Sports in Iceland are very popular. Popular sports include football, handball, athletics, basketball, chess, golf, volleyball, tennis, skiing, snowboarding, ice hockey, swimming, rock climbing and mountain climbing; horseback riding on Icelandic horses is also popular and also archery. In some of those sports, namely football, handball, and basketball, Iceland is extremely successful, considering its population. It manages to compete at comparable level with countries that have 10-200 times its population.
Great Britain competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Great Britain sent a delegation of around 400, of which 212 were athletes, to compete in eighteen sports at the Games. The team was made up of athletes from the whole United Kingdom; athletes from Northern Ireland, who may elect to hold Irish citizenship under the pre-1999 article 2 of the Irish constitution, are able to be selected to represent either Great Britain or Ireland at the Paralympics. Additionally some British overseas territories compete separately from Britain in Paralympic competition.
The swimming events of the 2008 Summer Paralympics were held in the Beijing National Aquatics Center between September 7 and September 15, 2008. A total of 140 gold medals were expected to be distributed. Paralympic records were broken in 122 events, of which the records in 108 events were also world records.
Norway sent a delegation of 24 competitors, to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, from September 6 to September 17, 2008.
The United States sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China. A total of 213 U.S. competitors took part in 18 sports; the only 2 sports Americans did not compete in were soccer 5-a-side and 7-a-side. The American delegation included 16 former members of the U.S. military, including 3 veterans of the Iraq War. Among them were shot putter Scott Winkler, who was paralyzed in an accident in Iraq, and swimmer Melissa Stockwell, a former United States Army officer who lost her left leg to a roadside bomb in the war.
Switzerland sent a delegation of 26 athletes to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing. The stated goal was to win a minimum of 11 medals and finish the games among the top 50 nations. Swiss athletes competed in 6 sports at the Beijing games and performed as follows:
Belgium sent a delegation of 21 athletes to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing. The nominated athletes are listed below with their individual classification and disciplines.
Burundi sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. It was Burundi's first ever participation in the Paralympic Games. According to official records, the following three athletes competed in the games:
Kuwait sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. According to official records, eight athletes competed in athletics, powerlifting and wheelchair fencing.
Australia has participated officially in every Paralympic Games since its inauguration in 1960 except for the 1976 Winter Paralympics.
Algeria made its Paralympic Games début at the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona, sending two competitors in athletics, and a goalball team. The country has taken part in every edition of the Summer Paralympics since then, but has never participated in the Winter Paralympics.
Iceland competed at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Greece. The team included three athletes - two men and one woman. Icelandic competitors won four medals, one gold and three silver, to finish 47th in the medal table.
T36 is a disability sport classification for disability athletics. It includes people who have coordination impairments such as hypertonia, ataxia and athetosis. It includes people with cerebral palsy. T36 is used by the International Paralympic Committee. This classification competes at the Paralympic Games.
Mexico competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, United Kingdom, from 29 August to 9 September 2012.
The 2012 IPC Athletics European Championships was a track and field competition for athletes with a disability open to International Paralympic Committee (IPC) affiliated countries within Europe. It was held in Stadskanaal, Netherlands and lasted from 23 to 28 June. The event was held in the Stadskanaal Stadium and was the last major European disability athletics event before the forthcoming 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. Approximately 550 athletes from 38 countries attended the games. Several countries used the Championships to finalise the remaining places for the Paralympics.
Iceland sent a delegation to compete at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia from 7–16 March 2014. This was Iceland's third time participating at a Winter Paralympic Games. The Icelandic delegation consisted of two alpine skiers, Erna Friðriksdóttir and Jóhann Þór Hólmgrímsson. Jóhann finished 23rd in the men's sitting giant slalom, while Erna finished 10th in the women's sitting slalom and 9th in the women's sitting giant slalom.
Bulgaria competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016.
The Republic of the Congo competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016. The country made its debut appearance in the Paralympics at Rio, though they had participated in eleven Summer Olympics prior to the opening of the 2016 Paralympics. They sent a single competitor, track and field athlete Bardy Bouesso. Bouesso was the flagbearer at the opening ceremony.
Kazakhstan competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016. 11 athletes in 5 sports won 2 medals. Zulfiya Gabidullina won gold with World Record in Swimming, Women's freestyle 100 m (S3). Raushan Koyshibayeva won silver in Powerlifting. Kazakhstan athletes finished 58th in medal count.
Iceland competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016. Jón Margeir Sverrisson earned the top placement of the team with a fourth place in men's 200 m freestyle S14.
