What are the Paralympic Games?
The Paralympic Games are the world's foremost sporting event for athletes with disabilities: Summer and Winter Games held every four years, in the same host city and venues as the Olympic Games. Paris 2024 gathered some 4,400 athletes from a record 169 delegations across 22 sports.[1] [2] A Paralympic title is the highest honor in Para sport.[2]
Who organizes the Paralympic Games?
The Games are owned and led by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), founded in 1989 and based in Bonn, Germany, working with the Olympic host's organizing committee under an IOC–IPC partnership that has kept the two Games in the same city since Seoul 1988.[2] [3] Athletes are entered by their National Paralympic Committees (NPCs).[1]
When and where are they held?
Summer and Winter Paralympics each run on a four-year cycle, in the weeks following their Olympic counterparts in the same host city.[2]
| Season | Pool / Format | Host cities |
|---|---|---|
| 2028 | Summer | Los Angeles (USA) — upcoming |
| 2026 | Winter | Milano Cortina (ITA) |
| 2024 | Summer | Paris (FRA) — 4,400 athletes, 169 delegations |
| 2022 | Winter | Beijing (CHN) |
| 2020 | Summer | Tokyo (JPN) — held 2021, postponed |
| 2018 | Winter | PyeongChang (KOR) |
| 2016 | Summer | Rio de Janeiro (BRA) |
| 2014 | Winter | Sochi (RUS) |
| 2012 | Summer | London (GBR) |
| 2010 | Winter | Vancouver (CAN) |
After Los Angeles 2028: French Alps 2030 (Winter) and Brisbane 2032 (Summer), mirroring the Olympic hosts.[2]
Since when do they exist?
The movement began with the 1948 Stoke Mandeville Games for injured war veterans in England; the first official Paralympic Games were held in Rome in 1960, and the first Winter Paralympics in 1976. The Games have shared the Olympic host city since 1988.[2] [3]
How do athletes qualify?
Every athlete competes within a classification — a sport-specific category grouping comparable impairments, assessed by international classifiers. Qualification slots are then allocated per sport through world championships, world rankings and regional qualifiers under systems set by each sport's federation with the IPC, and athletes are entered by their National Paralympic Committee; bipartite invitation places cover special cases.[1] [2]
Why do the Paralympic Games matter?
The Paralympics are the pinnacle of Para sport and one of the largest sporting events in the world in their own right — with global broadcasting, record delegations and full national-team structures behind every competitor.[1] [4] Paralympic medals and even qualification are internationally recognized elite honors, underpinned by the same federation-selection chain as Olympic sport.[2]
Who competes?
National Paralympic teams from some 170 delegations — Paris 2024 included 168 NPCs plus the Refugee Paralympic Team and neutral athletes — across ten impairment types and 22 Summer sports, from Para swimming and Para athletics to wheelchair basketball and boccia.[1]
References
- IPC — Paris 2024: record number of delegations. Accessed August 2026.
- International Paralympic Committee — official site. Accessed August 2026.
- IPC — Paris 2024 opening ceremony review. Accessed August 2026.
- Olympics.com — Paris 2024 Paralympics: record delegations. Accessed August 2026.