Introduction: The paralympics is a series of sport competitions where those participating are disabled. This year, the paralympics will last for 12 days, starting on August 24th and ending on September 5th. The games will begin and end with a ceremony celebrating the athletes of the world.
History regarding paralympics:
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Sports for diasabled people was first widely introduced in 1944, when Dr.Ludwig Guttman suggested that sporting events would benefit patients with spinal injuries
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In the summer of 1948 Guttman organized the first competitive games for wheelchair athletes. This was an archery competition.
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The first paralympics took place in 1960 at Rome, Italy. There were 400 athletes.
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In 1989 the international paralympic committee was founded in Germany, which is a nonprofit organization for the paralympics.
Sports involved: There are 22 summer paralympic sports and 6 winter paralympic sports. In the upcoming paralympics two new sports will be introduced: badminton and taekwondo.
The summer paralympic sports include:
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Canoe
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Wheelchair tennis
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Cycling
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Equestrian
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Football 5-a-side
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Goalball
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Judo
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Powerlifting
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Rowing
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Shooting Para sport
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Sitting volleyball
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Swimming
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Table tennis
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Taekwondo
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Triathlon
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Wheelchair basketball
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Wheelchair fencing
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Wheelchair rugby
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Archery
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Athletics
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Badminton
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Boccia
Athletes to watch for :
Zahra Nemati: She is a female archer from Iran. She won gold in archery in London in 2012 and Rio in 2016. Nemati participated in both the paralympics and the olympics in Rio (she is only iraninan female archer to do this).
Markus Rehm: He is a German long jumper who beat his own world record by 14 centimeters last june. He won gold in the Rio paralympics.
Leani Ratri Oktila: This Indonesian badminton athlete is a world champion! In 2019 Oktila was declared para-badminton player of the year, and she won 12 gold, 2 silver, and one bronze medal that year.
Conclusion: The Paralympics is an amazing competition for with disabled athletes across the world and a rich history. So remember to tune into the opening ceremony on Thursday August 24th!
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