The Olympic Games: An Overview Of The Paralympic Games

The Paralympic Games

Contrary to what many people think, the prefix ‘para’ in the word ‘Paralympic’ stands for parallel, and not paraplegic.

The Paralympic Games is an international multi-sport event comprising of athletes with a range of disabilities organised in parallel to the Olympics. The Paralympic Games are only open to athletes with disabilities falling under the ten eligible impairment types such as vision impairment and intellectual impairment. The ten impairment types are further broken down into classifications, with requirements varying with each sport.

History of the Paralympic Games

Prior to the advent of the Paralympic Games, athletes with disabilities had already proven their mettle in competing in the Olympic Games. The first disabled athlete to do so was German American gymnast George Eyser who competed in the 1904 Olympic Games with an artificial leg. Subsequently in 1948 and 1952, Hungarian Karoly Takacs, a right-arm amputee competed in the Olympic shooting events while Danish equestrian Lis Hartel won a silver medal in the 1952 Olympics dressage event.

The first athletic day for disabled athletes were intentionally organized on the opening day of the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. Known then as the 1948 International Wheelchair Games, the Games were initiated by German born Dr. Ludwig Guttmann for British World War II veteran patients with spinal cord injuries. Through the games, Dr. Guttman aimed to establish a platform for people with disabilities to take part in an elite sports competition similar to the Olympic Games. In 1952, the games became the first international competition of its kind with the Dutch veterans participating alongside the British. These games were the predecess...

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...act (OGI) showed that an estimated 41-50 percent of 1,600 Canadian respondents believed that the 2010 Paralympic Games in Vancouver, Canada triggered increased accessibility of buildings, sidewalks and public spaces for disabled atheletes and individuals. The survey also revealed that 23 percent of employers professed the Games had increased their willingness to hire people with disabilities. These changes, albeit minimal, have signified a better future for the disabled committee.

Although inequality still exists and advancements have been piecemeal, the positive changes display promise that the Paralympic Games have started the flames of change, encouraging society to view people with disabilities not as disabled but as capable. Thus, the Paralympic Games can be seen as a catalyst in creating awareness and changing people’s perception of the disabled community.