Canada at the 1972 Summer Paralympics

Canada sent a delegation to compete at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, West Germany. They sent forty competitors, twenty seven male and thirteen female.^[1]

Disability classifications

Athletes at the Paralympics in 1972 were all afflicted by spinal cord injuries and required the use of a wheelchair.^[2] This is in contrast to later Paralympics that include events for participants that fit into any of five different disability categories; amputation, either congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes; visual impairment, including blindness; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism or multiple sclerosis.^[3][4] Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependent upon the specific physical demands of competition. Events are given a code, made of numbers and letters, describing the type of event and classification of the athletes competing.^[5]

Archery

Canada entered six of it's forty competitors, five male and one female in this event.^[6] They won no medals at all in this event.^[7]

Athletics

Canada entered thirty five of it's forty competitors, twenty three male and twelve female in this event.^[8] They won fourteen medals, four gold, six silver, four bronze in this event.^[9]

Swimming

Canada entered fourteen of it's forty competitors, nine male and five female in this event.^[10] They won two medals, one gold, and one bronze in this event.^[11] Demerakas got the bronze, while Wasnock won the silver medal.

References