26 Sports at the Summer Paralympics

The Paralympic sports comprise all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. As of 2016, the Summer Paralympics included 22 sports and 526 medal events, and the Winter Paralympics include 5 sports and disciplines and about 72 events. The number and kinds of events may change from one Paralympic Games to another.

Para-archery has been contested at every Summer Paralympic Games since they were first held in 1960. Separate individual and team events are held for men and women. Archers are classified according to the extent of their disability, with separate individual events for each of three classes.W1 - Wheelchair and Cerebral Palsy athletes with impairment in all four limbs W2 - Wheelchair users with full arm function. W3 - Standing athletes in Amputee, Les Autres and Cerebral Palsy categories. Some athletes in the standing group will sit on a high stool for support but will still have their feet touching the ground.

Athletics has been contested at every Summer Paralympics since the first games in 1960. Men and women from all disability groups compete in the sport.

Boccia has been contested at the Summer Paralympics since the 1984 Games in New York City and Stoke Mandeville. Five boccia events were held at those games, two for men, two for women, and one mixed event where men and women competed together. Since then, all boccia events at the Paralympics have been mixed. Athletes in this sport have cerebral palsy and are given a classification according to the extent of their disability. There were originally two classes, C1 and C2, with C1 corresponding to those with more severe impairment. In 1996 a "C1 with aid device" class was added, and in 2000 the system was changed to have four classes, BC1 through BC4.

Cycling has been contested at every Summer Paralympic Games since the 1984 Summer Paralympics.

Paralympic equestrian competition is a Para-equestrian event that consists of dressage. It has been part of the Summer Paralympic Games since 1996.

Football 5-a-side has been contested at the Summer Paralympics since 2004. The competition has consisted of a single event, men's team; women have never competed. Football 5-a-side is an adaptation of football for athletes with visual impairments including blindness. The sport, governed by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), is played with modified FIFA rules.

Football 7-a-side has been contested at every Summer Paralympics between 1984 and 2016. At the 1984 Summer Paralympics, two events were held—one for men with wheelchairs and one for men standing. Every Summer Paralympics since then has consisted of only a standing men's team event; women have never competed.

Goalball tournaments have been staged at the Paralympic Games since 1976.

Paralympic judo has been contested at the Summer Paralympic Games since 1988. The sport is restricted to visually impaired competitors. Men's and women's events are held in various weight classes, just like judo at the Summer Olympics. More than 130 visually impaired judokas, including some from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Spain and Sweden, competed in the Rio 2016 games, making it the biggest yet staged.

The Paralympic sports comprise all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. As of 2016, the Summer Paralympics included 22 sports and 526 medal events, and the Winter Paralympics include 5 sports and disciplines and about 72 events. The number and kinds of events may change from one Paralympic Games to another.

Paracanoe debuted at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. A meeting of the International Paralympic Committee in Guangzhou, China in 2010 decided to add paracanoe to the roster of the Summer Paralympic Games.

Paralympic powerlifting has been competed at every Summer Paralympics since 1984. Weightlifting had been on the Paralympic program since 1964, however after the 1992 Games the IPC decided to drop weightlifting and hold powerlifting events only. Women first competed in the sport at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics.

Rowing at the Summer Paralympics has been part of the competition since the 2008 Summer Paralympics. Rowing as a sport has been part of the Summer Olympics since 1896 Summer Olympics. Rowing at the paralympics is under the jurisdiction of the International Rowing Federation the same as the Olympics.

Sailing has been an official part of the Summer Paralympic Games between 2000 to 2016, after being a demonstration sport in 1996. The International Association for Disabled Sailing is responsible for coordinating the event with the International Paralympic Committee and the hosts.

Paralympic shooting has been competed at the Summer Paralympic Games since 1976. Events include men's, women's, and mixed events using rifles and pistols.

Swimming has been contested at every Summer Paralympics. At the first games, the 1960 Paralympics, 62 swimming events were held in distances of 25 and 50 metres, plus a 3×50 metre relay for men. Since then, swimming at the Paralympics has grown to 140 events covering distances from 50 to 400 metres, plus 4×50 and 4×100 metre relays. Along with track and field athletics, it is one of the largest sports at the Paralympics in terms of the number of events, competitors, and spectators.

Paralympic table tennis has been competed at every Summer Paralympic Games since they were first held in 1960. Men and women compete in singles and team events in ten different classes according to the extent of their disability.

Paralympic volleyball was first competed at the Summer Paralympic Games in 1976. That first year, the traditional standing form of volleyball was contested. Sitting volleyball was later introduced as a full Paralympic event in 1980. The 2000 was the last time standing volleyball appeared on the Paralympic programme. The women's sitting volleyball event was also introduced in the 2004.

Weightlifting at the Summer Paralympics was introduced at the 1964 Games. Starting with the 1984 Games, separate competitions were held in the sports of weightlifting and powerlifting. Weightlifting made its final appearance at the 1992 Games, after which only powerlifting competitions were held.

Wheelchair basketball has been contested at the Summer Paralympics since the 1960 Summer Paralympics in Rome.

Wheelchair fencing has been contested at every Summer Paralympic Games since they were first held in 1960.

Wheelchair rugby was first contested at the Summer Paralympics as a demonstration sport in 1996. It became an official medal-awarding sport in 2000 and has been competed at every Summer Paralympics since then. Only one event, mixed team, is held.

Wheelchair tennis was first contested at the Summer Paralympics as a demonstration sport in 1988, with two events being held. It became an official medal-awarding sport in 1992 and has been competed at every Summer Paralympics since then. Four events were held from 1992 to 2000, with quad events in both singles and doubles added in 2004.

Wrestling is a combat sport involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. The sport can either be genuinely competitive or sportive entertainment. Wrestling comes in different types such as folkstyle, freestyle, Greco-Roman, catch, submission, judo, sambo and others. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position. There are a wide range of styles with varying rules with both traditional historic and modern styles. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into other martial arts as well as military hand-to-hand combat systems.