The Paralympic Sports And Sports Competition - 3774 Words

A Paralympic sport is defined as any sport or sporting event involving individuals with a disability, whether it be a physical disability, vision impairment or intellectual disability. Individuals with disabilities have competed in sports for over one hundred years however, in 1948 Ludwig Guttmann conspired a sports competition which involved world war two veterans that had spinal cord injuries, this later became known as the Paralympics. The Paralympic Games are a multi-sport event for athletes with physical, mental and sensorial disabilities. This includes mobility disabilities, amputees, visual disabilities and those with cerebral palsy. The word â€Å"Paralympic† derives from the Greek preposition â€Å"Para† (beside or alongside) and the word†¦show more content†¦It s formed of an astounding one hundred sixty national paralympic commitees and five disability specific international sports federations. Founded in Germany in the year 1932, The International Paralympic Committee was originally named the International Confederation of Sports Organisations for the Disabled. When the International Paralympic Committee was formed the idea behind forming the committee was to create a sports organization for athletes that were living with disabilities. Furthermore, â€Å"To develop sports opportunities for all people living with an impairment from the beginner to elite level.† Today, the committee s goal or vision is â€Å"To enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and inspire and excite the world.† Charles Walker, an athlete from Great Britain that plays sitting volleyball has said of the movement â€Å"It has made people realize that athletes are athletes and people are people. It doesn t matter if you re Usain Bolt or in a wheelchair, we re all people. And everyone just wants to talk about the sport now, so that s good†.(One year on:, 2013) Through its work and through the perseverance of disabled at hletes such as Charles Walker, the International Paralympic Committee promotes its’ values: Courage, Determination, Inspiration, and Equality. The International Paralympic Committee aims to create conditions for athlete empowerment. They want those who are disabled to be treated and