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The Paralympic Games is a major international multi-sport event, involving athletes with a range of physical and intellectual disabilities, including mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea, are held immediately following the respective Olympic Games. All Paralympic Games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

The Paralympics have grown from a small gathering of British World War II veterans in 1948 to become one of the largest international sporting events by the early 21st century. Paralympians strive for equal treatment with non-disabled Olympic athletes, but there is a large funding gap between Olympic and Paralympic athletes

The present formal explanation for the name "Paralympic" is that it derives from the Greek preposition

παρά, pará ("beside" or "alongside") and thus refers to a competition held in parallel with the Olympic Games. The Summer Games of 1988 held in Seoul was the first time the term "Paralympic" came into official use.

Given the wide variety of disabilities that Paralympic athletes have, there are several categories in which the athletes compete. The allowable disabilities are broken down into six broad categories. The categories are amputee, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, wheelchair, visually impaired, and Les Autres (literally "The Others", which are athletes with disabilities that do not fall into the other five categories; these

include dwarfism, multiple sclerosis, and congenital disorders). These categories are further broken down into classifications, which vary from sport to sport. The classification system has led to cheating controversies revolving around athletes who over-stated their disabilities, in addition to the use of performance-enhancing drugs seen in other events.

PARALYMPIC GAMES

THE FLAG OF THE PARALYMPICS

    Clearly every athlete becomes a winner when their chance to take part in the Olympic Games arrives.This great opportunity is now possible for all those people who want to lift up the name of their country by showing how good they can be at some sports, no matter their religion, race, country, or physical disabilities. For this, the Paralympic Games stand since 1960.

 

Long time ago, around the time of World War II , a British neurologist got very enthusiastic about mixing rehab and sports. Doctor Ludwig Guttmann, Father of Sport for People with Disabilities � , was keen on using sports therapy to raise life quality for those people who were wounded or injured at war.

Dr. Guttmann came up witth the i d e a o f c a r r y i n g o u t t h e International Wheelchair Games in 1948, simultaneously coinciding with the London Olympics. This event let his dream come true just 12 years later.

Rome, Italy, handled the first Summer Paralympic Games which invited 400 ahtletes from 23 different countries to compete into 21 sports. At the very beginning, only wheelchair athletes took part on these. From that day on, the Paralympics have been growing dramatically. In the actuallity the

g a m e s i n c l u d e 5 a t h l e t e s classifications: amputee athletes, people with spinal cord injuries, people with cerebral palsy, people w i t h v i s u a l impairment, and Les Autres ( athletes with any other physical disability that is not i n c l u d e d i n t h e categories previously mentioned).

 

This year is time for England to help them to outstand their capacity on sports by striving for some medals for their country. At the end of the day, everyone is a winner.

 

Who is behind the Paralympic Games

TriptychSix Olympic medals in backstroke and butterfly3 are goldOne world record in 50 m back1 National Sports Award 20012 sessions of 5 miles daily training3 days per week for weightlifting

Juan

Igna

cio

Reye

s

With discipline, dedication and determination, Juan Ignacio Reyes led his body to enforce world records, w i n n i n g s i x O l y m p i c medals in swimming and get the National Sports Award.

Five years Juan Ignacio faced a rare disease called purpura fulminans that affected the blood. The medical diagnosis put her parents at a crossroads: to save the child's life with the amputation of both his arms and part of a leg, or death of the child. Love for a child is imposed.

With support from family, depression changed by a heroic life, that of a top athlete, world and Olympic medalists in the pool, and out of the water, in a degree in marketing and unbeatable warrior in the field of life 30 years.

This man resident in the Gustavo A. Madero, has daily double session of swimming, 10 kilometers walking on the rails of the pool and three days a week do a half hour of weights to exercise selective toward the March to be held in Veracruz, the prelude to their rooms Games Olympic.

How did you start in swimming?

I was looking for an activity that will help the social integration, to allow me to live with the family, going to spas, being on the road. It was never a sporty look, never to compete, s imply was for soc ia l rehabilitation and become to integrate. At age 14 I joined the team of Social Security to participate in competitions. It was no longer swim for half an hour, an hour, was training in shape.

Where and how was your f i rs t competition?

His nerves by novates was in Colima in 19 9 6 a t t h e N a t i o n a l S w i m m i n g

Championship, but motivated by family and friends. I said let's see what happens and how far we can go.

