• SPOTLIGHT ON THE 2012 PARALYMPIC GAMES


  • The London 2012 Paralympic Games will see the largest ever team of British Paralympians take on the world's best in front of the home crowds.

     

    The 11 days of competition, beginning 29th August 2012, will see almost 4,200 athletes compete across 20 sports in 21 different venues.  Since the first dedicated Paralympic Games in 1948, with just two nations competing, the Paralympic Games has grown significantly in momentum.

     

    The London 2012 Paralympic Games will welcome elite athletes with a disability from more than 150 different countries - more athletes and teams than ever before.

     

    "...What I learned was that these athletes were not disabled, they were superabled. The Olympics is where heroes are made.  The Paralympics is where heroes come."

     

    Insight from inspirational leaders in business and sport.

    • Justin King picand quote
    • gileslong pic and text
    • richardwhiteheadimage and text
     

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      Fast Facts


      20

      Paralympic sports                          

       

       

      160

      countries represented

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      2M    

      tickets available                  

       

       

      471  

      medal events

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        6,500

       athletes and officials

       

       

       162

      national Paralympic Committees

       

       

     

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    History of the Paralympic Games

    The Paralympic Games actually began in 1948 as the brainchild of Sir Ludwig Guttman in Stoke Mandeville, England, as a rehabillitation activity for veterans of World War II.  It rapidly turned into the international event we see today.

     

    It is always held the same year as the Olympic Games, and since the 1988 Summer Games and the 1992 Winter Games, it has also been hosted in the same venues.  Most significantly, in recent years, an agreement with the IOC was signed in 2001 that obliges cities bidding to host any Games from 2012, to commit to staging both the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games.

     

5/19/2012 12:38:59 AM