Switzerland was one of the seventeen nations that competed at the inaugural Summer Paralympic Games in 1960 held in Rome, Italy, from September 19 to 24, 1960.[1][2] Preparations for the Games began two years prior in 1958 to stage what was at the time called the 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games.[3] The team finished thirteenth in the medal table with a total of four medals, one gold and three silver.[4] The Swiss team consisted of two athletes: Denis Favre, a man who competed in athletics and swimming events, and Simone Knusli, a woman who competed in swimming.[1]
| Switzerland at the 1960 Summer Paralympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IPC code | SUI (SVI used at these Games) |
| NPC | Swiss Paralympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| in Rome | |
| Competitors | 2 |
| Medals Ranked 13th |
|
| Summer Paralympics appearances (overview) | |
Disability classifications
editAthletes at the first Paralympics in 1960 were all afflicted by spinal cord injuries and required the use of a wheelchair.[3] This is in contrast to later Paralympics that include events for participants that fit into any of five different disability categories; amputation, either congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes; visual impairment, including blindness; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism or multiple sclerosis.[5][6] Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependent upon the specific physical demands of competition. Events are given a code, made of numbers and letters, describing the type of event and classification of the athletes competing.[7]
Medalists
edit| Medal | Name | Sport | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
 Gold |
Denis Favre | Swimming | Men's 50m crawl complete class 5 |
 Silver |
Denis Favre | Athletics | Men's javelin throw C |
| Silver |
Denis Favre | Athletics | Men's shot put C |
| Silver |
Simone Knusli | Swimming | Women's 25m breaststroke complete class 2 |
Athletics
editDenis Favre took part in two field events; the men's javelin C and the men's shot put C.[8] In the javelin Favre threw 21.71 metres to win the silver medal; gold was won by Enzo Santini of host nation Italy, who threw 22.90 metres, and the bronze medal went to Hepple of Great Britain.[9] Favre also won the silver medal in the shot put; his distance of 8.05 metres split the American pair of Ron Stein and Welger who took gold and bronze medals with distances of 10.13 metres and 7.77 metres respectively.[10]
Swimming
editBoth of the Swiss athletes took part in a swimming event at the Games. Each won a medal as their events contained only three competitors.[8] Denis Favre won the gold medal in the men's 50 metres crawl complete class 5, beating his nearest rival Sznitowski of Argentina by 0.2 seconds.[11] In the women's 25 metres breaststroke complete class 2 Simone Knusli won the silver medal after finishing 2.1 seconds behind the winner of the event, Great Britain's Susan Masham.[12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Participation Numbers Rome 1960 Paralympic Games". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- ^ "Paralympic Games History – Summer". Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ a b "Paralympic Games Rome 1960 IPC Celebrates 50 Years After Rome". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ^ "Medal Standings Rome 1960 Paralympic Games". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ^ "Paralympics categories explained". ABC. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- ^ "Making sense of the categories". BBC Sport. 6 October 2000. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- ^ "A-Z of Paralympic classification". BBC Sport. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- ^ a b "Athlete Search Results Switzerland 1960". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ^ "Results Rome 1960 Paralympic Games Athletics Men's Javelin C". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ^ "Results Rome 1960 Paralympic Games Athletics Men's Shot Put C". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ^ "Results Rome 1960 Paralympic Games Swimming". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- ^ "Results Rome 1960 Paralympic Games Swimming Women's 25 m Breaststroke complete class 2". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 24 May 2011.