5 Surprising Facts About the Paralympic Games
Image from: Xavier Praillet - Unsplash
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The story of the Paralympic Games began in 1948 at a military hospital to the north of London. Neurologist Sir Ludwig Guttmann was trying to find a way to speed up the recovery of his paraplegic patients, all of whom were World War Two veterans. He came up with the idea of organising a series of sports competitions to be held at the same time as the Olympic Games in London.
Image from: Xavier Praillet - Unsplash
2. The symbol of the Paralympic Games is made up of three waves called “Agitos”, which means “I move” in Latin.
3. The hoop used in wheelchair basketball is 3.05 metres from the ground, just like at the Olympic Games. There’s no difference, it’s all about skill and dedication.
4. No prostheses are allowed in para swimming; swimmers compete without the aid of accessories.
5. Athletes often record faster times at the Paralympic Games than at the Olympics. In Rio in 2016, Algeria’s Abdellatif Baka won the 1500m gold in 03:48:29, while Matthew Centrowitz of the USA had become the Olympic champion two weeks earlier in a time of 03:50:00.
Source: Olympics, “50 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE PARALYMPIC GAMES”
