Paralympic Athletics

1,100 athletes compete for 166 gold medals

Paralympic athletics made it for the first time into the Paralympics in 1952 during the Mandeville International Games. From this point onwards, paralympic athletics have attracted a range of competitors of all types of abilities. Since the beginning of the Paralympic games, athletics has gone from strength to strength gathering more athletes every year.

As with the traditional athletics there is a wide range of competitions testing a variety of different physical and mental attributes. The Paralympic athletics competitions are marginally more limited than those for able bodied athletics. New events, however, are being added at every games and gathering more supporters into the bargain.

Paralympic athletics is split into the two broad areas of track and field, with a wide range of events in both areas. On the track the same distances are broadly followed as those in the traditional games although the focus is generally on the shorter distances. The field events include throwing and jumping events such as javelin, discus, shot, high jump, long jump, pentathlon and triple jump events.

The disabilities seen in the Paralympics are very wide ranging and typically include those who are visually impaired and compete with the help of a sighted guide. Paralympic athletics events are traditionally thought of as the most popular and attract the greatest number of spectators across the games.