The 2004 Summer Paralympics, the 12th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Athens, Greece from 17 to 28 September 2004. 3,806 athletes from 136 National Paralympic Committees competed. 519 medal events were held in 19 sports.
The Philippines competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney. The country was represented by two athletes: Andres Lubin in the men's javelin, and Adeline Dumapong in women's powerlifting, in the up to 82.5 kg category.
The Central African Republic made its Paralympic Games début at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens. It sent a single athlete, Thibaut Bomaya, to compete in powerlifting. The country also entered a single-man delegation at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, where Rosel-Clemariot-Christian Nikoua competed in shot put. The Central African Republic has never taken part in the Winter Paralympics, and has never won a Paralympic medal.
Libya made its Paralympic Games début as the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya at the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, sending four representatives to compete in powerlifting. The country has competed at every edition of the Summer Paralympics since then, but has never taken part in the Winter Paralympics. Libyan delegations have always been fairly small: three judokas, two powerlifters and a volleyball team in 2000; two powerlifters in 2004; a powerlifter and two table tennis players in 2008.
Cape Verde made its Paralympic Games début at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, with two competitors in track and field, and one in powerlifting. The country sent a single athlete to the 2008 Games, to compete in the women's shot put, discus and javelin.
The Philippines made its Paralympic Games debut at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul and has been fielding athletes up to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games. Powerlifter Adeline Dumapong won her country's first Paralympic medal when she took the bronze medal in the Up to 82.5 kg event, lifting 110 kg in the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games.
Uzbekistan made its Paralympic Games début at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, with a single representative in powerlifting. Competing in the men's up to 75 kg category, Kadyrov failed to lift a weight. In the 2008 Summer Paralympics, Uzbekistan sent two competitors: a powerlifter and a swimmer, they failed to win any medals again.
Darren Gardiner is an Australian Paralympic powerlifter. He has won two Paralympic silver medals in the Men's Over 100 kg powerlifting event. He did not medal at the 2012 Games.
Siamand Rahman was a Kurdish-Iranian Paralympic powerlifter. He won gold medals at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio and the 2010 Asian Para Games in Guangzhou. He is the current IPC Powerlifting World Record holder in the +107 kg category with a 310.0 kilograms (683.4 lb) bench press and also holds the junior world record with 290.0 kilograms (639.3 lb) and the Paralympic Championship Record with 310.0 kilograms (683.4 lb). Siamand died on 1 March 2020 due to cardiac arrest.
Nigeria competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016. Nigeria's delegation of 23 sportspeople was mostly composed of powerlifters, with the country sending 14 lifters to Rio. Ahead of the Rio Games, the National Sports Commission promised Paralympic medals to erase the country's Olympic shame.
Egypt competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. The country sent a delegation of 44 sportspeople. The team included 16-year-old Ayattalah Ayman, the youngest member of the delegation and the first woman to represent Egypt in swimming. It also included 41-year-old Ibrahim Al-Husseini Hamadtu, the only table tennis player to compete while holding the paddle in his mouth.
The Solomon Islands competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's ninth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics. The delegation included two track and field athletes – Rosefelo Siosi and Sharon Firisua – as well as weightlifter Jenly Tegu Wini. Wini was a returning competitor from the 2012 London Olympics and also led the delegation in those Games. The Solomon Islands, however, has yet to win its first Olympic medal.
Togo competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 7 to 18 September 2016. The country's participation in Rio marked its debut appearance in the quadrennial event, although it had competed in the Summer Olympics nine times since the 1972 Games. The delegation consisted of a single lightweight powerlifter, Aliou Bawa, who qualified by being issued with a Bipartite Commission Invitation spot by the International Paralympic Committee. Bawa was the flag bearer for the opening ceremony. Bawa failed to record a mark in the men's 49 kg category after being unable to lift 113 kilograms of weight in his three attempts.
Nicaragua sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7–18 September 2016. This was the Central American country's third appearance at the Summer Paralympic Games, having made its debut twelve years earlier at the 2004 Summer Paralympics. They were represented by three athletes, sprinter Jennifer Osejo, middle-distance runner and sprinter Gabriel Cuadra Holmann and powerlifter Fernando Acevedo, who all qualified for the games by achieving the minimum qualifying standard in international competition. Neither Holmann or Osejo claimed a medal in their respective events and Acevado finished fifth in the men's −72kg powerlifting class.
Honduras sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7–18 September 2016. This was the nation's sixth appearance at a Summer Paralympiad after it debuted at the 1996 Summer Paralympics. The Honduran delegation to Rio de Janeiro consisted of two athletes: powerlifter Gabriel Zelaya Díaz and short-distance swimmer Emmanuel Díaz. Both competitors were not ranked in their respective competitions after Gabriel Zelaya Díaz was unable to lift any weights in his three tries and Emmanuel Díaz was two minutes late arriving to his event.
El Salvador sent a delegation to compete in the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil from 7 to 18 September 2016. This was the country's fifth successive appearance in the Summer Paralympics since debuting at the 2000 Summer Paralympics. The Salvadoran delegation to Rio consisted of one athlete, powerlifter Herbert Aceituno, who qualified for the Games through his world ranking of 13th and his participation was confirmed by the International Paralympic Committee in August 2016. He failed to lift 185 kilograms (408 lb) in three attempts during the men's 72 kg tournament and was therefore not ranked in the final standings by the judges.
Amal Mahmoud Osman, also known as Amal Mahmoud Hanafy, is an Egyptian powerlifter who competes on behalf of her country. She has won medals at three successive Summer Paralympics.
Greta Vardanyan is an Armenian powerlifter and Para-alpine skier. She has competed on four occasions for Armenia at the Paralympic Games, one Winter and three Summer. Vardanyan was the flag bearer on each occasion when she attended a Summer Games.
Larisa Marinenkova is a Moldovan powerlifter who has competed at three Summer Paralympics for her country, and won medals in the IPC Powerlifting Open European Championships and 2017 World Para Paralifting World Cup.
Amalia Pérez Vásquez is a Mexican powerlifter in the 44 kilograms (97 lb) - 60 kilograms (130 lb) bracket. She has five times been a Paralympic champion and is the only powerlifter in the world to have Paralympic champion in three divisions.
