IN THE POOL - Swimming.Org

HISTORY OF THE PARALYMPIC GAMES
The Paralympic Games originate from 1948 when a sports
competition was organised for World War II veterans with a
spinal cord injury in Stoke Mandeville, England. Four years later
athletes from Holland joined the event and so the international
Paralympic movement was born.
The first recognised Paralympic Games were held in Rome in
1960 and immediately followed the Olympics. Here, around
400 athletes from 23 countries competed in six different
sports, including swimming. Today, the Games are an elite
sports event for athletes from five different disability groups
competing in 20 sports.
Swimming has been a part of the Games since its conception.
Swimmers compete in events ranging from 50m to 400m.
This differs slightly from the Olympic Games where swimmers
compete in events up to 800m for women and 1500m for men.
Great Britain’s Swimming Medals at
Paralympic GAMES
Year Gold Silver Bronze
1960 11 8 5
1964 7 12 6
1968 13 7 8
1972 2 3 5
1976 13 6 6
1980 18 10 7
1984 26 33 39
1988 24 37 22
1992 22 25 17
1996 16 17 15
2000 15 24 23
2004 16 20 16
2008 11 12 18
Total 194 214 187
Great Britain are one of the strongest nations in Paralympic
swimming finishing in the top four of the medal table at each of
the last six Games.
Mike Kenny has won more gold medals in Paralympic
swimming than any other Briton winning 16 across four
Paralympics 1976-1988.
Jim Anderson will be looking to medal in his sixth Paralympic
Games in a row here in London whilst Sascha Kindred will be
looking to medal in his fifth consecutive Games.
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