And your first international competition?

I invite the team after the results of Colima and I have a competition for the first time outside of Mexico in 1998 in Germany, was a great feeling to represent Mexico and know that I could get to do more things than I thought. From there I have not been in the Mexican.

When you discover you have powers of a high performance athlete?

Was occurring gradually from 98 I participated in the World Championships in Germany, I liked the skills, meet people, new places and with the family then decided to do something bigger. When I knew I could qualify for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, decided to reach that goal. It was the watershed of my career, I started to take off and grow within the sport.

Juan Ignacio Reyes superposed to his physical limitations an iron will to confirm that the spirit can more than the body.

When is qualification for London 2012?

We are selective in March in Boca del Rio, Veracruz. I'm going back 50 meters. Physically I'm in London, but I still have homework.

Have you participated in the Olympics in Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, have six medals, three of them gold in style what comes back for London 2012?

I hope not to be the exception and win another gold. I'm training hard and the best way, because I know it is needed and not easy to reach this level, personally is something I want and I want.

What motivates you to continue competing and do you dream?

The desire to do the things I like, I like being in the water. Give my best. On a personal level I was finally able to finish the race and marketing are other dreams. The day I retired and look for other activities as anyone, work, raise a family and personal goals that will be presented.

Do you envision in the Olympic Games Rio 2016?

It would be too big for me to get to five Olympics and especially, not only participate but reach and win a medal, it's very motivating, yet complicated I have 30 years and within four years the body is not going to respond well but if I stay and keep working, you may have the opportunity to return to the Olympics.

What is your recipe for success?

Doing things with gusto, with discipline and taught me something that my family, my mom, is that if you start doing things, termínalas, and do not let termínalas half, is very important if you start something finish it.

What is the greatest satisfaction that swimming has given you?

From the Olympic medal, the National Sports Award, meet three presidents, are satisfactions you have saved, memories, people, experiences. Also learn discipline and consistency, to apply in life, out of the pool, to keep me up.

Would you like to be swimming coach?

The experience I have to practice and apply, but I lack more knowledge, if someone invites me someday might.

Do you ask God to help you in testing?

I do not ask God to help me, but others stop. Just kidding. Just as I ask God asks everyone, then more than anything is knowing that one has the ability, God gave us the strength to do what we like, and the rest is up to you. God is very difficult to attend to all.

Why let the Mexicans defeated by adversity?

The Mexican has shown many times to be strong, tough, and what else is missing is the determination, anyone tell you you're wrong or you can not.

We can see that Juan Ignacio Reyes is a talented and have an amazing spirit.

Some images of the opening ceremonyOn 29 August, a fantastic show full of

fireworks, cretivtiy, great personalities, and lively ahtletes gave place to the London 2012 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony, which

focused on the “Enlightenment”. 

The film directors Bradley Hemmings and Jenny Sealey , turned England from a calm country into a spectacular and colorful one

during that night. The main objective of these directos was to standout the self-perception, and the development that anyone can have if they feel optimistic. All narrated by Professor

Stephen Hawkings.

OPENING CEREMONY

Winners of all TimesThe following table displays the all-time medalist of the most importand sports at the Paralympic Games

SPORTS

As each sport at the Paralympics is perfomed under different conditions, there is a variety of them so that the ahtletes can easily adjust to any of those. Between these 21 sports, we can find the following ones.

 

This

medal can

see the first

24 countries

that won

medals at

these

Olympics.

First you

have the

gold, then

silver and

bronze in

the end.

MEDALCOUNT

Closing Ceremony

The Olympic spirit rises out of the FlameFireworks over the Olympic Stadium at the end of the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Called 'Festival of the Flame', the Closing

Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic

Games celebrates the exuberance of

festivals and the changing of the seasons.

British band Coldplay, one of the world's

bestsellling music acts, lead the evening's

celebrations with a live concert.

Coldplay have been working with Artistic

Director Kim Gavin and Coldplay’s live

show co-designer and Paralympic Games

Closing Ceremony designer Misty Buckley

to play a set of their most iconic music

alongside a cast of almost 2,000 in the

Olympic Stadium. The Closing Ceremony

celebrates the achievements of the 4,200

athletes at the London 2012 Paralympic

Games, and includes a Handover to Rio

2016 and the extinguishing of the

Paralympic Flame, signalling the end of

the Games.