List of Host Cities for Paralympics: 1960 – 2024

The Paralympics are a major international sporting event for athletes with disabilities, comparable to the Olympics. The Paralympics are held in two events, summer and winter, alternating every two years. The Paralympics include many of the same events as the Olympics, such as:

  • Winter sports: Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, biathlon
  • Summer sports: cycling, archery, swimming

Sports equipment is often adapted to suit specific disabilities. Details of the Paralympics date back to 1948, when Dr. Ludwig Guttmann organized the first competition for wheelchair athletes, the Stoke Mandeville Games, held in conjunction with the London Olympics. The first Paralympics were held in Rome in 1960, with 400 athletes from 23 countries competing in eight events. Since then, the Paralympics have been held every four years, shortly after the Olympic Games, in the same city that hosted the Olympics.

Governance

The Paralympics are governed by the International Paralympic Committee, a German-based organization founded in 1989. The word itself is a blend of two Greek roots – “parama” means “alongside” or “beside”, a reference to the fact that the Paralympics take place at the same time as the Olympics.

List of host cities

Currently, the Paralympic Games are held in the same host city as the Olympic Games. The first Paralympic Games were held in Rome in 1960, while the first Winter Paralympic Games were held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden in 1976. The following table lists the host cities of the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games:

Year

Summer Paralympics

Winter Paralympics

1960

Rome, Italy

1964

Tokyo, Japan

1968

Tel Aviv, Israel

1972

Heidelberg, West Germany

1976

Toronto, Canada

Ornskoldsvik, Sweden

1980

Arnhem, Netherlands

Geilo, Norway

1984

Stoke Mandeville, UK & New York, USA

Innsbruck, Austria

1988

Seoul, South Korea

Innsbruck, Austria

1992

Barcelona, ​​Spain

Tignes-Albertville, France

1996

Atlanta, USA

Lillehammer, Norway

2000

Sydney, Australia

NAGANO JAPAN

2004

Athens, Greece

Salt Lake City, USA

2008

Beijing, China

Turin, Italy

2012

London, UK

Vancouver, Canada

2016

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Sochi, Russia

2020

Tokyo, Japan (2021)

Pyeongchang, South Korea

2024

Paris, France

2026

Milan – Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

2030

French Alps

2034

Salt Lake City – Utah, USA

After a long period of development, the Paralympic Games has now become one of the largest sporting events in the world, providing people with disabilities with opportunities to demonstrate their abilities and promote social integration.

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