Canada at the 1972 Summer Paralympics

Canada at the Paralympic Games
Flag of Canada IPC code  CAN NPC Canadian Paralympic Committee
At the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg
Competitors	40
Medals	Gold 6	Silver 6	Bronze 5	Total 17
Paralympic history (summary)
Summer Games
1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016
Winter Games
1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014

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 its 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 its 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 its 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