Switzerland at the 1960 Summer Paralympics

Last updated
Switzerland at the
1960 Summer Paralympics
Flag of Switzerland.svg
IPC code SUI
NPC Swiss Paralympic Committee
Website www.swissparalympic.ch
in Rome
Competitors2
Medals
Ranked 13th
Gold
1
Silver
3
Bronze
0
Total
4
Summer Paralympics appearances

Switzerland was one of the seventeen nations that competed at the inaugural Summer Paralympic Games in 1960 held in Rome, Italy, from September 19 to 24, 1960. [1] [2] Preparations for the Games began two years prior in 1958 to stage what was at the time called the 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games. [3] The team finished thirteenth in the medal table with a total of four medals, one gold and three silver. [4] The Swiss team consisted of two athletes: Denis Favre, a man who competed in athletics and swimming events, and Simone Knusli, a woman who competed in swimming. [1]

Switzerland federal republic in Central Europe

Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a sovereign state situated in the confluence of western, central, and southern Europe. It is a federal republic composed of 26 cantons, with federal authorities seated in Bern. Switzerland is a landlocked country bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. It is geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning a total area of 41,285 km2 (15,940 sq mi), and land area of 39,997 km2 (15,443 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8.5 million is concentrated mostly on the plateau, where the largest cities are located, among them the two global cities and economic centres of Zürich and Geneva.

1960 Summer Paralympics

The 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games, retroactively designated as the 1960 Summer Paralympics, were the first international Paralympic Games, following on from the Stoke Mandeville Games of 1948 and 1952. They were organised under the aegis of the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation. The term "Paralympic Games" was approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) first in 1984, while the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) was formed in 1989.

Rome Capital of Italy

Rome is the capital city and a special comune of Italy. Rome also serves as the capital of the Lazio region. With 2,872,800 residents in 1,285 km2 (496.1 sq mi), it is also the country's most populated comune. It is the fourth most populous city in the European Union by population within city limits. It is the centre of the Metropolitan City of Rome, which has a population of 4,355,725 residents, thus making it the most populous metropolitan city in Italy. Rome is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, within Lazio (Latium), along the shores of the Tiber. The Vatican City is an independent country inside the city boundaries of Rome, the only existing example of a country within a city: for this reason Rome has been often defined as capital of two states.

Contents

Disability classifications

Athletes at the first Paralympics in 1960 were all afflicted by spinal cord injuries and required the use of a wheelchair. [3] This is in contrast to later Paralympics that include events for participants that fit into any of five different disability categories; amputation, either congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes; 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 upon 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]

Spinal cord injury Injury to the main nerve bundle in the back of humans

A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal cord below the level of the injury. Injury can occur at any level of the spinal cord and can be complete injury, with a total loss of sensation and muscle function, or incomplete, meaning some nervous signals are able to travel past the injured area of the cord. Depending on the location and severity of damage, the symptoms vary, from numbness to paralysis to incontinence. Long term outcomes also ranges widely, from full recovery to permanent tetraplegia or paraplegia. Complications can include muscle atrophy, pressure sores, infections, and breathing problems.

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.

Medalists

MedalNameSportEvent
Gold medal icon.svg Gold Denis Favre Swimming Men's 50m crawl complete class 5
Silver medal icon.svg Silver Denis Favre Athletics Men's javelin throw C
Silver medal icon.svg Silver Denis Favre Athletics Men's shot put C
Silver medal icon.svg Silver Simone Knusli Swimming Women's 25m breaststroke complete class 2

Athletics

Denis Favre took part in two field events; the men's javelin C and the men's shot put C. [8] In the javelin Favre threw 21.71 metres to win the silver medal; gold was won by Enzo Santini of host nation Italy, who threw 22.90 metres, and the bronze medal went to Hepple of Great Britain. [9] Favre also won the silver medal in the shot put; his distance of 8.05 metres split the American pair of Ron Stein and Welger who took gold and bronze medals with distances of 10.13 metres and 7.77 metres respectively. [10]

Javelin throw track and field athletics event where the javelin is thrown

The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about 2.5 m in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon.

Shot put track and field event

The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy spherical object—the shot—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's competition began in 1948.

Great Britain at the 1960 Summer Paralympics

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, competing as Great Britain, participated in the inaugural Paralympic Games in 1960 in Rome. The 1960 Paralympics, now considered to have been the first Paralympic Games, were initially known as the ninth Stoke Mandeville Games, Games for athletes with disabilities founded in Great Britain in 1948.

Swimming

Both of the Swiss athletes took part in a swimming event at the Games. Each won a medal as their events contained only three competitors. [8] Denis Favre won the gold medal in the men's 50 metres crawl complete class 5, beating his nearest rival Sznitowski of Argentina by 0.2 seconds. [11] In the women's 25 metres breaststroke complete class 2 Simone Knusli won the silver medal after finishing 2.1 seconds behind the winner of the event, Great Britain's Susan Masham. [12]

Argentina at the 1960 Summer Paralympics

Argentina was one of the seventeen nations that competed at the inaugural Summer Paralympic Games in 1960 held in Rome, Italy from September 19 to 24, 1968. Preparations for the Games began two years prior in 1958 to stage what was at the time called the 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games. The team finished tenth in the medal table with a total of six medals, two gold, three silver and one bronze. The Argentinian team consisted of five athletes, one man and four women.

Breaststroke swimming style in which the swimmer is on his or her chest and the torso does not rotate

Breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and that it can be swum comfortably at slow speeds. In most swimming classes, beginners learn either the breaststroke or the freestyle first. However, at the competitive level, swimming breaststroke at speed requires comparable endurance and strength to other strokes. Some people refer to breaststroke as the "frog" stroke, as the arms and legs move somewhat like a frog swimming in the water. The stroke itself is the slowest of any competitive strokes and is thought to be the oldest of all swimming strokes.

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "Participation Numbers Rome 1960 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. 1 2 "Paralympic Games Rome 1960 IPC Celebrates 50 Years After Rome". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  4. ↑ "Medal Standings Rome 1960 Paralympic Games". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 24 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. 1 2 "Athlete Search Results Switzerland 1960". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  9. ↑ "Results Rome 1960 Paralympic Games Athletics Men's Javelin C". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  10. ↑ "Results Rome 1960 Paralympic Games Athletics Men's Shot Put C". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  11. ↑ "Results Rome 1960 Paralympic Games Swimming". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  12. ↑ "Results Rome 1960 Paralympic Games Swimming Women's 25 m Breaststroke complete class 2". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
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