The 1976 Winter Paralympic Games (Swedish: Paralympiska vinterspelen 1976) were the first Winter Paralympics. They were held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, from 21 to 28 February 1976. The disabilities included in this Paralympics were blindness and amputees. Sixteen countries took part with 196 athletes.[1] There were competitions in Alpine and Nordic skiing for amputee and visually impaired athletes, and a demonstration event in ice sledge racing.[2]
 | |
| Location | Örnsköldsvik, Sweden |
|---|---|
| Nations | 16 |
| Athletes | 196 |
| Events | 53 in 2 sports |
| Opening | 21 February |
| Closing | 28 February |
| Opened by | |
| Stadium | Kempehallen |
Winter Summer | |
They were originally known as the 1st Winter Olympic Games for the Disabled.[3][4]
Sports
editThe games consisted of 2 sports.
Medal table
editThe top 9 NPCs by number of gold medals are listed below. The host nation (Sweden) is highlighted.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  West Germany | 10 | 12 | 6 | 28 |
| 2 |  Switzerland | 10 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| 3 |  Finland | 8 | 7 | 7 | 22 |
| 4 |  Norway | 7 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
| 5 |  Sweden* | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
| 6 |  Austria | 5 | 16 | 14 | 35 |
| 7 |  Czechoslovakia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 |  France | 2 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| 9 |  Canada | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Totals (9 entries) | 53 | 46 | 42 | 141 | |
Participating Paralympic Committees
editThe following nations took part. In brackets is the number of athletes per nation.[5]
| Participating National Paralympic Committees |
|---|
|
British involvement in these Games was covered in an edition of the Thames Television current affairs series This Week.[6]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Örnsköldsvik 1976 Paralympic Winter Games". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
- ^ "Örnsköldsvik 1976". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
- ^ History and Use of the Term Paralympic Archived 16 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine, International Paralympic Committee (IPC)
- ^ Paralympics (Swedish), biblioteket.se
- ^ "Participation Numbers – Örnsköldsvik 1976 Paralympic Winter Games". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
- ^ Daily Mirror TV listings, page 16, 26 February 1976