History of paralympic winter games

More sports such as netball and javelin throwing were included by then. Additionally, more countries from lands as far away as Asia and even Australia began participating. Before the Paralympic Games or even the Stoke Mandeville Games, disabled athletes would represent their countries directly in the Olympic Games. Louis, Missouri. Since the first International Stoke Mandeville Games, there have been four years that highlight major developments that shaped the Paralympic Games into what they are today.

The first major highlight in the development of the Paralympic Games was in It was when the first Paralympic Games, similar to as we know it, began. This year saw athletes participating from 23 countries, competing in eight sports. Additionally, since , the games have been taking place every four years instead of being held annually. Since the 9 th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games held in Rome, the participation of athletes has witnessed massive growth.

Up until , only athletes in wheelchairs could participate in these games but, in , the categories of the types of disabilities expanded. Now amputees and visually impaired athletes can also participate. The term Paralympic was originally coined by mixing two words, Olympic and paraplegic, as it was initially related to patients with spinal cord injuries. As a result, the meaning of the word was altered. Meaning, that these games are held in parallel with the Olympic Games.

This meaning is still followed today. Just like the Summer Paralympics, these games would also take place every four years and would have an opening and closing ceremony.

That year, the winter Paralympics had athletes participating in only two sports; alpine skiing and cross country skiing. These events marked the second major highlight in the development of the Paralympic Games. The next major highlight was the Seoul Paralympic Games in For the first time, both the Summer Olympics and Paralympics were organized in the same country.

The Seoul Paralympic Games took place shortly after the Summer Olympic Games in the same city, using the same facilities. This format was followed in , and until the International Paralympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee officially agreed to formally follow this format in Also in , the term Paralympic was officially used for the first time.

The games are often known as the beginning of modern-day Paralympics. Evidently, they are responsible for the Paralympic Games and the athletes. But their objective is to manage and ensure the continuity of the Paralympic Movement. The Paralympic Movement is an international sporting movement for the disabled which envisions more inclusivity of persons with disabilities through sports.

The movement believes that sports can bring change in the attitudes that people have towards persons with disabilities.

Improve mobility for those with disabilities and allow them to have equal opportunities in all domains such as work, education, sports and healthcare. It is using the global platform to dismantle the various stigmas surrounding persons with disabilities.

In the Winter Paralympic Games in France, for the first time, the same venue and facilities from the Winter Olympics were used for the Paralympics. Furthermore, since , the Paralympic Games are held 2 weeks after each Olympic Game, in the same venue, using the same facilities, tracks and arenas. In fact, in , the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee signed an agreement that made sure that from , the city in charge of hosting the Olympic Games would also have to host the Paralympic Games.

In the present day, the Paralympic Games bring together more than 4, participants from around the globe. The categories of disability to qualify as Paralympic athletes have also expanded. Moreover, the list of games has also become longer since the first Stoke Mandeville Games. Today the athletes can play a total of 28 games in the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games combined. The Paralympic Games have a crucial role to play in the development of humanity as a whole. Both, persons with disabilities and able-bodied people.

First and foremost, it provides an elite and large scale platform for disabled athletes to show their talents and abilities. It changes the perception of many who still doubt the potential of disabled people, not only in sports but in other fields too. The games inspire people with disabilities around the globe and all those around the world who also have to face all odds to live their lives and gain respect in society. It is a medium for social change. They encourage others to face their challenges and overcome both physical and mental barriers.

They also raise awareness of disabilities and make persons with impairments more visible. The broadcasting of the games has proved to have improved the attitude of people regarding disabled people. People were more comfortable openly talking about disabilities, which is ultimately a step towards any kind of change. With each edition of the Paralympic Games, the athletes improve and win more medals than before, gaining them the appreciation and respect that they deserve.

Secondly, much like the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games are also a way to foster peace and unity among humankind. This, along with the values of the Paralympic Movement, is translated into the symbol of the Paralympic Games, which was designed in The symbol takes the form of three Agitos. The Agitos are three crescents in colours; red, blue and green encircling a central point.

The colours represent the colours of most flags in the world and the shaped circling a common point symbolizes the fact that athletes gather from all around the world in the spirit of competition. After all, sports have always been regarded as an activity that keeps the mind and body fit and brings people together. It also shows the athletes coming together to promote harmony, friendship and solidarity.

New Zealand was not one of the countries involved in the inaugural Paralympic Games — our first involvement would come eight years later in Israel. Sepp Zwicknagl, a pioneer of snow sports for disabled athletes, was a double-leg amputee Austrian skier who experimented skiing using prosthetics.

His work helped pioneer technological advances for people with disabilities who wished to participate in winter sports. The first world championships were held in Grand Bornand in France, and featured Alpine Downhill and Nordic Cross-Country skiing for amputee and visually impaired athletes.

Between and , New Zealand had a stellar run of Winter Paralympics, collecting six medals at each of the three Games held in that period. At Lillehammer in Norway in , the team collected three gold medals and one bronze, in Nagano in Japan in , the team went one better, picking up four gold medals, one silver and one bronze and in in Salt Lake City in the USA, the team once again collected four gold medals along with two bronze medals.

Last time out in PyeongChang in South Korea in , Para alpine skier Adam Hall picked up a gold medal and a bronze medal, and fellow skier Corey Peters picked up a bronze, giving New Zealand a total haul of three medals. That meant we placed sixth in the world for medals per capita out of 49 competing countries. Team New Zealand has won a total of 31 medals at the Paralympic Winter Games including 16 gold medals, six silver and nine bronze.

As a Para alpine skier she won a gold and 2 silver medals at the Innsbruck Paralympic Winter Games. Patrick won 6 medals across 3 Paralympic Winter Games, including a silver at Innsbruck and two spectacular gold medals at Albertville This was a feat he was to repeat at Lillehammer two years on, when he defended his 2 gold medals and picked up a bronze.

The Beijing Paralympic Games will be held from 4—13 March and will feature a maximum of Para athletes and up to 82 medal events — two more than PyeongChang Hall competes across a number of standing Para alpine ski events, in the classification LW1.