All the media talk about the Olympics. Millions know about them, they look forward to it, and at the competitions they cheer for their compatriots. However, not everyone knows what the Paralympics are.
History
The Paralympic Games are held between people with disabilities. All disabled people can take part in the competition, with the exception of only those people who have problems with auditory perception.
People learned about what the Paralympics are not so long ago, with the expansion of the media, mainly the Internet. But the first such Games were held back in 1960 in Rome. By tradition, they passed right after the Olympic Games, in the same city.
The second Paralympics was held in Tokyo. But in 1968, the city of Mexico City, in which at that time there were Olympic competitions, categorically refused to host Paralympics. Since then, the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been held in different cities. And only 20 years later, in 1988, it was decided to hold them again in one place.
At first, there were only summer games, but about what the Winter Sports Paralympics are, they found out only 16 years after its opening, in 1976.
The primary sources and meanings of the word
One of the interesting facts is that in the Russian language there is no such term. What is the Paralympics? Definition can only be found in some dictionaries. The term was borrowed from English sources.
The ancestor of the Paralympic Games is Ludwig Guttman, a neurosurgeon from England. He first came up with the idea of holding competitions between people who are sick with cerebral palsy. It is easy to guess that the name of the competition came from the name of the disease.
Over time, people with disabilities with a number of other dysfunctions began to take part in the Paralympic. After that, it was decided to slightly change the meaning of the term. The word "couple" from Greek translates as "nearby." Therefore, the Paralympics are “next to the Olympics”.
How it all began
Ludwig Guttman in 1948 became the organizer of competitions in which English veterans of the Second World War participated. All of these people had spinal cord injuries. These competitions were called the Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Games.
In 1952, the competition gained international scale, as Dutch veterans joined them. Since 1960, the rules have changed. Wheelchair invalids could already take part in the games, regardless of the type and degree of the disease, and it was not only the military. Traditionally, like the Olympics, these competitions were held in Rome. They got the name of the Paralympics later.
In 1976, the conditions of the Paralympic Games changed again. In addition to the fact that the competitions began to be held in the winter season, disabled people not only in wheelchairs could also take part in them.
Equal conditions
Each athlete who applies for participation in the Paralympic Games is required to undergo a special medical commission to determine the category of disability. This procedure is carried out in order to achieve the most equal competition conditions. Compete among themselves in a particular sport should people with equal physical abilities. As a result of a medical examination, an athlete is assigned a specific category.
The greater number of sports included in the Olympic Games is also inherent in such a competition as the Paralympics. Hockey, swimming, athletics, cycling, football and other competitions are held with special conditions that allow people with disabilities to compete. In some cases, participants are allowed to take assistants with them.
Age categories
One of the features of the Paralympic Games is the fairly solid age of athletes. For example, Peter Norfolk, playing tennis in a wheelchair, is 53 years old. David Clark, the captain of one football team, celebrates his 43rd birthday. Boccia team captain Nigel Merry is 65 years old. Aleksey Ashapatov, the Russian champion in shot put and discus throwing, 41, and he is not going to stop his sports career.
There are also many young people with disabilities among Paralympics. The famous volleyball player Julie Rogers is only 15. Claudie Davis and Emmy Marren, who have been involved in swimming, are 15 and 16 years old, respectively.
Neither age, nor physical disabilities, nor any other factors are barriers to the strong will of the Paralympic people.
Features
Even the blind can play football. In this case, a less elastic ball is used, inside of which there are special bearings that produce characteristic sounds. This enables blind athletes to determine the flight path of the ball by ear. The football field is slightly smaller. Instead of grass, a hard surface. The field is surrounded on all sides by shields that reflect the sound of a hit ball and players passing by. They also do not allow the ball to leave the field.
The goalkeeper, of course, is selected sighted. And everyone else wears blindfolds. Some players are completely unable to see, others are only partially. The bandage in this case ensures equality.
There are a number of special rules for people with disabilities to compete normally in competitions such as the Paralympics. Athletes playing soccer for the blind should give each other sound cues. A special person who is out of the field tells in which direction you need to run to the gate. Fans should sit in the stands in absolute silence.
Swimming and running
The Paralympic Games and such a sport as swimming did not pass. For those athletes who are blind, special people help - tappers. They stand at the end of the pool and alert competitors when they approach the board. This is done with a long stick, at the end of which there is a ball.
Blind runners are also allowed to compete with guide dogs. The assistant is tied to the runner by a rope. It indicates the direction, notifies about turns and gives recommendations when it is necessary to accelerate or slow down.
