2010 Olympic Winter Games - Paralympic Games
When:
March 12 - March 21, 2010
Location:
- Opening Ceremony: BC Place Stadium, Vancouver
- Closing Ceremony: Whistler Celebration Site
The Paralympic Movement has its roots in a sporting competition organized in 1948 by Sir Ludwig Guttman. He was concerned about the many British soldiers returning home from the war in wheelchairs as a result of spinal cord and other injuries. Guttman believed that a sporting event could motivate the soldiers to get moving again. It was a great success, and four years later athletes from the Netherlands joined in. A movement was born.
The first Olympic-style summer games for athletes with a disability took place in 1960 after the Olympic Summer Games in Rome, Italy. In 1976, the first Paralympic Winter Games were convened in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden.
The Paralympic Games showcase the athletic achievements of elite athletes from six different disability groups. During the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, approximately 600 athletes will compete in five sports and more than 60 medal events. These sports include: