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 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.
Table tennis was first included in the Olympic program at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, with four events contested. Prior to the 1988 Summer Olympics, Table tennis has been held at the Summer Paralympic Games since they were first held in 1960.
Israel sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing. Israel sent 42 athletes, who competed in 11 sports: archery, athletics, basketball, cycling, equestrian, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis and tennis. The country's flagbearer during the Games' opening ceremony was Yizhar Cohen, who won three gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Paralympics.
Zhang Xiaoling is a Chinese retired para table tennis player who won 12 Paralympic medals from 1988 to 2008.
Australia has participated officially in every Paralympic Games since its inauguration in 1960 with the exception of the 1976 Winter Paralympics.
Greece, the birthplace of the Ancient Olympic Games that hosted the inaugural 1896 Summer Olympics, did not compete in the Summer Paralympics until 1976 and in the Winter Paralympics until 2002, but since then the Greeks have taken part in every edition of both events. Although the Greek delegation traditionally enters first during the parade of nations at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, this tradition does not apply to the Paralympics, where Greece enters within alphabetical order. The National Paralympic Committee for Greece is the Hellenic Paralympic Committee.
A team representing Ireland has competed at every Summer Paralympic Games. The country has never taken part in the Winter Paralympics. Irish athletes have won 238 Summer Paralympic medals. Paralympics Ireland is the National Paralympic Committee.
Puerto Rico made its Paralympic Games début at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul, with a delegation of twelve competitors in archery, athletics, shooting and table tennis. It has participated in every subsequent edition of the Summer Paralympics. The country is set to first compete at the Winter Paralympics in 2022.
The Philippines made its Paralympic Games debut at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul and has been fielding athletes up to the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. Its athletes has won two bronze medals; Adeline Dumapong in powerlifting (2000), and Josephine Medina in table tennis (2016). The country has never won a Paralympic gold medal.
Australia competed at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul, South Korea in 16 sports, winning medals in 6 sports. Gold medals were won in three sports – athletics, lawn bowls and swimming. Australia won 95 medals – 23 gold, 34 silver and 38 bronze medals. Australia finished 10th on the gold medal table and 7th on the combined medal table. Australian Confederation of Sports for the Disabled reported another medal ranking after Games with Australia being 2nd ranked in amputee sports, 8th in wheelchair sports, 11th in blind sports and 12th in cerebral palsy sports.
Caz Walton OBE is a British retired wheelchair athlete and former Great Britain Paralympic team manager. She was a multi-disciplinary gold medallist who competed in numerous Paralympic Games. Between 1964 and 1976 she won medals in athletics, swimming, table tennis, and fencing. She took a break from the Paralympics, entering the basketball and fencing competitions in 1988. In total Walton won ten gold medals during her Paralympic career, making her one of the most successful British athletes of all time. Walton should also have been awarded gold in the 1968 Tel Aviv Women's Pentathlon incomplete but, due to a miscalculation of her total score which went unnoticed at the time, she was given third place and a bronze medal.
Netherlands competed at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul, South Korea. The team included 110 athletes, 76 men and 34 women. Competitors from Netherlands won 83 medals, including 30 gold, 24 silver and 29 bronze to finish 8th in the medal table.
Egypt competed at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul, South Korea.
Hong Kong competed at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul, South Korea. 42 competitors from Hong Kong won 9 medals including 2 silver and 7 bronze and finished 42nd in the medal table.
Malaysia competed at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul, South Korea from 15 October to 24 October. The country qualified 14 competitors and finished 48th at the medal table after achieving its first Paralympic medal ever as well as its first Paralympic medal in weightlifting which was contributed by Mariappan Perumal who managed to clinch a bronze medal in the men's 57kg weightlifting event.
Philippines competed at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul, South Korea. 4 competitors from Philippines won no medals and so did not place in the medal table.
France competed at the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul, South Korea. 116 competitors from France won 140 medals including 46 gold, 44 silver and 50 bronze and finished 5th in the medal table.
Monika Sikora-Weinmann is a German para table tennis player. She won gold at the Paralympics and World Championships several times.
