Paralympic Sports

Athletes not only compete by sport and event at the Paralympic Games, as in the Olympic Games, but also by disability category. Along with these categories there are also 50 levels of disability to ensure that athletes compete fairly against other athletes with a similar degree of disability.

There are currently six basic disability categories in which athletes are eligible to compete:

• Amputee: athletes who have a partial or total loss of at least one limb
• Cerebral Palsy: athletes with a brain disorder that results in problems with movement and posture
• Spinal cord injuries: athletes have at least a 10% loss of function of the lower limbs
• Vision-impaired: athletes with vision difficulties ranging from partial sight to total blindness
• Les autres: (French term literally meaning ‘the others’) athletes who have any other recognised disability, for example multiple sclerosis
• Intellectual disability (There are four sports targeted for inclusion in London 2012; athletics, swimming, rowing and table tennis.)

As with the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games is divided into Summer Games and Winter Games but not all disability groups compete in each sport.