 | |
| Location | Heidelberg, West Germany |
|---|---|
| Nations | 41 |
| Athletes | 1,004 |
| Events | 187 in 10 sports |
| Opening | 2 August |
| Closing | 11 August |
| Opened by | |
| Stadium | Heidelberg Thingstätte |
Summer Winter 1972 Summer Olympics | |
The 1972 Summer Paralympics (German : Paralympische Sommerspiele 1972), the fourth edition of the Paralympic Games, were held in Heidelberg, West Germany, from 2 to 11 August 1972. The games ended 15 days before the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich, also in West Germany.
As with previous Paralympics, the 1972 games were intended for wheelchair athletes only. However, demonstration events such as goalball and a 100 m sprint for the visually impaired allowed visually impaired competitors to participate for the first time. [1]
The top ten listed NOCs by number of gold medals are listed below. The host nation, West Germany, is highlighted.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  West Germany* | 28 | 17 | 22 | 67 |
| 2 |  United States | 17 | 27 | 31 | 75 |
| 3 |  Great Britain | 16 | 15 | 21 | 52 |
| 4 |  South Africa | 16 | 12 | 13 | 41 |
| 5 |  Netherlands | 14 | 13 | 11 | 38 |
| 6 |  Poland | 14 | 12 | 7 | 33 |
| 7 |  France | 10 | 8 | 15 | 33 |
| 8 |  Israel | 9 | 10 | 9 | 28 |
| 9 |  Italy | 8 | 4 | 5 | 17 |
| 10 |  Jamaica | 8 | 3 | 4 | 15 |
| Totals (10 entries) | 140 | 121 | 138 | 399 | |
Forty-two delegations took part in the Heidelberg Paralympics. Bahamas, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, Hong Kong, Hungary, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Romania, Uganda and Yugoslavia competed for the first time. [2] [3] [4] Between 1964 and 1976, South Africa was competing at the Paralympics for the third time. Although banned from the Olympic Games due to its policy of apartheid, it was not banned from the Paralympics until 1980, and West Germany, as host country, did not object to its participation. [5] [6]
Rhodesia competed for the last time. Its invitation to take part in the 1972 Summer Olympics was withdrawn by the International Olympic Committee four days before the opening ceremony, in response to African countries' protests against the Rhodesian government. But as the Paralympics that year were held before the Olympics (and between 1968 and 1984 in an independently from[ clarification needed ]), Rhodesia was able to take part in the 1972 Paralympic Games. [7] [8]
Argentina (21)
Australia (37)
Austria (32)
Bahamas (1)
Belgium (23)
Brazil (8)
Canada (40)
Czechoslovakia (19)
Denmark (10)
Egypt (1)
Finland (24) France (61) Great Britain (73)
Hong Kong (10)
Hungary (5)
India (10)
Ireland (17) Israel (30) Italy (25) Jamaica (20)
Japan (28)
Kenya (4)
Malaysia (4)
Malta (8)
Mexico (7) Netherlands (38)
New Zealand (10)
Norway (27)
Peru (1) Poland (22)
Portugal (11) [9] [10] 
Rhodesia (13)
Romania (1) South Africa (25)
South Korea (8)
Spain (20)
Sweden (38)
Switzerland (36)
Uganda (2) United States (66) West Germany (75)
Yugoslavia (22)
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, have been held shortly after the corresponding Olympic Games. All Paralympic Games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
The 1988 Summer Paralympics were the first Paralympics in 24 years to take place in the same city as the Olympic Games. They took place in Seoul, South Korea. This was the first time the term "Paralympic" was used officially.
The 1968 Summer Paralympics were the third Paralympic Games to be held. Organised under the guidance of the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation (ISMGF), they were known as the 17th International Stoke Mandeville Games at the time. The games were originally planned to be held alongside the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, but in 1966, the Mexican government decided against it due to difficulties. The Israeli government offered to host the games in Tel Aviv, a suggestion that was accepted.
