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Timeline: Paralympic Games

Over 4,000 Elite Disabled Athletes to Compete in Beijing

May 31, 2008

This timeline traces the development of disabled sports from recreational therapy to the Paralympic Games, the pinnacle of athletic competition for the disabled.

Disabled sports has come a long way since 1948, when neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttmann staged an archery competition for 16 wheelchair-bound British veterans on the grounds of England's Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

Later this summer, over 4,000 elite athletes with disabilities will gather in Beijing for the Paralympic Summer Games, which take place from September 6th through the 17th.

The Paralympics ("Parallel Olympics") is about competition, not disability. Since 1988, the games have taken place following the Olympics using the same facilities and venues.

Like the Olympics, the Paralympics attract global sponsors, issue thousands of media credentials, enforce anti-doping policies, and have built infrastructures for the development of disabled athletes.

Following is a timeline of the Paralympic Games' development.

1944-48: Neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttmann uses sports (including archery, snooker, and table tennis) as therapy for British WW II veterans suffering from spinal cord injuries.

1948: Guttmann organizes the Wheelchair Games (coinciding with the London Olympics) at which 16 British servicemen and women compete in archery on the grounds of the Stoke Mandeville Hospital, in Aylesbury, England, sparking a shift in disabled sports from rehabilitation to competition. The introduction wheelchair polo and basketball soon generates widespread interest in disabled team sports.

1952: The Stoke Mandeville Games, now an annual event, draws 130 international competitors.

1956: The IOC awards the Fearnley Cup, its award for outstanding achievement in the service of the Olympic ideal, to the Stoke Mandeville Games.

1960: Four hundred wheelchair athletes from 23 countries compete in first Olympic-style games in Rome.

1964: Wheelchair racing added to the Paralympic Summer Games in Tokyo.

1968: Paralympic Summer Games take place in Israel.

1972: Visually Impaired athletes take part in demonstration sports at the Paralympics in Heidelberg, Germany.

1975: Rob Hall becomes first wheelchair athlete to complete the Boston Marathon, the first major marathon to create a wheelchair division.

1976: Athletes from 12 countries compete in Alpine and Nordic skiing at the first Winter Paralympics in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden. The games now include curling, sledge hockey, and the biathlon.

Visually impaired athletes compete in medal events at the summer Paralympics in Montreal, along with two new categories: amputees and mixed disabilities (Les Autres). Specialized racing wheelchairs used for the first time.

1980: The Soviet Union refuses to host the summer Paralympics, which take place in Arnhem, Holland. Athletes with cerebral palsy compete for the first time.

1984. Over 3,000 athletes from 45 countries compete in the Paralympics, held in both New York City and the Stoke Mandeville in England; wheelchair marathon added.

1984: International Olympic Committee approves use of the term "Paralympics."

1988: First staging of Paralympics at same venues as the summer Olympics (Seoul, South Korea).

1992: Winter Paralympics staged at same venue as the winter Olympics (Albertville, France).

1996: For the first time, disabled athletes attract worldwide sponsors; Learning Disabled athletes integrated into Paralympic program; equestrian competition debuts; sailing and wheelchair rugby staged as demonstration sports.

2000: Seven-time Paralympic medalist Marla Runyon (track and field), competes with the US Olympic team in Sydney.

2001: International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee sign agreement to continue sharing the same Olympic venues.

2002: Over 400 athletes from 36 nations compete in the Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

2004. Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece draw 3,806 athletes from 136 countries, the most in the games' history.

2006: During the Paralympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, Nordic skier Jouko Grip (Finland), alpine skier Annemie Schneider (Germany), and Nordic skiing and Athletics coach Ulla Renvall (Sweden are the first inductees in the Paralympic Hall of Fame.

This year also saw the introduction of a Paralympic torch relay for summer games in Beijing.

The copyright of the article Timeline: Paralympic Games in Summer Paralympics is owned by Andrew Leibs. Permission to republish Timeline: Paralympic Games in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.