2014 Winter Paralympics

The 2014 Winter Paralympics (Russian: Зимние Паралимпийские игры 2014, tr. Zimniye Paralimpiyskiye igry 2014), the eleventh Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), held in Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia from 7–16 March 2014. 45 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) participated in the Games, which marked the first time Russia ever hosted the Paralympics. The Games featured 72 medal events in five sports, and saw the debut of snowboarding at the Winter Paralympics.

The lead-up to these Paralympics were met with concerns regarding Russia's recent military intervention in the nearby Crimean peninsula of Ukraine, which led to both the United Kingdom and United States choosing not to send governmental delegations to the Games, and British government officials intending to publicly boycott the games. While the IPC monitored the situation throughout the Games, these concerns did not affect the participation of athletes from these countries—although, the head of Ukraine's NPC threatened to pull its athletes from the Games if the situation escalated, and members of the Ukrainian team staged symbolic protests of the crisis throughout the Games.

1976 Winter Paralympics

The 1976 Winter Paralympic Games (Swedish: Paralympiska vinterspelen 1976) were the first Winter Paralympics. They were held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden from 21 to 28 February 1976. The disabilities included in this Paralympics were blindness and amputees. Sixteen countries took part with 53 athletes. There were competitions in Alpine and Nordic skiing for amputee and visually impaired athletes, and a demonstration event in ice sledge racing.

Originally known as the 1st Winter Olympic Games for the Disabled.

Sports

The games consisted of 2 sports.

Alpine skiing

Cross-country skiing

Medal table

The top 10 NPCs by number of gold medals are listed below. The host nation (Sweden) is highlighted.

Participating nations

The following nations took part. In brackets is the number of athletes per nation.

See also

References

External links

1998 Winter Paralympics

The 1998 Winter Paralympics (第七回パラリンピック冬季競技大会, Dai Shichi-kai Pararinpikku Tōkikyōgi Taikai), the seventh Winter Paralympics, were held alongside the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan from March 5 to March 14, 1998. They were the first Paralympic Winter Games to be held outside Europe. 571 athletes competed in Nagano; it still remains the highest number of athletes competing at any Winter Paralympics.

Sports

The games consisted of 34 events in four sports: alpine skiing, ice sledge hockey, Ice sledge racing, and nordic skiing. The sport of Nordic skiing comprised two disciplines, the biathlon and cross-country skiing.

Alpine skiing

Sledge hockey

Ice sledge racing

Biathlon

Cross-country skiing

Medal table

The top 10 NPCs by number of gold medals are listed below. The host nation (Japan) is highlighted.

See also

References

External links

2006 Winter Paralympics

The 2006 Winter Paralympic Games (Italian: IX Giochi paralimpici invernali), the ninth Winter Paralympics, took place in Turin, Italy from 10 to 19 March 2006. These were the first Winter Paralympic Games to be held in Italy. They were also the first Paralympics to use the new Paralympics logo.

Medal count

The top 10 NPCs by number of gold medals are listed below. The host nation (Italy) is highlighted.

Sports

The Games featured 58 medal events in five disciplines of four sports. As with other Paralympic Games, medals are awarded for each classification within each event. The sport of wheelchair curling made its Paralympic debut at these games.

Alpine skiing (24) ()

Ice sledge hockey (1) ()

Biathlon (12) ()

Cross-country skiing (20) ()

Wheelchair curling (1) ()

Venues

The sport venues were also used during the Winter Olympics, although not all Olympic venues were in use for the Paralympics.

Alpine skiing events were held at Sestriere. Cross-country skiing and biathlon events were held at Cesana San Sicario. All skiing athletes were accommodated in the Paralympic Village in Sestriere.