The Paralympic sports comprise all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. As of 2010, the Summer Paralympics include 20 sports and disciplines and about 420 events[1], and the Winter Paralympics include 5 sports and disciplines and about 64 events. The number and kinds of events may change from one Paralympiad to another.
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. Paralympic sports refers to organized competitive sporting activities as part of the global Paralympic movement. These sports are organized and run under the supervision of the International Paralympic Committee and other international sports federations.
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Organized sport for persons with physical disabilities developed out of rehabilitation programs. Following the Second World War, in response to the needs of large numbers injured ex-service members and civilians, sport was introduced as a key part of rehabilitation. Sport for rehabilitation grew into recreational sport and then into competitive sport. The pioneer of this approach was Ludwig Guttmann of the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England. In 1948, while the Olympic Games were being held in London, England, he organized a sports competition for wheelchair athletes at Stoke Mandeville. This was the origin of the Stoke Mandeville Games, which evolved into the modern Paralympic Games.
Globally, the International Paralympic Committee is recognized as the leading organization, with direct governance of thirteen sports and responsibility over the Paralympic Games and other multi-sport, multi-disability events. Other international organizations, notably the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS), the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), and the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CP-ISRA) govern some sports that are specific to certain disability groups. In addition, certain single-sport federations govern sports for athletes with a disability, either as part of an able-bodied sports federation such as the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), or as a disabled sports federation such as the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation.
At the national level, there are a wide range of organizations that take responsibility for Paralympic sport, including National Paralympic Committees, which are members of the IPC, and many others.
Athletes who participate in Paralympic sport are grouped into six major categories, based on their type of disability:
The disability category affects who athletes compete against and which sports they participate in. Some sports are open to multiple disability categories (e.g. cycling), while others are restricted to only one (e.g. Five-a-side football). In some sports athletes from multiple categories compete, but only within their category (e.g. athletics), while in others athletes from different categories compete against one another (e.g. swimming).
A major component of Paralympic sport is classification. Classification provides a structure for competition which allows athletes to compete against others with similar disabilities or similar levels of physical function. It is similar in aim to the weight classes or age categories used in some able-bodied sports.
Athletes are classified through a variety of processes that depend on their disability group and the sport they are participating in. Evaluation may include a physical or medical examination, a technical evaluation of how the athlete performs certain sport-related physical functions, and observation in and out of competition. Each sport has its own specific classification system which forms part of the rules of the sport.
The following table lists the currently practiced Paralympic sports:
| Sport | Categories | Governing body | Paralympic Games status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | ALA, CP, WC | IPC | Summer sport (1960–present) |
| Athletics | ALA, CP, ID, VI, WC | IPC | Summer sport (1960–present) |
| Boccia | CP | CP-ISRA | Summer sport (1984–present) |
| Cycling | ALA, CP, VI, WC | IPC | Summer sport (1988–present) |
| Equestrian | ALA, CP, VI, WC | FEI | Summer sport (1996–present) |
| Diving | WC | FEI | Summer sport (1996–present) |
| Football 5-a-Side | VI | IBSA | Summer sport (2004–present) |
| Football 7-a-Side | CP | CP-ISRA | Summer sport (1984–present) |
| Goalball | VI | IBSA | Summer sport (1980–present) |
| Judo | VI | IBSA | Summer sport (1988–present) |
| Powerlifting | ALA, CP, WC | IPC | Summer sport (1964–present) |
| Rowing | ALA, CP, VI, WC | IFDS | Summer sport {2008-present} |
| Sailing | ALA, CP, VI, WC | IFDS | Summer sport (2000–present) |
| Shooting | ALA, CP, VI, WC | IPC | Summer sport (1976–present) |
| Swimming | ALA, CP, ID, VI, WC | IPC | Summer sport (1960–present) |
| Table tennis | ALA, CP, WC | IPC | Summer sport (1960–present) |
| Volleyball | ALA | WOVD | Summer sport (1976–present) |
| Wheelchair basketball | WC, ALA | IWBF | Summer sport (1960–present) |
| Wheelchair fencing | WC | IWAS | Summer sport (1960–present) |
| Wheelchair rugby | WC | IWRF | Summer sport (2000–present) |
| Wheelchair tennis | WC | ITF | Summer sport (1992–present) |
| Sport | Categories | Governing body | Paralympic Games status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basketball ID | ID | INAS-FID | Summer sport (1996–2000) |
| Lawn bowls | ALA, CP, VI, WC, | IPC | Summer sport (1968–1988, 1996) |
| Snooker | WC | IWAS | Summer sport (1960–1976, 1984-1988) |
| Dartchery | Summer sport (1960–1980) | ||
| Weightlifting | Summer sport (1964–1992) | ||
| Wrestling | Summer sport (1980–1984) |
| Sport | Categories | Governing body | Paralympic Games status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine skiing | ALA, CP, VI, WC | IPC | Winter sport (1976–present) |
| Ice sledge hockey | ALA, CP, WC | IPC | Winter sport (1994–present) |
| Nordic skiing: Biathlon Cross-country skiing |
ALA, CP, VI, WC | IPC | Winter sport (1988–present) Winter sport (1976–present) |
| Wheelchair curling | WC | ICF | Winter sport (2006–present) |
| Sport | Categories | Governing body | Paralympic Games status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice sledge racing | Winter sport (1980–1988, 1994-1998) |
The categories listed represent all those groups that participate in this sport at some level. Not all these categories are represented in competition at the Paralympic Games.
The governing bodies listed represent those organizations responsible for the broadest level of participation. In some cases, other disability-specific organizations will also have some governance of athletes in that sport within their own group. For example, the IPC governs multi-disability athletics competitions such as the Paraympic Games; however, CP-ISRA, IBSA, and IWAS provide single-disability events in athletics for athletes with cerebral palsy, visually impaired athletes, and wheelchair and amputee athletes respectively.
Paralympic Games status details the years these sports were practiced as full medal events at the Paralympic Games.
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