2012 Summer Paralympics Information
The 2012 Summer Paralympic Games will be the fourteenth Paralympics and will take place between 29 August and 9 September 2012. The Games will be held in London, United Kingdom after the city was successful with its bid for the Paralympics and Summer Olympic Games. There will be 1.6 million tickets available for the various events with a predicted sell-out rate of 63%.
In their evaluation report, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) states that "With its rich history, the capacities of UK Paralympic Sport are among the best in the world."
Even though 2012 will be London's third Olympic Games, it will be the first Paralympic Games to be staged there, as the event was created after the last time the city hosted in 1948. It is however the second time that the United Kingdom hosts a Paralympic Games. The 1984 Summer Paralympics were hosted in both Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom and Long Island, New York, United States. Also, the first organized athletic event for athletes with a disability that coincided with the Olympic Games took place on the day of the opening of the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. Dr. Ludwig Guttmann of Stoke Mandeville Hospital[1] hosted a sports competition for British World War II veteran patients with spinal cord injuries. The first games were called the 1948 International Wheelchair Games, and were intended to coincide with the 1948 Olympics.[2] Dr. Guttman's aim was to create an elite sports competition for people with disabilities that would be equivalent to the Olympic Games.[2] The games were held again at the same location in 1952, and Dutch veterans took part alongside the British, making it the first international competition of its kind. These early competitions, also known as the Stoke Mandeville Games, have been described as the precursors of the Paralympic Games.[3]
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Venues
Main article: Venues of the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics The Olympic Stadium under construction in July 2010The 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will use a mixture of new venues, existing and historic facilities, and temporary facilities, some of them in well-known locations such as Hyde Park and Horse Guards Parade.
The majority of venues have been divided into three zones within Greater London: the Olympic Zone, the River Zone and the Central Zone. In addition to these are those venues that, by necessity, are outside the boundaries of Greater London, such as the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy on the Isle of Portland in Dorset which will host the sailing events, some 125 miles (200 km) southwest of the Olympic Park. The football tournament will be staged at several grounds around the UK.[4]
Of the twenty paralympic sports, nine sports will be played in London's Olympic Park which will be built specifically for the Olympic and Paralympic games.[5] The ExCeL Centre will host a further six sports. The shooting events will be held at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, the road cycling at Regent's Park in central London, and the rowing at Dorney Lake.[6] Greenwich Park will host the equestrian events.[7] Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy will host the sailing events.[8]
The Games
Sports
The London Paralympics will be the first Games since the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney in which athletes with intellectual disabilities (ID) will be authorised to compete following a decision by the International Paralympic Committee in 2008.[9] Athletics, swimming and table tennis will include events with an ID classification.[10][11]
Twenty sports are on the programme[12]:
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Participating NPCs
Alternative 2012 Paralympic logoThe following National Paralympic Committees are scheduled to send delegations to compete.
- Australia[13][14]
- Canada[13][14]
- France[13][14]
- Germany[13][14]
- Great Britain[13]
- Italy[13][14]
- Netherlands[13][14]
- Poland[13][14]
- Turkey[13][14]
- United States[13][14]
Calendar
As of December 27, 2010 with the days each sport will be contested on known.[12]
| ● | Opening ceremony | Event competitions | ● | Event finals | ● | Closing ceremony |
| August / September 2012 | 29 Wed | 30 Thu | 31 Fri | 1 Sat | 2 Sun | 3 Mon | 4 Tue | 5 Wed | 6 Thu | 7 Fri | 8 Sat | 9 Sun | Gold medals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | 9 | ||||||||||||
| Athletics | 166 | ||||||||||||
| Boccia | 7 | ||||||||||||
| Cycling | 50 | ||||||||||||
| Equestrian | 11 | ||||||||||||
| Football 5-a-side | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Football 7-a-side | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Goalball | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Judo | 13 | ||||||||||||
| Powerlifting | 20 | ||||||||||||
| Rowing | 5 | ||||||||||||
| Sailing | 3 | ||||||||||||
| Shooting | 12 | ||||||||||||
| Swimming | 148 | ||||||||||||
| Table tennis | 29 | ||||||||||||
| Volleyball | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Wheelchair basketball | 2 | ||||||||||||
| Wheelchair fencing | 12 | ||||||||||||
| Wheelchair rugby | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Wheelchair tennis | 6 | ||||||||||||
| Total gold medals | 500 | ||||||||||||
| Cumulative Total | |||||||||||||
| Ceremonies | ● | ● | |||||||||||
| August / September 2012 | 29 Wed | 30 Thu | 31 Fri | 1 Sat | 2 Sun | 3 Mon | 4 Tue | 5 Wed | 6 Thu | 7 Fri | 8 Sat | 9 Sun | Gold medals |
Mascots
Wenlock and Mandeville Main article: Wenlock and MandevilleThe official mascots for the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games were unveiled on 19 May 2010;[15] this marks the second time (after Vancouver) that both Olympic and Paralympic mascots were unveiled at the same time. Wenlock and Mandeville are animations depicting two drops of steel from a steelworks in Bolton.[15] They are named Wenlock, after the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock, which held a forerunner of the current Olympic Games, and Stoke Mandeville, a town in Buckinghamshire where the Paralympic Games were first held.;[15] The writer Michael Morpurgo wrote the story concept to the mascots, and an animation was produced;[16] it is intended that this will form part of an ongoing series concerning the mascots in the run-up to the Games in 2012.[15]
