PARALYMPICS 2021

In 1948, German-born neurologist, Sir Ludwig Guttmann, organized a sporting competition in England involving World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries. An international movement was born from his efforts, leading to the first official Paralympic Games, held in Rome, Italy in 1960. The games started 6 days after the Olympic Games' closing ceremony. In 1992, the schedule changed, and these days, the winter and summer games alternate every 2 years.

In 2012, it became mandatory for cities that are chosen to host the Olympic Games must also host the Paralympics, which will see athletes with disabilities or impairments compete in sports like athletics, cycling, judo, rowing, swimming, and volleyball. 

The last Summer Paralympics, 2016, were held in Rio de Janeiro. The last winter paralympic games were in Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018.

The latest Summer Paralympic Games were supposed to be held in 2020, but were moved to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are held at the same Host City as the Olympics, i.e.Tokyo, a trend since the Seoul 1988 Paralympics and the Albertville 1992 Winter Paralympics. 

There are no public holidays in Japan during the games, so Tokyo will be in full urban action during this Paralympic Games. The games go on until September 5th.

This will mark the second time Tokyo has hosted the Paralympics, as they were held there in 1964 following the 1964 Summer Olympics. These Summer Paralympics were originally known as the 13th International Stoke Mandeville Games, games that were first held in England; the site of the original games, very much on a smaller scale. 

The 1964 Games, although still formally an edition of the International Stoke Mandeville Games, were the first to use the term "Paralympic" in association with the event; the term "Paralympic Games" was approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) first in 1984, while the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) was formed in 1989. In contrast with the 1960 Italy Games, many events had more than three participants, meaning that athletes were no longer guaranteed a medal upon completing their event. The 2020 Games will see the introduction of badminton and taekwondo to the Paralympic programme, replacing sailing and 7-a-side football. 

The 2022 Winter Paralympics in planned to take place in Beijing, China, from March 4 to 13, 2022.