THE PARALYMPIC GAMES

Background
The Paralympic Games is an elite sporting event for athletes with physical and visual disabilities. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. The Paralympic Games are held every four years, following the Olympic Games, and are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

The movement has grown dramatically since its early days. The number of athletes participating in Summer Paralympic Games has increased from 400 athletes from 23 countries in Rome in 1960, to over almost 4000 athletes from 146 countries in Beijing 2008.

Since 1968, New Zealand has a proud history of winning medals at both the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. In 2008, New Zealand was represented at the Beijing Paralympic Games by a team of 30 athletes, who competed across seven sports, winning a total of 12 medals (5 gold, 3 silver and 4 bronze). In 2010, New Zealand was represented at the Vancouver Winter Paralympic Games by a team of two athletes, with Adam Hall winning gold in the standing slalom.

Last Updated | Sunday, 05 February 2012