The Paralympic Games: Spirit in Motion

The Paralympic Games are designed to emphasize the participants' athletic achievements, not their disability.

STRUCTURE Introduction 1. History of Paralympic Games 1.1. Before Paralympic Games 1.2. The International Paralympic Committee's contribution 2. Motto, Symbols and Ceremonies 3. Olympics vs. Paralympics 3.1. Relationship with the Olympics 3.2. Paralympians at the Olympics 3.3. Notable Champions and Achievements 4. Classification 4.1. Types of Sports 4.2. Disability Categories 5. Paralympic Games - London 2012 Conclusion Bibliography

First Chapter: History of Paralympic Games Athletes with disabilities did compete in the Olympic Games prior to the advent of the Paralympics.

The IPC (International Paralympic Committee) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. The vision of the IPC: “to enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and inspire and excite the world”

Second Chapter: Motto, Symbols and Ceremonies Motto: “Spirit in Motion” Symbols: icons, flags, etc.

Third Chapter: Olympics vs. Paralympics Paralympic athletes have equal opportunities to compete at the Olympic Games Several athletes with disabilities have competed in both the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

Fourth Chapter: Classification Types of Sports Summer Paralympics include 21 sports : archery, cycling, judo, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair tennis, etc. Winter Paralympics include 5 sports alpine skiing, ice sledge hockey, cross-country skiing, wheelchair curling, para-snowboarding.  

Disability Categories Six major categories; including physical, visual, and intellectual impairment: Amputee (persons with a partial or total amputation of at least one limb) Cerebral palsy (persons who have a non-progressive neurological disorder) Intellectual disability (persons who have a significant impairment in intellectual functioning) Visually impaired (persons who have a non-correctable vision impairment ranging from partially sighted to total blindness) Wheelchair (persons with a disability that requires them to compete using a wheelchair) Les autres (from the French for the others, this includes persons with a mobility impairment or other loss of physical function that does not fall strictly into one of the other five categories.

Fifth Chapter: Paralympic Games – London 2012 From 29 August to 9 September Were one of the largest multi-sport events 4,302 athletes from 164 National Paralympic Committees participated The games marked the return of the Paralympic movement to its spiritual birthplace: the British village of Stoke Mandeville

Great Britain placed third with 120 medals, including 34 golds . China topped the medal table with 231 medals in total, including 95 gold medals. Great Britain placed third with 120 medals, including 34 golds The most successful athlete at the Games was Australian swimmer Jacqueline Freney, who won eight gold medals Carol Eduard Novak reached the gold medal in the 1 km track pursuit event – the first ever in the country's Paralympic history – and setting a new world record time en route to the final

This paper tried to prove that Paralympic Games is a fantastic reason for the different countries in the world to link together and celebrate sport and culture. The challenge for the International Paralympic Committee and all their partners is to continue this drive towards sporting excellence while at the same time ensuring they are not leaving anyone behind. Conclusion

Bibliography DePauw, Karen P. Disability Sport. Champaign, United States: Human Kinetics Print.2006 Howe, P. David. The cultural politics of the paralympic movement, New York, United States: Routledge, 2005. Print Thomas and Smith. Disability, Sport and Society, Routledge, 2008. Print