Paralympians win big in diverse competitions
Swimming, tennis, rugby and more have been adapted for athletes with disabilities
'Blade runners' and wheelchairs sprint for the finish line.
Track and field, also known as para-athletics, make up a significant number of the Paralympic Game events. These competitions are held for those with physical and visual disabilities, and they typically resemble what you'd find in their Olympic counterparts except that the competitors might have missing limbs or use wheelchairs.
Sprints aren't the only track and field events held. Others include the javelin throw and the high jump, seen below.
Para-swimming events feature a lot of variety.
Athletes with physical, visual and intellectual impairments can all compete in para-swimming events, which include the freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, individual medley and relays. Swimmers can choose to start races standing, in the water or from diving from the platform. Those who are blind and visually impaired wear blackened goggles and swim with a "tapper" — an assistant who taps them as they approach the pool's walls to make a turn or complete the race.
Para table tennis is a fixture of the Paralympic Games.
Para table tennis can trace its start to the first Paralympic games in Rome in 1960. Since then, it has opened up from being a wheelchair-only sport to one that allows standing athletes and players with cerebral palsy to compete. Today, there are 11 competitive classes.
Boccia requires intense focus and concentration.
Boccia is an indoor mixed-gender sport that resembles lawn bowling and demands precision as players throw leather balls to reach a white target ball called a jack. Of the event's four classifications, three are exclusively for athletes with cerebral palsy.
Wheelchair fencing is one of the original Paralympic sports.
Much like para table tennis, wheelchair fencing has been a fixture of the Paralympic Games since the first in 1960. As players are confined to wheelchairs fixed to the ground, the competitors only use their upper bodies. An electronic device captures the weapon's touches, and when a fencer touches his or her competitor in a set target area, a point is awarded. Three types of wheelchair fencing competitions are held: foil, epée and sabre.
Wheelchair tennis has become a marquee event.
Wheelchair tennis has some differences from traditional tennis. One of the most notable is that the ball is allowed to bounce twice before it has to be returned. The wheelchair is also considered part of the player's body. Competitions are held on standard tennis courts, and matches are held in singles and doubles categories.
Wheelchair rugby introduces new twists to a classic sport.
Since its start 40 years ago in Winnipeg, wheelchair rugby, also known as murderball, is an intense sport that combines basketball, handball and hockey. It's played on a basketball court, and most of the competitors in this sport have quadriplegia. The sport became a full-medal event at the 2000 Paralympic Games.
Sitting volleyball is played primarily by leg amputees.
To accommodate players, sitting volleyball has a number of changes from its traditional counterpart. As it's played mostly by leg amputees who are seated, the net is lower, the court is smaller and the players must always remain on the floor except when making a defensive play in certain zones. Teams include a maximum of 12 players.
The blind and visually impaired take each other on in five-a-side soccer.
Five-a-side soccer debuted in 2004 at the Athens Games and is played by athletes with visual impairments. The field is smaller than a traditional soccer pitch, and the ball makes a sound as it moves. All of the players aside from the goalkeepers wear eye shades.
