Ireland at the 1968 Summer Paralympics

Last updated
Ireland at the
1968 Summer Paralympics
Flag of Ireland.svg
IPC code IRL
NPC Paralympics Ireland
Website www.paralympics.ie
in Tel Aviv
Medals
Ranked 19th
Gold
0
Silver
4
Bronze
5
Total
9
Summer Paralympics appearances

Ireland was one of twenty-eight nations to send a delegation to compete at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel from November 4 to 13, 1968. [1] [2] The team finished nineteenth in the medal table and won a total of nine medals; four silver and five bronze. [3] Seven Irish athletes competed at the Games, five men and two women. [1] [n 1]

1968 Summer Paralympics

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.

Tel Aviv City in Israel

Tel Aviv-Yafo, often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the largest metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the country's Mediterranean coastline and with a population of 451,523, it is the economic and technological center of the country. If East Jerusalem is considered part of Israel, Tel Aviv is the country's second most populous city after Jerusalem; if not, Tel Aviv is the most populous city before West Jerusalem.

Israel country in the Middle East

Israel, also known as the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea. It has land borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan on the east, the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip to the east and west, respectively, and Egypt to the southwest. The country contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area. Israel's economic and technological center is Tel Aviv, while its seat of government and proclaimed capital is Jerusalem, although the state's sovereignty over Jerusalem has only partial recognition.

Contents

Rosaleen Gallagher won a medal in four different sports; archery, athletics, swimming and table tennis. [4]

Archery art, sport, practice or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows

Archery is the art, sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows. The word comes from the Latin arcus. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In modern times, it is mainly a competitive sport and recreational activity. A person who participates in archery is typically called an archer or a bowman, and a person who is fond of or an expert at archery is sometimes called a toxophilite.

Swimming (sport) water-based sport

Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water. Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic sports, with varied distance events in butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle, and individual medley. In addition to these individual events, four swimmers can take part in either a freestyle or medley relay. A medley relay consists of four swimmers who will each swim a different stroke, ordered as backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle. Swimming each stroke requires a set of specific techniques; in competition, there are distinct regulations concerning the acceptable form for each individual stroke. There are also regulations on what types of swimsuits, caps, jewelry and injury tape that are allowed at competitions. Although it is possible for competitive swimmers to incur several injuries from the sport, such as tendinitis in the shoulders or knees, there are also multiple health benefits associated with the sport.

Table tennis Racket sport

Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball back and forth across a table using small rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net. Except for the initial serve, the rules are generally as follows: players must allow a ball played toward them to bounce one time on their side of the table, and must return it so that it bounces on the opposite side at least once. A point is scored when a player fails to return the ball within the rules. Play is fast and demands quick reactions. Spinning the ball alters its trajectory and limits an opponent's options, giving the hitter a great advantage.

Disability classifications

The Paralympics groups athletes' disabilities into one of five disability categories; amputation, the condition may be congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes, there is often overlap between this and other categories; visual impairment, including blindness; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism or multiple sclerosis. [5] [6] Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependent on the specific physical demands of competition. Events are given a code, made of numbers and letters, describing the type of event and classification of the athletes competing. [7]

Amputation removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery

Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for such problems. A special case is that of congenital amputation, a congenital disorder, where fetal limbs have been cut off by constrictive bands. In some countries, amputation of the hands, feet or other body parts is or was used as a form of punishment for people who committed crimes. Amputation has also been used as a tactic in war and acts of terrorism; it may also occur as a war injury. In some cultures and religions, minor amputations or mutilations are considered a ritual accomplishment.

Cerebral palsy A group of disorders affecting the development of movement and posture, often accompanied by disturbances of sensation, perception, cognition, and behavior. It results from damage to the fetal or infant brain.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time. Often, symptoms include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensation, vision, hearing, swallowing, and speaking. Often, babies with cerebral palsy do not roll over, sit, crawl or walk as early as other children of their age. Other symptoms include seizures and problems with thinking or reasoning, which each occur in about one third of people with CP. While symptoms may get more noticeable over the first few years of life, underlying problems do not worsen over time.

Wheelchair chair with wheels, used by people for whom walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, or disability

A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, or disability. Wheelchairs come in a wide variety of formats to meet the specific needs of their users. They may include specialized seating adaptions, individualized controls, and may be specific to particular activities, as seen with sports wheelchairs and beach wheelchairs. The most widely recognised distinction is between powered wheelchairs ("powerchairs"), where propulsion is provided by batteries and electric motors, and manually propelled wheelchairs, where the propulsive force is provided either by the wheelchair user/occupant pushing the wheelchair by hand ("self-propelled"), or by an attendant pushing from the rear.

