TEN things Canadians should know about the Paralympic Games

1.What are the Paralympic Games?

The Paralympic Games are a multi-sport competition for elite athletes with a physical disability, held immediately following the Olympic Games and a direct “parallel” - hence the name.

2.When are the next Paralympic Games?

The next Paralympic Winter Games will take place in Vancouver and Whistler from March 12 to 21, 2010.

3.How did the Paralympic Games start?

The origins of the Paralympic Games are in an annual sports competition that started at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, England. In 1948, Sir Ludwig Guttmann organized a sport event to encourage English soldiers injured in the Second World War to become active. Four years later competitors from the Netherlands joined the games, and international competition for athletes with a disability began. The first competition for athletes with a disability
modeled on the Olympic Games was held in Rome, Italy, after the 1960 Olympic Games. This marked the start of the Paralympic Games.

4.When do the Paralympic Games take place?

The Paralympic Games have always been held in the same year as the Olympic Games. Since the Seoul 1988 Summer Games and the Albertville 1992 Winter Games, the Paralympic Games have followed the Olympic Games in the same city, and on June 19, 2001 an agreement was signed between IOC and IPC to continue this for all future Games. The Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games will be the first Paralympic Winter Games hosted in Canada. In 1976, the year Montreal hosted the summer Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games were held in
Toronto.

5.What sports are played in the Paralympic Games?

Athletes at summer Paralympic Games compete in 19 sports – athletics, archery, boccia, wheelchair basketball, cycling, equestrian, fencing, football, goalball, judo, power-lifting, wheelchair rugby, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair tennis and volleyball. At Paralympic Winter Games, athletes compete in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and biathlon,sledge hockey and wheelchair curling.

6.Who competes in the Paralympic Games?

Athletes with the following categories of disability compete in Paralympic Games:
Amputee: Athletes with a partial or total loss of at least one limb.
Cerebral Palsy: Athletes with non-progressive brain damage, for example cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke or similar disabilities affecting muscle control, balance or coordination.
Spinal cord injury: Athletes with disabilities which require them to compete in a wheelchair.
Visually Impaired: Athletes with vision impairment ranging from partial vision, sufficient to be judged legally blind, to total blindness.
Les Autres: Athletes with a physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other five categories.

7.How do athletes with different disabilities compete fairly against each other?

Like wrestling, boxing and weightlifting, where athletes are grouped by weight classes, athletes with similar disabilities are grouped to compete against each other. The process, referred to as classification, is conducted by highly trained medical and technical experts who examine each athlete.

8.What is Canada’s goal for the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games?

The goal for 2010 is to finish in the top three medal winning nations. This will be the best ever finish for a Canadian Team at a Paralympic Winter Games.

9.What is Canada’s track record in Paralympic Games?
• Canada is ranked 4th in the all time combined
summer and winter Paralympic medal table - with
1097 medals, 404 gold, 338 silver and 355 bronze
medals.
• At summer Paralympic Games Canada has won
a total of 997 medals (378 gold, 302 silver and
317 bronze) and is ranked the 3rd highest medal
winning nation of all time.
• At winter Paralympic Games Canada has won a
total of 100 medals (26 gold, 36 silver and 38
bronze) and is ranked the 9th highest medal
winning nation of all time.
• At the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, Canada
placed 7th with 50 medals (19 gold, 10 silver and
21 bronze).
• At the last Paralympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy,
Canada placed 6th overall with 13 medals, 5 gold, 3
silver and 5 bronze.

10.How can I learn more, so I or someone I know can get involved?

If you, or some you know has a disability visit www.feeltherush.ca to learn about the sports and find a local sporting organization where you can get involved.