About the Sport

The speed of a sprinter, the strength of a thrower, the power of a jumper and the endurance of a distance runner are what draw the crowds to Athletics. The track and field events at the Paralympic Games attract the largest number of athletes and spectators. They offer a wide range of competitions and the largest number of events. Athletics has been part of the Paralympic Games since 1960 and events are open to male and female athletes in all disability groups. Advances in technology and athletes' dedication to the sport have made once unimaginable feats become realities. Some compete in wheelchairs, others with prostheses and athletes with blindness/visual impairment compete with the guidance of a sighted companion. Athletes compete according to their functional classifications in each event and these events are continually being redefined to include as many athletes as possible. Athletics includes:

Track events: sprint (100m, 200m, 400m), middle distance (800m, 1500m), long distance (5,000m, 10,000m) and relay races (4x100m, 4x400m)

• Road event: Marathon
• Jumping events: High Jump, Long Jump and Triple jump
• Throwing events: Discus, Shot Put, Javelin
• Combined events: Pentathlon (track and road events, jumping events and throwing events, depending on the athletes' classification)

In 2009, Athletics is practiced by athletes in more than 100 countries worldwide and governed by the IPC with co-ordination from the IPC Athletics Sports Manager and Technical Committee.

Competition Description

The competition programme includes Track and Field events, Throwing and Jumping events, the Marathon and Pentathlon. It involves the largest number of male and female athletes and the largest number of events.

Events in the ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games:

Discipline	Men	Women
Track	100m	100m
	200m	200m
	400m	400m
	800m	800m
	1500m	1500m
	10000m
	4x100m Relay	4x100m Relay
	4x400m Relay	4x400m Relay
Jumps	High Jump	High Jump
	Long Jump	Long Jump
	Triple Jump
Throws	Shot Put	Shot Put
	Discus	Discus
	Javelin	Javelin
	Club Throw
Combined Events	Pentathlon	Pentathlon
Road Events	Marathon	Marathon

 

Sports Equipment

Many athletics events require specific sports equipment for example, the discus, shot or javelin. In addition athletes may use certain assistive devices as specified in the IPC Athletics rules. This technology continues to advance at a rapid rate.

Wheelchairs are considered to be sports equipment in track and field events. Athletics wheelchairs tend to be very lightweight. The dimensions and features of wheelchairs are clearly specified in the IPC Athletics rules.

Prosthetic devices may be used by amputees. These have been specifically developed to withstand the demands of sports competition. IPC rules require the use of leg prostheses in track events; however, the use of prostheses in field events is optional.

Rope tethers or other devices may be used by runners with a visual impairment to link with their sighted guides. Acoustic devices (or a sighted "caller") may be used to indicate take-off in jumping events, throwing target areas, etc.

History

Athletics in general have a long history dating back to the times of the ancient Greeks. For athletes with a disability, the first organized competitions began in 1952 when Wheelchair Racing was included at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England within the framework of the Games organized for World War II veterans. Athletics has been part of the Paralympic Games since the very beginning in 1960. Over the next twenty years, additional groups of athletes with a disability were able to join the Paralympic competition.