Major Events for Disabled Athletes
There are major sporting events around the world that cater specifically for athletes with a disability. There is a separate list for events for deaf athletes.
Wheelchair athletes- Paralympic Games — held in conjunction with the Summer Olympic Games.
- Deaflympics — an Olympics type event for deaf athletes, held every four years.
- Défi sportif — a multi-sport event for disabled athletes held in Montreal, Canada. Involves athletes of the five types of disabilities: auditory, physical, psychiatric, intellectual, and visual as well as athletes of all levels.
- Special Olympics World Games — Winter and Summer events held every 4 years for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
- World Abilitysport Games — a multi-sport competition for wheelchair athletes, formerly known as the Stoke Mandeville, World Wheelchair Games and the International Wheelchair & Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) World Games.
- World Abilitysport Guttman Games — created to give athletes with physical impairments competing in non-Paralympic sports the chance to compete on the international stage. The inaugural event is planned for 2024.
- Invictus Games — an international Paralympic-style multi-sport event for wounded soldiers, first held in 2014.
- Trisome Games — an international multi-sport competition for athletes with Down Syndrome held every four years
- Parasports at the Commonwealth Games
Regional Para Games
- ASEAN Para Games
- African Para Games — the first-ever African Paralympic Games are scheduled for 2023 when Ghana also hosts the African Games.
Disabled Events No Longer Held
- Arab Games for the Handicapped (Arab Paralympics) — held in 1999
- Commonwealth Paraplegic Games — held alongside the Commonwealth Games from 1962 to 1974.
Related Pages
- Multi-Sport Events for the Deaf
- Other International Multi-Events
- Fitness testing for disabled athletes
- Multi-Sport Events (Games) Calendar
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Current Events