Paralympics 2016 – “A new world” introduced by sports
Update March 2026: This article has been editorially reviewed and updated with current information.
Last updated: March 2026
INSPIRED EVENTS
11 days, more than 500 competitions and a total of 4.359 athletes. The paralympic games will take place in Rio de Janeiro from the 7th-18th September 2016. The theme is going to be “A new world”.
ABOUT
Create a better world by collective enthusiasm for sports. This is the main idea of the olympic games. This year, the slogan “a new world” will accompany the paralympic games in Brazil. Besides high-level athletic performance, the spectators will also be confronted with the main message to change the world. Beside their handicaps, people with disabilities show that in the new and modern world we are living in, everyone is an equal member of the society. Furthermore their try to carry on the main idea of athletics and sports and prove to be true role model for many sport fans.
Rio de Janeiro, as the place of the event, plays a great role in it. It is the first city in South America that is going to host the Paralympics. Therefore “a new world” implies as well great changes concerning the Rio de Janeiro and its country. The main aim is to make Brazil a safer and better place including a brighter future for everyone. The paralympics can be seen as a first step in the right direction.
By the way: since 2012 in London, the cities that apply for hosting the olympic games have to include the paralympics in their application. The collected organisation with the olympic games draws more attention to the event.
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PROGRAM
More informations about the paralympics:
- 4.350 athletes
- 176 countries
- 23 sports
- 528 medal competions
- 226 female, 38 mixed gender and 264 male competiors
NICE TO KNOW
The term “paralympics” is composed of 2 english terms: paralyzed and olympics. Since there are not only athletes with a disability that join the event, the term was changed to “para” a greek word meaning “side by side” and points to the parallel existence of paralympics and olympic games. The event was initially found in 1948, supported by an ethnic german doctor Ludwig Guttmann.
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