We all tend to watch the Olympic Games - it seems interesting to us, we cheer for our favorite athletes and rejoice at every medal. However, everyone knows that there are not quite ordinary games - the Paralympic Games. What does this sport mean and how was the last Olympic Games?
History
The creation of the Paralympic Games is credited to the neurosurgeon Ludwig Guttmann. After moving to the UK from Germany in 1939, he opened a new center for the treatment of back injuries at the behest of the British government in the 1940s.
In the summer of 1948, the renowned physician Ludwig Guttmann organized the first games for people with mobility-related illnesses, called the National Stoke Mandeville Games for the Disabled. The Games were held on the same day as the Olympic Games, which were held in London in 1948. It is known that the military, who were injured during the service, also participated in the competition.
For the first time, the team of the Soviet Union took part in the Paralympic Games, which were winter and took place in Austria. Tounfortunately, then only two bronze medals in skiing were won by the visually impaired Olga Grigorieva. In the Paralympic Summer Games, athletes of the USSR first performed in 1988 in South Korea, in Seoul. They fought for victory in sports such as swimming and athletics, winning as many as 55 medals, 21 of them gold.
The Paralympic crest first appeared at the 2006 Turin Winter Games. The emblem is made up of three crescents of blue, red and green colors located in the center - three peculiar “agitos”, which means “to move”. This badge reflects the role of the IPC in bringing together athletes with disabilities who inspire and motivate the world with their victories. Three hemispheres, the colors of which are red, blue and green, are clearly represented in the national flags of many parts of the world, meaning nothing but Mind, Body and Spirit.
Symbols
The main Paralympic symbol, the IPC logo, is drawn on the Paralympic flag, located in the center on white. The Paralympic flag can only be used in official competitions and events.
The Paralympic Anthem is a piece of music performed by the Hymn de l’ Avenir Orchestra, which means “the anthem of the future”. It was composed by the French musician and composer Thierry Darny in 1996 and confirmed by the IPC Board in the spring of 1996.
The Paralympic motto is Spirit in Motion. It quite clearly and concisely represents the very essence of this type of game - to allow people with disabilities to express themselves,motivate the whole world with your achievements and victories.
2018 Paralympic Games
Athletes from 49 countries participated in the Paralympic Games in PyeongChang. For the first time, the teams of such countries as Georgia, Tajikistan and even the DPRK took part in the Winter Games.
Sports included a wide variety, and completely new sports were added to the Paralympic Games, such as, for example, parasnowboarding. Biathlon, alpine skiing, curling, cross-country skiing and sledge hockey were also included.
The Pyeongchang Paralympic Games logo stands for a world that is accessible to everyone. It combines images of snow and ice, winter sports stars and people from all over the world who have gathered in PyeongChang, where sky meets earth.
The Paralympic Games medal tally was the most gold, silver and bronze for the United States, the lowest for the Netherlands with 241 medals.
Season Games
As everyone knows, the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games, including, are divided into summer and winter. They are also called seasonal. During these periods, competitions are held in various sports that are suitable for a particular season.
The Winter Paralympic Games were held from March 9 to March 18, 2018. Summer ones were held in Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro.
During the summer and winter games, participants from many countries can show themselves, gain a reputation for themselves and their country, see another country, as many athletes do, and even learn something from rivals. This distributioncompetition by season is very convenient.
About the Paralympics
This type of games was primarily aimed at the participation of patients in general competitions. They were created in order to show these people that they are capable of much, in particular, to overcome themselves and themselves and set a huge example for the whole world.
In order to participate in the Paralympics, it is necessary to comprehend a lot, go through a lot of difficulties. Disabled people cannot become champions without investing colossal work into victory, sometimes exceeding the work of ordinary athletes by two or even three times.
That's why this type of Olympic Games is so important for every country, they present themselves as strong, able to overcome absolutely everything in this world and become champions.
Besides, nothing can replace the motivation that is presented at the Paralympic Games. A sense of strength and spirit (the main component of the motto of all Paralympics) are the main criteria by which many people with disabilities find themselves in sports and motivate people like themselves.
