- The document discusses the history and growth of the Paralympic Games from their origins in 1948 as a sports competition for World War 2 veterans with spinal cord injuries organized by Sir Ludwig Guttman, to their establishment as an international movement modeled after the Olympics. - It notes key events like the inclusion of athletes from other countries in 1952 and the first official Paralympics held in Rome in 1960. The number of participating athletes and countries has grown dramatically, from 400 athletes from 23 countries in 1960 to over 3,800 athletes from 136 countries at the 2004 Athens Games. - The Paralympics now include athletes from 6 disability groups and have been held in the same host cities as the Olympics since 1988, with an agreement in

1. PARALYMPIC GAMES GUILLEM LLORET & ALBERT MARTÍNEZ

8. PARALYMPIC GAMES HISTORY IN 1948, SIR LUDWIG GUTTMANN ORGANIZED A SPORTS COMPETITION INVOLVING WORLD WAR II VETERANS WITH A SPINAL CORD INJURY IN STOKE MANDEVILLE, ENGLAND. FOUR YEARS LATER, COMPETITORS FROM THE NETHERLANDS JOINED THE GAMES AND AN INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENT WAS BORN. OLYMPIC STYLE GAMES FOR ATHLETES WITH A DISABILITY WERE ORGANIZED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ROME IN 1960, NOW CALLED PARALYMPICS.