Barcelona 1992

Introduction

General Overview: 1992 Summer Paralympic Games – Barcelona

The 1992 Paralympics was to be the largest showcase ever of elite disability sport. The Organizing Committee of the Barcelona Olympic Games (COOB) was concerned that the large number of Paralympic competitions might reduce the credibility of the Games built up by increasingly superior athletic performances. Consequently, the Organizing Committee reduced the number of athletes by setting strict rules and regulations. This caused some controversy, but it also simplified and raised the level of competition, and allowed athletes with different disabilities to participate in the same events.

3,001 athletes (2301 male and 700 female) and approximately 1,000 coaches, trainers, officials and managers were housed in the Olympic village. The Village was accessible to all athletes and had medical facilities at each venue. Initially, funding for the 1992 Paralympics was limited, but the sum grew with contributions from the Spanish National Organization for the Blind (ONCE) foundation.

The Opening Ceremony on 3 September in the Montjuic Olympic Stadium was attended by 65,000 spectators and watched by millions of television viewers. Almost 90 delegations took part in the parade. Support was reinforced by the presence of Juan Antonio Samaranch, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain, and Mayor Pasquel Maragall, who was highly supportive of the Paralympic Games.

Over 12 days of competition in 15 sports, more than 1.5 million spectators attended various events and millions more watched the competitions daily over television. A total of 3,001 athletes from 83 countries were fielded, with about 50% competing in Athletics and Swimming. Some 487 events were held, with 279 world records set and 431 gold medals won. Wheelchair Tennis, a demonstration event at Seoul 1988, became an official medal event.

Outstanding performances came from athletes in all four disability groups. Visually impaired swimmer Trischa Zorn of the USA garnered an impressive 10 gold and two silver medals. John Morgan and Bart Dodson of the USA won all eight medals in their swimming and athletic events respectively, while teammate Elizabeth Scott took seven golds in swimming.

Volleyball and wheelchair basketball competitions were played before capacity crowds. In wheelchair basketball, the Canadian women’s team won the gold, beating the US 35:26 in the final. Iran, the favorite among the 12 teams in the volleyball (sitting) event, prevailed over a strong Dutch team 3:1 to take the gold. The volleyball (standing) event was won by defending Paralympic champions Germany 3:0 over Poland. The men’s wheelchair marathon provided a thrilling finish for the 65,000 spectators in the Olympic Stadium when Heinz Frei of Switzerland outlasted a field of 196 competitors to cross the finish line in a time of 1:30 hours. Connie Hansen of Denmark took an early lead in the women’s wheelchair marathon and also the gold in 1:42.48 hours. A world-class performance came in the 100m dash for single-arm amputees when Ajibola Adeoye of Nigeria finished in 10.72 seconds. Hypothetically, with the use of two unimpaired arms, Adeoye could have ran in 10.05 seconds, a time that would have placed him fourth in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

The Closing Ceremony on September 14 in the Olympic Stadium brought a spectacular end to one of the finest Games in the history of the Paralympics.

 In January 1990, the International Coordinating Committee Sports for the Disabled in the World (ICC) decided to also host Games for people with intellectual disabilities in 1992 in Madrid, right after the Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games. These were the first Paralympic Games for people with an intellectual disability, organized by INAS-FMH and held under the auspices of the ICC.

From September 15 to September 22, 1992, more than 2,500 athletes from more than 70 nations met in Madrid, Spain, to showcase their abilities.

On September 15, the Paralympic Torch arrived from Barcelona in time for the Opening Ceremony. Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain attended to watch the bright and colorful Ceremony. Athletes competed in five different sports: athletics, basketball, indoor soccer, swimming and table tennis.

Australia topped the medal table with 31 medals overall, 13 of which were gold. Second on the medal table was Rumania, followed by Iceland.

Athletics was the sport with the largest number of entries. Uruguay was the leading nation with nine medals, followed by the host nation Spain and then Sweden. In swimming the high level of performance was outstanding. Australia dominated these competitions by winning 11 gold medals. The audiences offered tireless support to the swimmers, cheering, applauding and waving the flags of their countries.

The Australian Basketball team defeated the Greek team in the women’s basketball final to take home gold, France won the bronze medal. In the Men’s Final, Spain took on the Dominican Republic and came out as the winner. The bronze medal game was won by Puerto Rico.

The most popular sport with the spectators was indoor soccer. Romania won the final against Poland, Great Britain took home the bronze medal. In table tennis, the technical level of play had been generally excellent. Romania dominated the male table tennis competitions winning all three gold medals. China was the counterpart on the women’s side, also winning all three possible gold medals.

The Closing Ceremony took place on September 22 in the Palacio de Deportes right after the men’s basketball final. More than 15,000 spectators attended and a total of 3,000 volunteers helped to make the Madrid 1992 Paralympic Games a success.

Source: IPC Website