The 1976 Summer Paralympics, branded as Torontolympiad – 1976 Olympiad for the Physically Disabled, was the fifth Paralympic Games to be held. They were hosted by Toronto, Ontario, Canada, from 3 to 11 August 1976, marking the first time a Paralympics was held in the Americas and in Canada. The games began three days after the close of the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
The 1980 Summer Paralympics, branded as the Olympics for the Disabled, were the sixth Summer Paralympic Games. They were held in Arnhem, Netherlands, from 21 to 30 June 1980.
The 1984 International Games for the Disabled, commonly known as the 1984 Summer Paralympics, were the seventh Paralympic Games to be held. There were two separate competitions: one in Stoke Mandeville, England, United Kingdom for wheelchair athletes with spinal cord injuries and the other at the Mitchel Athletic Complex and Hofstra University on Long Island, New York, United States for wheelchair and ambulatory athletes with cerebral palsy, amputees, and les autres [the others]. Stoke Mandeville had been the location of the Stoke Mandeville Games from 1948 onwards, seen as the precursors to the Paralympic Games, as the 9th International Stoke Mandeville Games in Rome in 1960 are now recognised as the first Summer Paralympics.
The 1992 Summer Paralympics were the ninth Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. In addition, the 1992 Paralympic Games for Persons with mental handicap were held immediately after the regular Paralympics in the Spanish capital, Madrid.
The Summer Paralympics, also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, are an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. The Paralympic Games are held every four years, organized by the International Paralympic Committee. Medals are awarded in every event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that the Olympic Games started in 1904.
The Winter Paralympic Games is an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete in snow and ice sports. The event includes athletes with mobility impairments, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. The Winter Paralympic Games are held every four years directly following the Winter Olympic Games and hosted in the same city. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) oversees the Games. Medals are awarded in each event: with gold for first place, silver for second, and bronze for third, following the tradition that the Olympic Games began in 1904.
Athletics at the 1980 Summer Paralympics consisted of 275 events. The Games saw 1,973 Para athletes from 43 countries compete in 13 sports.
Athletics at the 1972 Summer Paralympics consisted of 73 events, 37 for men and 36 for women.
Swimming at the 1972 Summer Paralympics consisted of 56 events, 28 for men and 28 for women.
The Bahamas made its Paralympic Games début at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, West Germany. The country's delegation consisted in a single athlete, John Sands. Sands competed in one event: the men's 60m wheelchair sprint, in category 1B. He completed his race in 34.8s, which placed him 22nd overall in the heats, and did not enable him to advance to the final. The event was ultimately won by West German athlete Baumgartner (full name not recorded), in 19s.
The 21st International Stoke Mandeville Games, later known as the 1972 Summer Paralympics was an international multi-sport event held in Heidelberg, West Germany, from August 2 to 11, 1972, in which athletes with physical disabilities competed against one another. The German Disabled Sports Association planned to stage the Games in Munich following the 1972 Olympic Games, however the Olympic village in Munich was designated to be closed and converted into private apartments. The organisers tried to arrange for alternative accommodation for the athletes but when this was not possible the city of Heidelberg stepped in with an invite to stage the Games at the University of Heidelberg's Institute for Physical Training.
South Africa sent a team to compete at the 1972 Summer Paralympics held in Heidelberg, West Germany, from 2 to 11 August. They sent twenty five competitors, twelve male and thirteen female. The team won forty-one medals—sixteen gold, twelve silver and thirteen bronze—and finished fourth in the medal table.
Algeria women's national goalball team is the women's national team of Algeria. Goalball is a team sport designed specifically for athletes with a vision impairment. The team takes part in international competitions.
The United States competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016. The first places the team qualified were for three athletes in sailing events. They also qualified athletes in archery, goalball, shooting, swimming, and wheelchair basketball.
Algeria competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016.
Athletics at the 2024 Summer Paralympics was held at the Stade de France and Les Invalides in Paris. There were 164 events: 90 for men, 73 for women and one mixed event, three fewer men's events than the previous Games while the women's and mixed events remain the same. It was the largest contest of the Games programme regarding athlete numbers and medal events to be scheduled.