Archery

One Irish archer competed at the Games. Rosaleen Gallagher took part in the St. Nicholas round cervical for women. One of only two athletes in the event she won a silver medal after being beaten by Ruth Brooks of Great Britain. [8]

Dartchery

The only dartchery event at the Games was the mixed pairs event which took a knockout format. The Irish pair of Kerrigan and Hughes was beaten by Spaniards Llorens and Lorente in the first round. [9]

Snooker

One snooker event was contested at the Games, the men's open event. Jimmy Gibson entered for Ireland. After wins over Keaton of Great Britain and Aroldo Ruschioni of Italy, Gibson faced Britain's Michael Shelton in the final. Shelton defeated Gibson to take gold and the Irishman won the silver medal. [10]

Snooker Cue sport

Snooker is a cue sport that originated among British Army officers stationed in India in the second half of the 19th century. It is played on a rectangular table covered with a green cloth, with pockets at each of the four corners and in the middle of each long side. Using a cue stick and 21 coloured balls, players must strike the white ball to pot the remaining balls in the correct sequence, accumulating points for each pot. An individual game, is won by the player scoring the most points. A match is won when a player wins a predetermined number of frames.

Great Britain at the 1968 Summer Paralympics

Great Britain was one of twenty-eight nations to send athletes to the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel from November 4 to 13, 1968. The team finished second in the medal table and won sixty-nine medals: twenty-nine gold, twenty silver and twenty bronze. Athletes from the whole United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, were able to compete for the team. Seventy-five British athletes took part in the Games; fifty-one men and twenty-four women.

Michael Shelton is a British sportsman who competed at the Summer Paralympic Games five times between 1960 and 1976. He won six Paralympic medals, four gold, a silver and a bronze. Shelton was from Newstead, Nottinghamshire and had been a miner at Newstead Colliery. He injured his back in a mining accident.

Swimming

Three swimmers competed for Ireland in Tel Aviv. Kerrigan took part in the men's class 2 complete breaststroke and backstroke but did not advance to either final. Ireland's two swimmers in the women's 25 m backstroke class 1 incomplete each won a medal; White won the silver and Rosaleen Gallagher the bronze behind Ingrams of Great Britain who won in a world record time. [11]

Table tennis

Five players entered table tennis singles events and pairs in both the women's A2 doubles and men's C doubles. [4] Jimmy Gibson added a bronze medal in the men's C singles to the silver he won in snooker. [4] In the women's A2 singles Ireland won two medals, silver for White and bronze for Rosaleen Gallagher. [4] White and Gallagher were Ireland's entry in the women's A2 doubles. Four pairs entered the event; the Irish pair lost their first match, against Great Britain, by a score of 2–1 but still won a bronze medal. [12]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Data is taken from the International Paralympic Committee website and is based on information contained/sourced in the original hardcopy final results publications. Some information from earlier Paralympic Games (i.e. 1960 – 1984) is incomplete and is missing first names of some athletes

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The United States competed at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel from November 4 to 13, 1968. The team finished first out of the twenty-eight competing nations in the medal table and won ninety-nine medals: thirty-three gold, twenty-seven silver and thirty-nine bronze. Eighty-two American athletes took part; fifty-three men and twenty-nine women.

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France at the 1968 Summer Paralympics

France competed at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel from November 4 to 13, 1968. The French team contained fifty-five athletes; forty-one men and fourteen women. The team finished fifth in the medal table and won a total of thirty-two medals; thirteen gold, ten silver and nine bronze.

Italy at the 1968 Summer Paralympics

Italy competed at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel. The team finished seventh in the medal table and won a total of 39 medals; 12 gold, 10 silver and 17 bronze. Thirty-eight Italian athletes competed at the Games; thirty-three men and five women.

Israel at the 1968 Summer Paralympics Israels competition at the 1968 Summer Paralympics

Israel was the host nation of the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv. The Israeli team finished third in the medal table and won sixty-two medals: eighteen gold, twenty-one silver and twenty-three bronze. Over 750 athletes from 28 nations took part in the Games; the Israeli team included 53 athletes, 37 men and 15 women.

Jamaica at the 1968 Summer Paralympics

Jamaica was one of twenty-eight nations that competed at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel from November 4 to 13, 1968. The team finished fourteenth in the medal table and won a total of five medals; three gold, one silver and one bronze. Eleven athletes represented Jamaica at the Games; seven men and four women.

