The Paralympics additionally measures, with numerical values, the range of depth of effort that every athlete can carry out. Athletes from completely different lessons can compete towards one another as long as they’ve equal potential to execute any specific sport. For instance, in staff video games the sum of the completely different scores of the members of a staff should not exceed a sure quota so as to guarantee equal competitions. You can learn extra about the scores right here.
Boccia and Other Events With No Olympic Equivalents
There are two sports activities at the Paralympics that don’t have any particular correspondent throughout the Olympic Games. They are goalball and boccia.
The former is a staff sport designed for visually impaired and blind athletes. It was designed in 1946 for World War II veterans who had misplaced their sight throughout the battle. Men’s goalball made its debut at the 1976 Toronto Paralympic Games, whereas its girls’s model appeared throughout the 1984 New York Paralympic Games. It is performed in two 12-minute halves, with two groups of three gamers every.
The court docket is the identical dimension as that of volleyball: 59 toes lengthy and 30 toes vast. At both finish of the court docket are two objectives that cowl the full width of the taking part in discipline. The attacking staff makes an attempt to rating by shortly rolling a ball containing internal bells towards the opposing objective defended by the opponents. For the shot to be legitimate, nevertheless, the ball should bounce at the very least as soon as in the pitcher’s touchdown space; defenders lie down to cowl the objective. As in blind soccer, spectators should stay silent throughout the sport in order that the gamers and gamers can hear the ball.
Boccia is performed by wheelchair athletes with disabilities that have an effect on motor perform. Long practiced in novice competitions, boccia made its debut at the 1984 Paralympic Games. It is considered one of the few disciplines to embrace each women and men in the identical competitions
The Differences Between Paralympic and Olympic Medals
There has been a lot speak about the medals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which featured a chunk of the Eiffel Tower. The fragment of Paris’ iconic monument can also be contained in the medals of the Paralympic Games, which may have one distinction: On the again might be an Olympic Games stamp in Braille in honor of the French inventor of the writing system for the blind, Louis Braille.
The Symbols of the Paralympics
During the Paris Olympics followers grew to become acquainted with the Phryges, the mascots impressed by the Parisian caps worn throughout the French Revolution. For the first time in historical past, the 2024 Paralympics will function a mascot displaying a racing blade.
The different novelty in the symbolism of the Paralympics lies in the incontrovertible fact that this version is the first wherein the occasion’s brand coincides with that of the Olympic Games, an indication of better inclusion between the two tournaments. The emblem contains a gold medal, a flame, and the Marianne, a logo of the revolution and France as a nation. In the Olympic one, the Marianne dominates the 5 circles, whereas the Paralympics brand doesn’t include the 5 circles however of the three “agitos” purple, blue, and inexperienced (thoughts, physique and spirit).
The Paris Paralympics, by the Numbers
Along with London, Paris is the solely metropolis to have hosted three editions of the Summer Olympics, however the French capital had by no means hosted the Summer Paralympics. In truth, France had hosted the Paralympic Winter Games in Albertville in 1992.
Some 4,400 Paralympic athletes from round the world will compete in 549 medal occasions in the 22 sports activities featured. Wednesday, the first day of the occasion, will function 11 competitions.
The Venues of the 2024 Paralympics
As was the case in the Olympic Games, all of Paris’ iconic venues might be featured in the Paralympics, from the Palace of Versailles for Paralympic equestrian occasions and the Grand Palais for wheelchair fencing and Paralympic taekwondo competitions to Les Invalides for Paralympic archery. Also the Eiffel Tower, the place soccer matches for the blind might be held. Roland-Garros might be the residence of wheelchair tennis competitions in addition to sitting volleyball.
