“Paralympic Stories”, an exhibition presented as part of the Cultural Olympiad until September 29, highlights the history of the Paralympic movement.
2 mins
In the world of parasport, the time is no longer for “wooden leg” racing, as this 1895 poster in the exhibition reminds us, but for highlighting and highlighting high-level athletes. The “Paralympic Stories” exhibition offers a journey rich in information, using text, archives, photos, and even podcasts, to explain the fight towards the emancipation of athletes with disabilities, the World War II to the present.
Understand the evolution and history of the Paralympic Games
Appearing in the middle of the 20th century, Paralympic Games have experienced significant growth and changed our perception of people with disabilities. We remember the London 2012 edition, where the disabled athlete was finally shown as a superhero. The London Games marked a tipping point towards a great demonstration of inclusion and pride. Rio and Tokyo have amplified the movement.
“ This exhibition allows you to understand the evolution and history of Paralympismexplains Ludivine Munoz, three-time Paralympic swimming medalist and head of Paralympic integration at the Organizing Committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We also understand what Paralympism has contributed to the development of the rights of people with disabilities around the world. We hope that Paris 2024 will be a new step to continue the dynamic around accessibility in France “.
An exhibition designed to be accessible to people with disabilities
In the beginning, it was a doctor, Dr. Ludwig Guttmann, who organized a sports competition in 1948 in the courtyard of the Stoke Mandeville hospital, in Great Britain, for the war veterans he was treating. From the 1950s, foreign delegations joined the “Stoke Games», which take on a more competitive dimension.
Paralympism was finally integrated into the Olympism from the 1980s. Competitions similar to able-bodied events were organized. Then there was the invention of specific disciplines, such as blind footballTHE armchair basketballgoal-ball (ball sport for the blind and visually impaired), boccia (related to pétanque), etc.
The exhibition has been designed to be accessible to people with disabilities: booklet in French easy to read and understand (Falc), French and international sign language, height of the windows adapted to wheelchairs.