South Africa at the 1968 Summer Paralympics

South Africa was one of twenty-eight nations that sent athletes to compete at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel from November 4 to 13, 1968. The team finished tenth in the medal table and won a total of twenty-six medals; nine gold, ten silver and seven bronze. Eight South African athletes competed at the Games; five men and three women.

Japan at the 1968 Summer Paralympics

Japan competed at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel from November 4 to 13, 1968. The team finished sixteenth of the twenty-eight competing nations in the medal table and won a total of twelve medals; two gold, two silver and eight bronze. Forty-eight Japanese athletes took part in the Games; forty-one men and seven women.

Spain at the 1968 Summer Paralympics

Spain was one of twenty-eight nations that competed at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel from November 4 to 13, 1968. The team finished twenty-first in the medal table and won four medals: three silver and one bronze, all in swimming events. The Spanish team contained eleven athletes; nine men and two women.

Sweden at the 1968 Summer Paralympics

Sweden was one of twenty-eight nations that sent a delegation to the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel from November 4 to 13, 1968. The team finished seventeenth in the medal table and won eleven medals: one gold, six silver and four bronze. Thirty-two Swedish athletes took part in the Games; twenty-seven men and five women.

Austria at the 1968 Summer Paralympics

Austria competed at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel from November 4 to 13, 1968. The team finished fifteenth in the medal table and won a total of nineteen medals; two gold, seven silver and ten bronze. Thirty-one Austrian athletes competed at the Games; nineteen men and twelve women.

Rhodesia at the 1968 Summer Paralympics

Rhodesia competed at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel from 4 to 13 November 1968. The team ranked eleventh out of the twenty-eight competing nations in the medal table and won a total of twenty medals; six gold, seven silver and seven bronze. Rhodesia competed at the Paralympics in 1968 and in 1972 despite being excluded from the Summer Olympic Games in those years.

Great Britain at the 1972 Summer Paralympics

Great Britain sent a delegation to compete at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, West Germany. Teams from the nation are referred to by International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as Great Britain despite athletes from the whole of the United Kingdom, including those from Northern Ireland, being eligible. They sent seventy two competitors, forty seven male and twenty five female. The team won fifty-two medals—sixteen gold, fifteen silver and twenty-one bronze—to finish third in the medal table behind West Germany and the United States. Philip Craven, the former President of the IPC, competed in athletics, swimming and wheelchair basketball for Great Britain at these Games.

Marion O'Brien is an Australian Paralympic table tennis player and athlete. At the 1964 Tokyo Games, she won a gold medal in the women's doubles C event with Daphne Ceeney, a silver medal in the women's javelin C event, and a bronze medal in the women's singles C event. At the 1968 Tel Aviv Games, she won a silver medal in the women's doubles C event with Elaine Schreiber, and a bronze medal in the women's slalom C event.

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.

Tommy Taylor is a British Paralympic athlete who won sixteen medals across five sports, including ten gold medals. Taylor was treated by Ludwig Guttmann after an accident in 1956 caused severe paralysis. He went on to compete at numerous Paralympic Games, finding particular success in para table tennis from Rome 1960 to Arnhem 1980. Eight of Taylor's gold medals came in table tennis, along with one in snooker and one in lawn bowls.

References

  1. 1 2 "Participation Numbers Tel Aviv 1968 Paralympic Games". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
  2. ↑ "Paralympic Games History – Summer". Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  3. ↑ "Medal Standings Tel Aviv 1968 Paralympic Games". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Athlete Search Results Ireland 1968". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  5. ↑ "Paralympics categories explained". ABC. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
  6. ↑ "Making sense of the categories". BBC Sport. 6 October 2000. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  7. ↑ "A-Z of Paralympic classification". BBC Sport. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  8. ↑ "Results Tel Aviv 1968 Paralympic Games Archery Women's St. Nicholas Round cervical". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  9. ↑ "Results Tel Aviv 1968 Paralympic Games Dartchery Mixed Pairs open". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
  10. ↑ "Results Tel Aviv 1968 Paralympic Games Snooker Men's Snooker Event open". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  11. ↑ "Results Tel Aviv 1968 Paralympic Games Swimming Women's 25 m Backstroke class 1 incomplete". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  12. ↑ "Results Tel Aviv 1968 Paralympic Games Table Tennis Women's Doubles A2". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
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