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T he first Games for athletes with a disability were held in 1948 in Stoke Mandeville, England. On the day of the Opening Ceremony of the 1948 Olympic Games in London, the Stoke Mandeville Games were founded and the first competition for wheelchair athletes was organised. Four years later, competitors from the Netherlands joined the Games and the international movement, now known as the Paralympic movement, was born. Olympic style Games for athletes with a disability were organised for the first time in Rome in 1960, immediately after the Olympic Games. They are considered the first Paralympic Games. About 400 athletes from 23 countries competed in 8 sports, 6 of which are still included in the Paralympic Competition Program . Since then Paralympic Games were held every four years. The Paralympic Games have always been held in the same year as the Olympic Games. In Toronto in 1976, other disability groups were added and the idea of merging together different disability groups for international sport competitions was born. In the same year, the first Paralympic Winter Games took place in Sweden. In 1988, the Seoul Paralympic Summer Games marked a significant change as both, Olympic and Paralympic Games, were held at the same venues. Since then the Paralympic Games have always taken place at the same venues as the Olympic Games. In 1988, the Seoul Paralympic Summer Games marked a significant change as both, Olympic and Paralympic Games, were held at the same venues. Since then the Paralympic Games have always taken place at the same venues as the Olympic Games. Since 1960, eleven (11) Paralympic Summer and seven (7) Paralympic Winter Games have been conducted. The 11th Paralympic Summer Games were held very successfully in 2000 in Sydney, Australia and the 8th Paralympic Winter Games will be held in March 2002, in Salt Lake City, U.S.A. The Paralympic Games have evolved into the second largest sports event compared only to the Olympic Games. Paralympic Sport in Greece started to develop in the seventies and the first Greek athlete participated at Paralympic Games in 1976. Paralympic Games
Year |  | City | Participants
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1960 | I. | Rome, Italy | 400 athletes from 23 countries
1964 | II. | Tokyo, Japan | 390 athletes from 22 countries
1968 | III. | Tel Aviv, Israel | 750 athletes from 29 countries
1972 | IV. | Heidelberg, Germany | 1000 athletes from 44 countries
1976 | V. | Toronto, Canada | 1600 athletes from 42 countries
1980 | VI. | Arnhem, Netherlands | 2500 athletes from 42 countries
1984 | VII. | Stoke Mandeville, UKNew York, USA | 4080 athletes from 42 countries
1988 | VIII. | Seoul, Korea | 3053 athletes from 61 countries
1992 | IX. | Barcelona, Spain | 3020 athletes from 82 countries
1996 | X. | Atlanta, USA | 3195 athletes from 103 countries
2000 | XI. | Sydney, Australia | 3843 athletes from 123 countries