History of the Paralympic Games
Prior to the advent of the Paralympic Games, athletes with disabilities had already proven their mettle in competing in the Olympic Games. The first disabled athlete to do so was German-american gymnast, George Eyser, who competed in the 1904 Olympic Games with an artificial leg. Subsequently in 1948 and 1952, Hungarian Karoly Takacs, a right-arm amputee, competed in the Olympic shooting events while Danish equestrian Lis Hartel, won a silver medal in the 1952 Olympics dressage event.
The first athletic day for disabled athletes was intentionally organised on the opening day of the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. Known then as the 1948 International Wheelchair Games, the Games was initiated by German born Dr. Ludwig Guttmann, for British World War II veteran patients with spinal cord injuries. Through the games, Dr. Guttman aimed to establish a platform for people with disabilities, to take part in an elite sports competition similar to the Olympic Games. In 1952, the Games became the first international competition of its kind with the Dutch veterans participating alongside the British. The start of the Paralympic Games signified the start of a revolution, a change in people’s mindset on the disabled community.
The games in 1960 held in Rome, Italy marked the first milestone in the Paralympic movement when it was officially opened to non-war veterans, with 400 athletes from 23 countries competing in the Games. After which, the Paralympic Games started taking place every 4 years, the same years as the Olympic Games. The 1976 Summer Games marked the second milestone. The Paralympic Games which was originally opened only to athletes in wheelchairs now includes athletes with different disabilities for the first time. With the addition of more disability classifications, the 1976 Summer Games grew and had 1,600 athletes hailing from 40 countries. The third milestone happened in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, where the Paralympic Games was held directly after the Olympic Summer Games in the same host city with the same facilities. This set the precedent that lasted for the ensuing Games.
Since its inauguration in 1948, the Paralympic movement has evolved dramatically and the Paralympic Summer and Winter Games have gained universal recognition over the years. The Paralympic Games is no longer limited to war veterans or athletes in wheelchairs. It is now a world stage for elite athletes to showcase their capabilities and celebrate their achievements. Recent Games have also emphasised that the Games are about ability and not disability, with Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London organising committee of the 2012 Summer Paralympics and 2012 Summer Olympics proclaiming “We want to change public attitudes towards disability, celebrate the excellence of Paralympic sport and to enshrine from the very outset that the two Games are an integrated whole.”