The London 2012 Paralympics 29 August – 9 September 2008
The Paralympics Games offer a multi-sports games for elite athletes with a disability.
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Key Facts
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Number of Venues
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21 |
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Number of Sports
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20
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Number of Competitors
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4200
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Number of Tickets
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1600000
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The development of the Paralympic Games
1948: Dr Ludwig Guttman believed sport could help the rehabilitation of spinal cord injured World War II veterans and so, set up a competition between patients in Stoke Mandeville hospital, England, and other hospitals and clubs in England to coincide with the Olympic Games.
1952: Netherlands took part in the competitions.
1960: Athletes from other countries took part and the first Olympic style games for athletes with disabilities was born.
1976: The Montreal Games were the first to allow athletes with other disabilities than spinal injury to participate.
1988: The Soeul Games was the first city to hold both the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
Today: athletes who are amputees, cerebral palsy suffers, blind, visually impaired or have learning disabilities compete with spinal cord injured athletes in the games.
Paralympic Events & Venues
Click on the sports to discover more information.
 Boccia - Ex
CeL
Football Five-
a-side - Hockey Centre
Football Seven-a-side - Hockey Centre
Goalball - Handball Arena
Paralympic Archery - Eton Manor
Paralympic Athletics - Olympic Stadium
Paralympic Cycling - Olympic Park Velodrome (Track), Regents Park (Road)
Paralympic Equestrian – running and riding - Greenwich Park
Paralympic Judo - Fencing Hall
Paralympic Powerlifting - ExCeL
Paralympic Rowing - Eton Dorney
Paralympic Sailing - Weymouth and Portland
Paralympic Shooting - The Royal Artillery Barracks
Paralympic Swimming - Aquatics center, Olympic park
Paralympic Table Tennis - ExCeL
Paralympic Volleyball (sitting) - Greenwich Arena
 Wheelchair Basketball - Basketball Arena - Olympic Park, ExCeL
Wheelchair Fencing - Fencing Hall
Wheelchair Rugby - Basketball Arena - Olympic Park
Wheelchair Tennis - Eton Manor
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