HIBAPRESS-RABAT
1992
In March-April, Tignes-Albertville hosts the 5th Winter Paralympic Games which take place, for the first time for Winter Games on the same sites as the Olympic Games.
The same year, from September 3 to 14, the Barcelona Paralympic Games were held with 2,999 athletes from 83 countries. The official program included fifteen disciplines, including wheelchair tennis, which made its debut at the Paralympic Games. There were approximately 1.5 million viewers. Nearly half of the 2,999 athletes involved were involved in athletics or swimming. 487 events were on the program and 279 world records were broken. The Swiss wheelchair runner Heinz Frei set an exceptional performance in the marathon, winning in 1 hour 30 minutes. The other major performance of these Games was achieved by the Nigerian runner with an arm amputee, Ajibola Adeoye, with times of 10.72 seconds in the 100m and 21.83 seconds in the 200m.
1996
10th Summer Paralympic Games, in Atlanta (United States) from 16 to 25 August, with 3,259 athletes from 104 countries. For the first time, 56 athletes with intellectual disabilities were able to participate alongside their physically and visually impaired counterparts, in athletics and swimming events.
2000
11th Summer Paralympic Games in Sydney (18-29 October) with 3,879 athletes from 123 countries. The Paralympic Games Organising Committee shared resources with the Olympic Games Organising Committee. Venue managers and officials were therefore in charge of both events. 18 sports were on the programme: wheelchair basketball, boccia, wheelchair fencing, football 7-a-side (played by athletes with motor disabilities), goalball, para athletics, para cycling, para equestrian, para weightlifting, para judo, para swimming, wheelchair rugby, para table tennis, para archery, para shooting, wheelchair tennis, sailing, sitting volleyball. Women competed in the para weightlifting competitions for the first time. Wheelchair rugby marked its debut in the programme with an epic final won 32-31 by the USA.
1.2 million tickets were sold and 300 million viewers were able to see images of these Games in more than 100 countries.
Following the Sydney Games, athletes with intellectual disabilities are excluded from the programme of future Paralympic Games due to the clear cheating of the Spanish adapted basketball team. It is necessary to overhaul the system for assessing the mental disability of athletes.
June 19, 2001
An agreement is signed between the IOC and the IPC to guarantee and protect the organisation of the Paralympic Games. It confirms that from the Beijing 2008 Games onwards, the Paralympic Games will always be held shortly after the Olympic Games and will use the same sports facilities and venues, the same athletes’ village, the same payment of registration fees and travel costs. Each future host city chosen will therefore be required to organise both the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games.
2004
12th Summer Paralympic Games in Athens (17-28 September) with 3,808 athletes and 135 nations. For 17 of these countries, these Paralympic Games are the first. For the first time, the Olympic and Paralympic Games have a common organizing committee. This is a media record with the presence of 50 international channels and 1,103 media outlets to provide coverage. On the occasion of the closing ceremony, the Agitos, symbol of the Paralympic movement, are unveiled for the first time in their current form. Five-a-side football (blind football), whose first tournament is won by Brazil, and the handbike event in para cycling make their appearances on the official program, while para judo and volleyball are open to women.
2008
The Beijing Paralympic Games take place from September 6 to 17 with 146 countries and 3,951 participants. Para rowing makes its debut in the official competition program, which passes the 20-sport mark. The increase in media coverage is confirmed with 5,800 accredited journalists and broadcasting in 80 countries reaching a total of 3.8 billion viewers.