If the runner sees a little, he can decide for himself, use the services of an assistant guide or manage himself. There is also a rule prohibiting assistants from crossing the finish line before the athlete himself does.
Special sports: goalball and boccia
In addition to the well-known, at the Paralympic Games there are special sports: bocce and goalball.
People who have serious vision problems play ball. The goal of the game is to throw the ball into the net of the opponent’s goal, which is defended by the defenders. There are bells inside the ball, telling the athletes where it is.
The bocce game is in many ways similar to the usual curling. The Paralympics from the Olympics, as you know, is different in that the participating athletes have limited physical abilities. In bocce, those with the most severe disabilities compete.
Competitors need to move the ball, pushing it in all possible ways towards the goal. When this sport began to exist, children with cerebral palsy took part in it. Later, the bocce game became available for other people who have impaired sensory-motor function.
Participants are divided into four categories. Some of them, unable to move the ball on their own, are allowed to use the help of an assistant. For these people, other conditions for the game are also provided.
2014 Paralympics Opening Ceremony
In the indicated year, the opening of the Paralympics took place in Sochi. This is a kind of debut for Russia, because the Paralympic Games were organized here for the first time. They were given the motto “Breaking the ice”.
Preparation for the ceremony lasted about two years. At the opening of the audience, the choir of the best singers, the dance ensemble of ballerinas selected from the best schools of the country, as well as artists with disabilities delighted. Enchanting performance impressed everyone present.
The opening ceremony was attended by about twenty-five thousand volunteers. The youngest was only 7 years old, the oldest was 63 years old.
The live broadcast of the Paralympics was held on March 7 at 20:00 Moscow time. Anyone who is not lucky enough to see the grand show that day can watch the ceremony on record.
Undoubted Favorite - Russia
The Paralympic Games lasted a little more than a week. The grand closing of the Paralympics took place on March 16. Like the opening, it was held at Fisht Stadium. Spectacular performance certainly remembered every viewer for many years.
The anthem of the Paralympics was performed by such popular artists as Diana Gurtskaya, Jose Carreras and Nafset Chenib. An interesting element of the competition closing program was the performance in which the dancers, lining up in certain figures, represented a work of art - a canvas by the artist Vasily Kandinsky. Having revived a masterpiece, they themselves became part of art.
The medal standings of the Paralympics became known only at its close. And all because the last competition took place on the same day. It's no secret that talented Russians occupy first places of honor in games such as the Olympics and the Paralympics. Medals (at least most of them) went to Russia, which became the leader of these sports competitions. The country has 80 medals, of which 30 are gold, 28 silver and 22 bronze. The medal standings of the Paralympics showed how talented the athletes are, what a huge potential they have.
Foreign media coverage of the 2014 Paralympics
In a Chinese newspaper, a statement was released by Philip Craven, who is president of the International Paralympic Committee, where he claimed that the Sochi Paralympics was one of the most successful. He also said that the competition exceeded all expectations.
In Pakistan, they were pleasantly surprised by Russian Paralympic athletes in sledge hockey. The brilliant game of goalkeeper Vladimir Kamantsev did not leave anyone indifferent. Also, a Pakistani newspaper was interviewed by Philip Craven. He expressed his enthusiasm for the quick sale of a huge number of tickets.
The British media proudly narrated the successes of their skiers. The girls Jage Etherington and Kelly Gallagher adequately represented their country. And Gallagher earned a gold medal, which was a kind of debut, because before, not a single Briton had received such awards at the Paralympics.
What does it mean to be a Paralympic
Among the disabled there are many who have great potential and could achieve unprecedented heights in the sports field. However, becoming an athlete with a person with disabilities is much harder. And sometimes it is not only physical difficulties, but also moral ones. It is difficult for many to step over some of their complexes and prejudices; it is not easy to go out and show themselves to the whole world. Others simply do not have opportunities for regular training: equipped gyms, exercise machines, equipment and trainers.
Some begin their sports careers as medical rehabilitation due to disabilities. Many athletes are former military men who served in Afghanistan and other hot spots.
For Paralympics, the same rules on the prohibition of doping are the same as for Olympians. All athletes undergo doping control. A thorough check of all drugs used by people with disabilities is carried out.
Strong in spirit!
Not everyone is able to become a great athlete. To start a sports career in a wheelchair or moving on crutches is a task of the highest level of difficulty. Paralympics are a stunning example of selflessness and iron willpower. This is the pride of every nation.
The Paralympics makes one wonder at the strength and courage of people, makes you take a different look at the world. It gives reason to make sure that the strength of a person lies in his thoughts, in his desire to live. And there are no barriers to your dream!