar to the Olympic rings. Then the number of tears was reduced to three. In 2004, the IPC introduced the current logo with the three colored arches completely voluntarily.

Venues

Postage stamp from the Deutsche Bundespost (1972) for the World Games of the Paralyzed in Heidelberg in 1972

Summer games

Since 1988 the Paralympic Summer Games have taken place at the same venue as the Olympic Summer Games .

year venue
1960 ItalyItaly Rome
1964 JapanJapan Tokyo
1968 IsraelIsrael Tel Aviv
1972 GermanyGermany Heidelberg
1976 CanadaCanada Toronto
1980 NetherlandsNetherlands Arnhem
1984 United KingdomUnited Kingdom Stoke Mandeville Hempstead, New York
United StatesUnited States 
1988 Korea SouthSouth Korea Seoul
1992 SpainSpain Barcelona
1996 United StatesUnited States Atlanta
2000 AustraliaAustralia Sydney
2004 GreeceGreece Athens
2008 China People's RepublicPeople's Republic of China Beijing
2012 United KingdomUnited Kingdom London
2016 BrazilBrazil Rio de Janeiro
2020 JapanJapan Tokyo
2024 FranceFrance Paris
2028 United StatesUnited States los Angeles

Winter games

Since 1992 the Paralympic Winter Games have been held at the same venue as the Olympic Winter Games .

year venue
1976 SwedenSweden Örnsköldsvik
1980 NorwayNorway Geilo
1984 AustriaAustria innsbruck
1988 AustriaAustria innsbruck
1992 FranceFrance Albertville-Tignes
1994 NorwayNorway Lillehammer
1998 JapanJapan Nagano
2002 United StatesUnited States Salt Lake City
2006 ItalyItaly Turin
2010 CanadaCanada Vancouver
2014 RussiaRussia Sochi
2018 Korea SouthSouth Korea Pyeongchang
2022 China People's RepublicPeople's Republic of China Beijing
2026 ItalyItaly Milan - Cortina d'Ampezzo

sports

The Paralympic Summer Games and Paralympic Winter Games offer a total of 28 sports , 22 of them in summer and 6 in winter.

Paralympic Summer Games:

Paralympic Winter Games:

Eligibility to participate

Impairment categories

Only athletes who permanently display at least one of the following ten impairment categories are eligible to participate in Paralympic competitions :

Impairments such as cerebral palsy , paraplegia and spasticity are also covered by the ten categories mentioned. Some of the Paralympic sports are open to all disability categories, others only to selected ones. Deaf and organ transplant recipients are not eligible to participate as these groups have their own World Games, the Deaflympics and the World Transplant Games .

Admission of intellectually impaired people

The admission of the intellectually impaired to the Paralympic Games is rather marginal and not possible for every sport. On the other hand, the Special Olympics for the mentally handicapped are organized differently and much more extensively and with the focus on inclusion and promotion than with the Paralympic idea of ​​sporting competition .

People with intellectual disabilities were not admitted to the Paralympic Games in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008 , after the Spanish basketball team in Sydney in 2000 consisted of mostly non-disabled athletes. After the Paralympics in 2000, Spain had to give up five gold medals. For the Games in London in 2012 and in Rio in 2016, however, the international Paralympic Committee had re-admitted people with intellectual disabilities to competitions.

Classification of athletes

The athletes are initially divided into one of the ten different disability categories that are internationally recognized (“classification”). The type of disability and its impact on the practice of a particular sport are taken into account. Within the individual disability categories, the athletes are classified into starting classes of the Paralympic sports after an individual test , which can be very different depending on the Paralympic sport and depending on the disability category. The division into categories and starting classes is the basis for fair competitions, since similar disabilities have different effects on the functional abilities and requirements of the athletes with regard to a sport. Classifications and the classification in starting classes should make achievements in the sense of equal opportunities comparable with each other, so that only individual abilities, strength, fitness, endurance, tactical and strategic skill and mental strength decide on success in competitive competitions.

More sports competitions for people with disabilities

See also

literature

  • P. David Howe: The Cultural Politics of the Paralympic Movement. Through an Anthropological Lens , Routledge, 2008, ISBN 978-0-415-28887-3 .
  • Britta Jahnke, Klaus Schüle: Origin and development of the Paralympic Winter Games: Örnsköldsvik 1976 to Turin 2006 , Sportverl. Strauss, Cologne 2006, ISBN 978-3-939-39091-6 .

Web links

Wiktionary: Paralympic Games  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Paralympics History - History of the Paralympic Movement. In: paralympic.org. IPC , accessed on August 8, 2016 .
  2. The Beginnings of the Paralympics. In: olympia.ard.de. Archived from the original on August 13, 2012 ; accessed on August 8, 2016 .
  3. a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t The history of the Paralympics. In: oepc.at. Austrian Paralympic Committee , accessed December 13, 2017 .
  4. ^ Paralympic Games. In: paralympic.org. IPC , archived from the original on December 27, 2005 ; accessed on August 8, 2016 .
  5. Alexey Mosko: Paralympic Games: The torch relay begins. (No longer available online.) Russia beyond the headlines, February 27, 2014, formerly in the original ; accessed on March 14, 2014 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / de.rbth.com  
  6. a b National Paralympic Committee Germany: Guide to the Paralympic Classification System 2016
  7. ^ Off for sailing as a Paralympic sport In: Yacht from February 2, 2015
  8. The IPC provisionally approves bobsleigh for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. In: paralympic.org. IPC, September 6, 2016, accessed on September 16, 2017 .
  9. ^ History of INAS. (No longer available online.) In: inas.org. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016 ; accessed on August 8, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.inas.org