17 Fascinating Facts About The Paralympics That Actually Made My Jaw Drop

2 months ago

The name "Paralympics" means something different than you think.

Paralympics season is upon us, and I, for one, am super excited about it! It's safe to say the Paralympics deserve more hype, so I've done my research. Here are some fascinating facts about the history of the Paralympics, and then a few fun tidbits about the 2024 Games:

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1. The Paralympics started as a game in a military hospital to try and help paraplegic patients — who were all World War II veterans — get better quickly.

Nurses attend to patients in a hospital room, with medical equipment around the beds

2. You might be wondering why the Paralympics are called that — and it's not what you might think. "Para" means "alongside" in Greek, and the Paralympics are alongside the Olympics. Get it?

Para-athlete in a wheelchair playing badminton at a Paris 2024 Paralympic event. Logos for Allianz, Toyota, and the Paralympic Games are visible on the court

3. The Paralympics used to only allow athletes in wheelchairs to compete, but the rules changed in 1976, when people with other disabilities were included.

Two athletes, one with a "Guide" bib, and the other with bib number 1411, running on a track at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games

4. Wheelchair rugby used to be called "murderball" because of how intensely the wheelchairs sometimes smash into each other. (Yes, seriously.)

Kody Ratt plays wheelchair rugby against a UK player during a match at the EDF European Paralympic Championships in Paris

5. There are 2 sports that take place at the Paralympics exclusively! They’re called boccia and goalball.

Hidetaka Sugimura, in a wheelchair, competes in a boccia event at the Paralympics. He is wearing a white sports jersey with the number 2205

6. In para archery, people who don't have use of their hands or arms can (and have, several times) shoot with their feet.

Man with no arms pulling back a bowstring with his foot, focused on aiming the arrow

7. For blind football and goalball, you might be wondering how exactly athletes know where the ball is if they can't see it. Well, the ball is made with bells inside of it, so athletes have to listen to where the ball is.

Two blindfolded soccer players, one wearing yellow and blue, the other in a light blue and white jersey, compete for the ball during a match

8. Sitting volleyball is literally played sitting — not in wheelchairs, but on the ground. Athletes have to leave their wheelchairs on the side.

Paralympic sitting volleyball match, players from opposing teams in action reaching for the ball

9. In wheelchair basketball (one of my favourite events, I’ll have you know), the hoop is just as high as it is in regular basketball — 3.05 meters from the ground! So they play the exact same game as nondisabled athletes, just in wheelchairs.

Athletes in wheelchairs compete in a basketball game. Players in blue jerseys from GBR face off against players in white and red jerseys from another team

And now, some fun facts specifically about this year's Paralympics:

11. Also, this year broke the record for most female athletes at the Paralympics — there are 1,983 women competing this year, which is 45% of the total athletes.

Swimmer with swim cap and goggles, wearing a black swimsuit, celebrates by holding up three fingers at a pool's edge with lane number 6 in the background

12. Phryges, the mascots for both the Olympics and Paralympics, look like this — and they're seen walking around during the Games (like in the middle of the athletes' parade). They also covered a car with Phryges just for the Paralympic Games.

A car covered in numerous plush toy mascots is displayed at an outdoor event with a crowd in the background

13. The tragic Humboldt Broncos bus crash, which happened in Saskatchewan in 2018, left 16 people killed and 13 injured — and it was a huge tragedy for all of Canada. One of the athletes injured in the crash, Jacob Wasserman, is competing in the Paralympics for the first time this year.

Line of men on a red carpet, led by a man in a blue wheelchair. They are dressed in suits, some with patterned shirts

14. For the Triathlon event this year, the Paralympic organizers switched around the dates last-minute. Why? Because of water quality problems in the Seine river. They had to cancel a pre-Olympics swimming event last summer because of sewer issues, too (I know, ew), so clearly this is a recurring problem.

Paralympian Claire Cashmore runs out of the water during a triathlon with two high-rise buildings in the background. A masked official stands nearby

15. Adorable Olympics-Paralympics couple alert!! Tara Davis-Woodhall, an American athlete who won gold in women’s long jump at the 2024 Paris Olympics, is married to Paralympian and silver medalist Hunter Woodhall.

Serena Williams and coach celebrate joyfully as she is lifted in a jubilant hug at an athletic event

16. The youngest Paralympic athlete this year is swimmer Iona Winnifrith, who is 13. She won two gold medals at this year's World Para Swimming Championships, too, and she's ready to make a splash at the Paralympics. (OK, sorry, that was bad).

Swimmer during a butterfly stroke in a pool wearing a yellow cap and goggles, with water splashing around

17. Jürgen Klopp is one of the top football (soccer) managers in the world — you might know him from managing the Liverpool Premier League Team — and he came to the 2024 Paris Paralympics to watch his friend Wojtek Czyz compete in para badminton. Adorable!!!

Two men are standing together, smiling. One is wearing a black polo shirt and the other a white athletic shirt

SO COOL, right? Are you as excited as I am now? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. And before I forget, make sure you follow BuzzFeed Canada on TikTok and Instagram for more!

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