The Olympic games were surely fascinating. However, the Paralympics are on a whole new level. It is breathtaking, inspiring, and the flame of purpose burns brighter. Here is everything you need to know before the Tokyo Games kickstart.
Paralympics: The origin story
Just like the Olympics, paralympic games are held once every four years, right after the Olympic Games. Governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), it is the second-largest sports championship. The name translates to ‘parallel’ or alongside Olympics, highlighting its motto ‘Spirit in Motion.’
These games first began in 1960 with the Rome Paralympics. However, the origins of these international games go to Sir Ludwig Guttmann from England’s Stoke of Mandeville Hospital. Sir Guttman held games for world war II veterans who suffered from spinal cord injuries in 1948. Four years later, the Netherlands joined and the rest in International history.
The athletes participating compete in six separate groups—amputee, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, visual impairment, and intellectual disability. Others who don’t fall into these categories come under ‘Les Autres,’ which includes dwarfism.
Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games
The Tokyo Games start on August 24 and end on September 5, 2021. This time around the games will feature a total of 539 events across 22 different sports. They are- Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Table Tennis, Boccia, Canoe Sprint, and Equestrian. Additionally, it also features events from Cycling: Road and Track, Football 5-a-side, Goalball, Rowing, Swimming, Powerlifting, Shooting, and Sitting Volleyball. The games also include martial arts like Judo and Taekwondo. Finally, wheelchair sports include basketball, fencing, rugby, and tennis. And, just like the Olympics, you can catch the games live on NBC.
India is sending its largest-ever lineup to the games with para-athletes across nine disciplines. The Indian contingent will be lead by Mariyappan Thangavelu, the gold medalist from the 2016 Rio Paralympics in Men’s high jump.“We had to make some really bold decisions for the welfare of the athletes. This year’s March National Meet was very important. There was a difficult time in getting the trials done, to be able to make the SOP, we want to thank the Sports Authority of India. Secretary sir personally overlooked the arrangements at the JLN Stadium.” said Deepa Malik, the president of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI).