The Rio 2016 Paralympics are ending soon but here are some fun and interesting facts about the Paralympics:
- The word Paralympics combines the word Para (the Greek preposition for beside or alongside) with the word Olympics because the games happen parallel to the Summer and Winter Olympics.
- The 2016 Paralympic medals are somewhat special to accommodate the visually impaired. The silver and bronze medals have been made from 30 per cent recycled materials and also make a noise when shaken. The gold medal makes the loudest noise and the bronze makes the least and they also have braille features.
- The podiums, that the athletes stand on is made from organic materials and celebrates the tropical nature of Brazil. The podiums have been designed to be reused as furniture after the Games.
- Half of the plastic in the ribbons, which will be used to hang the medals around athletes’ necks, comes from recycled plastic bottles.
- Did you know that until the Paralympics came into existence disabled athletes competed alongside able-bodied athletes in the Olympics. In fact, in 1904, American gymnast George Eyser won six medals in just one day, with a wooden artificial leg. Oscar Pistorius, a double amputee and former gold medal Paralympian, competed in the London 2012 Olympics.
- Those who are deaf, cannot participate in the Paralympics, a separate sports event called the [Deaflympics] is held to cater to them.
- In the blind five-a-side soccer, each team competes with four blindfolded players and one goalie who is not visually impaired. The field is smaller than a traditional soccer pitch and walled in so the ball cannot go out of bounds, and the game is only 50 minutes divided into two halves. The ball makes a noise each time it moves and coaches give their players verbal commands and clank metal against the goalposts in order to indicate which way their players need to go.
- There are only four sports in the Paralympic Games out of the total 20 that are not part of the Olympic Games. These four sporting events are goal ball, boccia, wheelchair rugby, and powerlifting.
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