Partners
To help fund the cost of the games the London 2012 Organizing Committee have agreed partnership deals with major companies. Sainsbury's, the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, is the first partner to sign as a Paralympics-only sponsor, and it is the largest sponsorship of the Paralympics signed in the history of the Games.[17] Other "Tier One" partners already announced for both the Paralympics and the Olympics include adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF Energy and Lloyds TSB. "Tier Two" supporters already announced include Adecco, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS.[18] "Tier Three" partners include German prosthetics company Otto Bock that becomes the second Paralympic-only sponsor.[19]
Ticketing
Organisers estimate that some 1.5 million tickets would be available for the Paralympic Games.[20] Ticket sign-up was launched on 22 March 2010 and all tickets will go on sale to the public on 9 September 2011. Ticket prices will be announced in May 2011.[21][22] It is estimated that 63% of Paralympic tickets will be sold. There will also be free events: for example, the marathon, and road cycling.[23]
Broadcasting
- United Kingdom: Channel 4 will broadcast the Games, with over 150 hours of television coverage.[24]
Paralympic flag
The Paralympic flag was raised outside City Hall on Friday, 26 September 2008 to celebrate the start of the cultural Paralympiad. The flag will continue to fly outside City Hall until 2012. On the same day the Olympic flag was raised outside City Hall.[25]
See also
| Paralympics portal |
References
- ^ Paralympics History By Susana Correia in Accessible Portugal Online Magazine
- ^ a b "History of the Paralympic Movement". Canadian Paralympic Committee. http://www.paralympiceducation.ca/Content/History/11%20History%20of%20the%20Paralympics.asp?langid=1. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
- ^ DePauw and Gavron (2005), pp.38–39
- ^ . Event magazine. 2010-06-07. http://www.eventmagazine.co.uk/news/search/1007792/Ricoh-Arena-replace-Villa-Park-London-2012-football-venue/ =Viewpoint: Ricoh Arena to replace Villa Park as London 2012 football venue. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
- ^ "Official London Olympics Committee Venue List". http://www.london2012.org/en/ourvision/the+paralympics/venuelist/. Retrieved 2 January 2007.
- ^ "Paralympics venue plan unveiled". BBC News. 24 November 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/disability_sport/6181702.stm. Retrieved 2 January 2007.
- ^ "London 2012 unveil Paralympic venue plan". http://www.paralympics.org.uk/news.asp?section=000100010008&showItemID=750. Retrieved 2 January 2007.
- ^ "Press Releases 2004/5". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070928000252/http://www.wpnsa.org.uk/pressreleasesupto2005.htm#2012. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
- ^ "Paralympics to alter entry policy", BBC, 13 September 2008
- ^ Intellectual disability ban ends, BBC, 21 November 2009
- ^ International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability - President's Newsletter July 2010, UK Sports Association for People with Learning Disability, July 2010
- ^ a b Paralympic sports, London 2012
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Wheelchair Basketball". International Paralympic Committee. http://www.paralympic.org/export/sites/default/Paralympic_Games/London_2012/Qualification_Criteria/2011_02_WC_Basketball_London_2012_PG_Qualification_Criteria_Final_Update.pdf. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "2010 World Championships Schedule & Results". Wheelchair Basketball Canada. http://www.wheelchairbasketball.ca/en/tournament.aspx?id=1989. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- ^ a b c d "London 2012 unveils Games mascots Wenlock & Mandeville". BBC News. 19 May 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympic_games/london_2012/8690467.stm. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ^ "The London 2012 mascots". London 2012. 19 May 2010. http://www.ourlondon2012.com/mascots/. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ Sainsbury's Becomes 2012 Paralympics Sponsor, topnews.us
- ^ Sainsbury's Becomes Official Sponsor of London 2012 Paralympic Games, International Paralympic Committee (IPC), 4 May 2010
- ^ Otto Bock Becomes Second London 2012 Paralympic-only Sponsor, International Paralympic Committee (IPC), 1 February 2011
- ^ London 2012 Tickets To go on Sale March 15, worldnewsinsight.com
- ^ Six weeks to apply for London 2012 tickets from March, moneycontrol.com, 16 January 2011
- ^ "Ticketing at London 2012". London 2012 website. http://www.london2012.com/plans/ticketing/index.php. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
- ^ "London Opens Ticket Process for 2012 Olympics - ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wireStory?id=10171244. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
- ^ "Channel 4 to be the Paralympic Broadcaster in the UK in 2012". Channel 4. 8 January 2010. pp. 3. http://www.channel4.com/about4/word/10-C4-to-be-Paralympic-broadcaster-in-UK-in-2012.doc. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
- ^ Olympic flags raised outside City Hall, london-se1.co.uk, 26 September 2008
- The London 2012 guide to the Paralympic Games, The Official site of London 2012
External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 2012 Summer Paralympics |
- London 2012 Official Homepage
- Inclusive London - accessibility in London
- Official mascots homepage
- London 2012 from the International Paralympic Committee
- The Official Channel 4 Paralympics website for London 2012 Paralympic Games
| Preceded by Beijing | Summer Paralympic Games London XIV Paralympiad (2012) | Succeeded by Rio de Janeiro |
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Categories: 2012 Summer Paralympics | 2012 in England | Sporting events in England | Sports festivals in England | Sports festivals in the United Kingdom | Scheduled sports events | Summer Olympics in London
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