Born of the war
The idea of practicing sports in a wheelchair first occurred in England during the Second World War as a means of contributing to the physical and psychological rehabilitation of the many people wounded during the war.
The Paralympics were launched in 1948 when Sir Ludwig Guttman organized the International Wheelchair Games to coincide with the Olympic Games taking place in London. The event gradually grew to include other sports and categories of disability. Today, the winter and summer Paralympic Games are the largest international competition for athletes with a disability.
The Games accompany the Olympic celebrations held every two years, and to participate, athletes must meet very high standards. For an idea of the astounding growth of paralympic sports, consider that in the 1960 Olympics in Rome, 400 athletes competed, whereas 4,000 competitors from 130 countries will gather in Athens.
In Canada, it was Manitoba that hosted the first wheelchair competition in 1947. Our country has sent a delegation to the Paralympic Games every year since 1968.
Racing is one of the oldest wheelchair sports, with the distances the same as in regular track and field events, i.e. from 100m to 10,000m, including the 4 X 100m and 4 X 400m relays. Long distance events range from 5km to the 42.2km marathon.
From 1984 to 2004, a wheelchair race was part of the Olympic Games track and field program as a demonstration sport. Chantal won the gold in the 800m in Athens in 2004. Only two Canadian paralympian won a medal at the Olympics: André Viger, bronze medal in 1984 and Chantal Petitclerc, gold medal in 2004.
Source: Association québécoise des sports en fauteuil roulant , Comité Paralympique canadien and Comité international paralympique.
