Sports >> Athletics
Venue: Main Stadium, His Majesty The King’s 80th Birthday Anniversary Stadium
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 for World War II veterans. Athletics has been part of the Paralympic Games since the very beginning in 1960.
There are many athletic activities which can bring a disabled person a rush of adrenaline, such as javelin, discus, shot-put, marathons and wheelchair racing. This is also the sport which draws the largest number of participants and spectators at the Paralympics.
Classification
Prefix: T for track athletes and F for field athletes
Class |
Description |
11 to 13 |
Visual Impairment |
20 |
Intellectual Disability |
32 to 34 |
Cerebral Palsy (wheelchair) |
35 to 38 |
Cerebral Palsy (ambulant) |
40 to 46 |
Ambulant with amputation or other disability, including les Autres (e.g. dwarfism) |
51 to 58 |
Wheelchair athletes with amputation or spinal cord injuries |
Download the IPC Athletics Classification Handbook here
Available Events
| Event | Men |
Women |
| 100m | yes |
yes |
| 200m | yes |
yes |
| 300m | yes |
yes |
| 400m | yes |
yes |
| 800m | yes |
yes |
| 1500m | yes |
yes |
| 5 000m | yes |
|
| 10 000m | yes |
|
| 4 x 100m Relay | yes |
yes |
| 4 x 400m Relay | yes |
yes |
| High Jump | yes |
yes |
| Long Jump | yes |
yes |
| Shot Put | yes |
yes |
| Discus | yes |
yes |
| Javelin | yes |
yes |
Rules
Download the IPC Athletics Rules here
Technology and 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. 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.
*Information gathered from www.paralympic.org.