THE "para" in Paralympics represents the expression "equal to" - not "paraplegic" as many people appear to think.
Rather like their more high-profile equivalent, the Olympic Games, the Paralympics have a history that is ever-evolving, if somewhat more recent than that of the Olympics.
This year's Paralympics, to be held in Athens, have a number of firsts. One is that this is the first time that the two events, the Olympics and Paralympics, are organised by a single committee.
Another first is the record levels of participating in this year's Paralympics: 4000 athletes, 2000 team officials, 900 technical officials, 3000 journalists, and 2500 other delegates, including family members of competitors.
A further first is that this year will see the debuts of five-a-side blind football, sitting volleyball for women, and quadriplegic wheelchair tennis.
It has often been observed that there is a moving heroism to the Paralympics. The motto is "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt".
Bravery starts even before competitors reach the playing fields. As a principle related to weeding out "doped-up" athletes in the Olympics, competitors in the Paralympics are subjected to a range of rigorous - and painful - physical tests to check whether they are as disabled as they claim to be.
The Paralympics have come a long way from their origins, when in 1948 Sir Ludwig Guttman organised a sports competition in Stoke Mandeville, UK, involving World War 2 veterans with spinal cord injuries. In 1952, the competition went international when competitors from the Netherlands took part. These 130 athletes were in at the founding of what was to become an international movement.
The name Paralympics was first used at the games in Rome in 1960, by which time there were 400 competitors. It was also the first time that the event was held in the same venue as the Olympic Games.
According to the official web site of the Paralympics, it was in Toronto in 1976 that other other disability groups were added, and the idea of merging together different disability groups for international sport competitions was born. In the same year, the first Paralympic Winter Games took place in Sweden.
Today, the Paralympics are elite sport events for athletes from six different disability groups. They emphasise, however, the participants' athletic achievements rather than their disability. The movement has grown dramatically since its first days. The number of athletes participating in Summer Paralympic Games has increased from 400 athletes in Rome in 1960 to 3843 in Sydney in 2000. In Sydney, a record number of 122 countries, or 123 delegations including independent athletes from East Timor, participated in the Paralympics, making this the largest Games in Paralympic history.
The Paralympic Games have always been held in the same year as the Olympic Games. Since the Seoul 1988 Paralympic Games and the Albertville 1992 Winter Paralympic Games they have also taken place at the same venues as the Olympics.
On June 19, 2001, an agreement was signed between IOC and IPC securing this practice for the future. From the 2012 bid process onwards, the host city chosen to host the Olympic Games will be obliged to also host the Paralympics.
Rather like their more high-profile equivalent, the Olympic Games, the Paralympics have a history that is ever-evolving, if somewhat more recent than that of the Olympics.
This year's Paralympics, to be held in Athens, have a number of firsts. One is that this is the first time that the two events, the Olympics and Paralympics, are organised by a single committee.
Another first is the record levels of participating in this year's Paralympics: 4000 athletes, 2000 team officials, 900 technical officials, 3000 journalists, and 2500 other delegates, including family members of competitors.
A further first is that this year will see the debuts of five-a-side blind football, sitting volleyball for women, and quadriplegic wheelchair tennis.
It has often been observed that there is a moving heroism to the Paralympics. The motto is "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt".
Bravery starts even before competitors reach the playing fields. As a principle related to weeding out "doped-up" athletes in the Olympics, competitors in the Paralympics are subjected to a range of rigorous - and painful - physical tests to check whether they are as disabled as they claim to be.
The Paralympics have come a long way from their origins, when in 1948 Sir Ludwig Guttman organised a sports competition in Stoke Mandeville, UK, involving World War 2 veterans with spinal cord injuries. In 1952, the competition went international when competitors from the Netherlands took part. These 130 athletes were in at the founding of what was to become an international movement.
The name Paralympics was first used at the games in Rome in 1960, by which time there were 400 competitors. It was also the first time that the event was held in the same venue as the Olympic Games.
According to the official web site of the Paralympics, it was in Toronto in 1976 that other other disability groups were added, and the idea of merging together different disability groups for international sport competitions was born. In the same year, the first Paralympic Winter Games took place in Sweden.
Today, the Paralympics are elite sport events for athletes from six different disability groups. They emphasise, however, the participants' athletic achievements rather than their disability. The movement has grown dramatically since its first days. The number of athletes participating in Summer Paralympic Games has increased from 400 athletes in Rome in 1960 to 3843 in Sydney in 2000. In Sydney, a record number of 122 countries, or 123 delegations including independent athletes from East Timor, participated in the Paralympics, making this the largest Games in Paralympic history.
The Paralympic Games have always been held in the same year as the Olympic Games. Since the Seoul 1988 Paralympic Games and the Albertville 1992 Winter Paralympic Games they have also taken place at the same venues as the Olympics.
On June 19, 2001, an agreement was signed between IOC and IPC securing this practice for the future. From the 2012 bid process onwards, the host city chosen to host the Olympic Games will be obliged to also host the Paralympics.
