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SPECIAL OLYMPICS OLYMPICS PARALYMPICS

Elite sports for persons with a – principally a physical or sensory Olympic-type sports for disability persons who are classified as having an intellectual Impairment Classifications disability. Olympic sports for elite = Athletes with Cerebral sportspeople Palsy (CPISRA), Athletes Athletes may also have a with Spinal Cord Lesion, physical disability, but first Spina Bifida and Polio classification = ID (ISMWSF), Athletes with Blindness (IBSA) and Athletes with Les Autres or Amputations (ISOD)

Athletes of all ages are catered for:

Minimum age for entering Age of athletes vary Age of athletes vary competition = 8 yrs according to sport, but few according to sport but few

very young or old athletes young or older athletes NO upper limit – in 1987 there was a 70+ yr old Swedish Level I artistic gymnast

All ability groups are Elite athletes only – entry Elite athletes only – entry included in the sports standards standards competition

Year-Round Training and Year-Round Training and Centralized training prior to Competition Competition competition

Every athlete receives Only first three are Only first three are recognition for all events recognized recognized

SPECIAL OLYMPICS OLYMPICS PARALYMPICS

Some events have been Some events have been Regular standardized adapted to meet ability adapted to meet ability competition levels of athletes levels of athletes

Summer and Winter World Summer and Winter Games every 4 years – every 4 Summer Paralympic years – Games one month after First International – begun in Games in 1968, , First Modern Olympics held 1988 after Seoul Olympic USA; First International in 1896, in , ; Games Winter Games in 1977, in Colorado, USA Chamonix, in 1924

Independent organization Government supported Government supported and structure

Competition Levels:

- School- Local, State, National, Regional International Only Area/District and International - State/Province, National - Regional, International