Tokyo Paralympic 2020 Indian Medal Winners

The history of the Paralympic Games dates back to 1948, when Sir Ludwig Guttmann, a physician working at a hospital in Stoke Mandeville, England, organized an archery competition involving World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries as part of their rehabilitation programme. In 1952 the event became an international competition, and from the 1960 Games in Rome, they have been held in the same host country as the Olympic Games. Since the 1988 Games in Seoul, they have been held shortly after the Olympic Games using the same venues and facilities.

Although the Paralympic Games were originally designed for rehabilitation purposes, the event has developed into an elite sports competition. Now athletes taking part in the Games represent, not only those needing the aid of wheelchairs but a more diverse spectrum of impairments. As such, the term Paralympic Games is now interpreted to mean "parallel Olympic Games" or "the other Olympic Games".