BEIJING 2008

Paralympic Dates And Sports Confirmed By IPC

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has confirmed to the Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) the dates for the 13th Paralympic Games, as well as the different sports that will be contested during the Paralympic Games. BOCOG is the organizing committee for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2008.

12 Days Of Paralympic Celebration

The 13th Paralympic Games will be held from Saturday 6 September 2008 until Wednesday 17 September 2008. These 12 days of Paralympic celebration will give the host nation an opportunity to try to finish first again, after China topped the medals table at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece, with a total of 141 medals. It will also give the Chinese population the chance to get more acquainted with the Paralympic Games and the top Paralympic athletes.

A New Sport For Beijing 2008

There will be a total of 20 sports at the Paralympic Games in Beijing, up from 19 in Athens, thanks to the addition of rowing as a Paralympic sport. This means that the list of Paralympic sports for Beijing 2008 now reads: archery, athletics, boccia, wheelchair basketball, cycling, equestrian, wheelchair fencing, football 5-a-side, football 7-a-side, goalball, judo, weightlifting, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, volleyball, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair tennis and rowing.

Olympic And Paralympic Games Together

Since the Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, in 1988, and the Olympic Winter Games in Albertville, France, in 1992, the Paralympic Games have always been held in the same cities as the Olympic Games. This was formalized in an agreement between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the IPC, which was signed on 19 June 2001 with a view to securing the organization of the Paralympic Games. This means that, from 2008 onwards, the Paralympic Games will take place shortly after the Olympic Games, using the same sporting venues and facilities.