History of the Paralympic Games / Paralympic values: determination, equality, inspiration and courage
HIBAPRESS-RABAT
Paralympic values: determination, equality, inspiration and courage.
Since its first appearance in 2004 at the Athens Paralympic Games, the motto “Spirit in Motion” has resonated as an anthem to the inner strength and determination of para-athletes.
The symbolism of the five Olympic rings was imagined by Pierre de Coubertin himself: they represent the five continents. What about the Paralympic Games? Why don’t they use the Olympic symbol? The logo represents three commas.
The Paralympic Games also have their own flag
This one is formed by three “agitos” (which in Latin means “I move”) respectively red, blue and green, circling each other on a white background. Each “agito” symbolizes movement by forming together a figure resembling a crescent.
– The two symbols are different, because the two competitions are organized by two separate committees. For the first time this year, the two entities have a common logo, that of the Paris 2024 flame. In previous editions, the welcoming committees distinguished between the Olympic Games and the Olympic Games.
The first Paralympic Games logo, in 1960, was three wheels… in reference to wheelchairs. Then the images for the Paralympic Games followed one after the other. A man in a wheelchair shooting a bow for the Paralympic competition in Germany in 1972, three rings under a character with his arms in the air for Canada in 1976 or simply a flame, on which we read USA, for New York 1984.
It was in 1988 that South Korea proposed a logo that was similar to the current one. It featured five commas, in the same colors and arranged in the same way as the rings. These are “Taegeuks”, which come from the two nested shapes found on the South Korean flag.
This symbol will remain until the International Olympic Committee (IOC) requests its modification, since it is too similar to the Olympic emblem. From 1994 to 2004, the “Taegeuks” are kept, but there are only three of them. In 2004 they are replaced by the Agitos, which means “I move” in Latin. Their shape would represent the athletes of the whole world, heading towards the same point: the Paralympic Games.
