Paralympics.org.uk - International Paralympic Committee | IPC

The Paralympics first started in 1948 when Ludwig Guttmann organized a sports competition which involved world war 2 veterans that had spinal injuries. Afterwards a similar event was organized in Toronto, Canada where different disability groups were added and the idea of merging together and taking part in athletic sports was a success.

Six sports are played in the Paralympic Games: para alpine skiing, para biathlon, para cross-country skiing, para ice hockey, para snowboard and wheelchair curling. Events include all the usual suspects, from the many variations of downhill and slalom skiing to snowboard cross and more.

The Paralympic Games is a major international multi-sport event , involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power (e.g. paraplegia and quadriplegia, muscular dystrophy Muscular dystrophy A group of inherited conditions affecting the muscles, gradually leading to disability. , Post-polio syndrome, spina bifida Spina bifida Malformation of the vertebrae in the spine that exposes the spinal column. ), impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency (e.g. amputation or dysmelia), leg length difference ...

More than 4,000 athletes from 164 teams will compete over the next ten days at the 2012 Paralympics. We have compiled a list of every one of them, including their name, team, sex and the sport in which they are participating.