2008 Summer Paralympics

The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (Chinese: 第十三屆残疾人奥林匹克运动会), the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao.

3,951 athletes from 146 countries took part. This was the largest ever number of nations at the Paralympics (ten more than in Athens), and five countries competed for the first time. China fielded more athletes than any other country. The slogan for the 2008 Paralympics was the same as the 2008 Summer Olympics, "One World, One Dream" (simplified Chinese: 同一个世界 同一个梦想; traditional Chinese: 同一個世界 同一個夢想 Pinyin Tóng yīge shìjìe tóng yīge mèngxiǎng, lit. "One World, One Dream"). China dominated the medal count finishing with 89 gold medals and 211 total medals, more than double the next-ranked NPC in both cases.

339 Paralympic records and 279 world records were broken.

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Philip Craven declared the Games "the greatest Paralympic Games ever."

1980 Summer Paralympics

The 1980 Summer Paralympics (branded as the Olympics for the Disabled) (Dutch: Paralympische Zomerspelen 1980) were the sixth Paralympic Games. They were held in Arnhem, Netherlands, from June 21 to 30, 1980.

Background

The Soviet Union, hosts of the 1980 Summer Olympics, were invited to host these Paralympics. However, disability sport was not yet well-developed there, and they passed; notoriously, a statement was issued denying the existence of any "invalids" there. Soviet Paralympic teams were first represented in the 1988 Summer and Winter Games, the last while the Soviet Union was extant. The first Paralympics on former Soviet territory would be in 2014.

There was controversy during the preparation for these Games over the inclusion of a team from South Africa. In the Netherlands, public and official opinion was against the inclusion of the South African team and pressure came from a number of sports organisations against the Organising Committee. The Dutch Parliament was negative as well. Eventually, the parliament decided against allowing the participation of the South African team. Although "much of the publicity relating to the South African participation had been negative, it did succeed in bringing the disabled sports movement into the minds of many people who would not have otherwise considered the subject at all. Dutch organisers also increased visibility through their fundraising ... building a fund that would hold a surplus years after the games. This would naturally find its expression in the International Fund Sport Disabled, supporting the future of the paralympic movement in the 1980s."

2016 Summer Paralympics

The 2016 Summer Paralympics (Brazilian Portuguese: Jogos Paralímpicos de Verão de 2016), the fifteenth Summer Paralympic Games are an upcoming major international multi-sport event for disabled athletes governed by the International Paralympic Committee, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from September 7 to September 18, 2016 making them the first Summer Paralympics to be held during the host city's wintertime. This will mark the first time a Latin American and South American city hosts the event, the second Southern Hemisphere city and nation, the first one being the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, and also the first time a Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) country hosts the event. These Games will see the introduction of two new sports to the Paralympic program; canoeing and the paratriathlon.

Bidding process

As part of a formal agreement between the International Paralympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee first established in 2001, the winner of the bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics was also to host the 2016 Summer Paralympics. Following the third and final round of voting at the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen on October 2, 2009, the right to host the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics were awarded to Rio de Janeiro.

2020 Summer Paralympics

The 2020 Summer Paralympics (第１６回パラリンピック競技大会, Dai Jūroku-kai Pararinpikku Kyōgi Taikai), will be the 16th edition of the international multi-sports event, scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan, from 25 August to 6 September 2020. Tokyo was announced as host of the games on 7 September 2013. Tokyo had last hosted the games in 1964 and will soon be the first city in Asia (and the world) to host the Summer Paralympics twice.

Bids

As part of a formal agreement between the International Paralympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee first established in 2001, the winner of the bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics was also to host the 2020 Summer Paralympics. After the second round of voting, which followed a tie-breaker, the 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics were awarded to Tokyo at the 125th IOC Session,

Events

22 events are scheduled to make up the 2020 Paralympics. Cycling events will be split into two disciplines; road and track. Team events of Goalball, Sitting Volleyball, and Wheelchair Basketball will have men's and women's events, Wheelchair Rugby will be a mixed event, while the football event will only be open to male competitors.