Online Encyclopedia
2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece from September 17 to 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as demonstration sports - women's 800 m and men's 1500 m wheelchair races. These races were open to able-bodied people and were without disability classification - as such, they did not form part of the official Paralympic programme. See Wheelchair racing at the 2004 Summer Olympics for more details.
Athletes with learning difficulties were excluded from the games due to the difficulties in testing for and classifying these disabilities. The exclusion was introduced after the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, the first games with events exclusively for people with learning difficulties, after it was found that the majority of the Spanish basketball team were not disabled. The International Paralympic Committee stated that the exclusion would continue until there are sufficient tests for the disabilities and a way to measure the effect they have on a sport. Exhibition match es for these categories were featured in the Games in basketball and table tennis, and the Special Olympics remains the major sporting event specifically designed for athletes with learning difficulties.
| Contents |
Medal Count and Country Performance Ranking
| 2004 Summer Paralympics medal count | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | NPC Name | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 |
 China
|
63 | 46 | 32 | 141 |
| 2 |
 Great Britain
|
35 | 30 | 29 | 94 |
| 3 |
 Canada
|
28 | 19 | 25 | 72 |
| 4 |
 United States
|
27 | 22 | 39 | 88 |
| 5 |
 Australia
|
26 | 38 | 36 | 100 |
| 6 |
 Ukraine
|
24 | 12 | 19 | 55 |
| 7 |
 Spain
|
20 | 27 | 24 | 71 |
| 8 |
 Germany
|
19 | 28 | 32 | 79 |
| 9 |
 France
|
18 | 26 | 30 | 74 |
| 10 |
 Japan
|
17 | 15 | 20 | 52 |
| For the full list, see 2004 Summer Paralympics medal count | |||||
Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony for the 2004 Summer Paralympics took place on September 17, 2004. The show started with children passing on knowledge and raising their lights to the sky. This was a reference to Hippocrates, who transferred knowledge to the children. A 26 meters tall olive tree (with more than 195,000 leaves) symbolising life stood in the middle of the arena. The opening ceremony also featured a performance with human drama, with light and with music, in an allegory about obstacles and limits. The Parade of Delegations was accompanied by the music of French composers Yves Stepping and Jean Christophe . The music told the legend of Hephaestos, god of fire and son of Zeus and Hera. An athlete from Turkmenistan propelled himself around the stadium by doing somersaults. Greece, the home team, received a strong cheer. After that, fireworks erupted at the stadium. There were 150 local support staff involved and 400 volunteers. The children were from ages 8 to 17, coming from Australia, France, Spain, Greece and Germany. The Games were officially declared opened by Greek president Costis Stephanopoulos and Phil Craven , the president of the International Paralympic Committee. They were accompanied by the head of the organizing committee Gianna Angelopoulos–Daskalaki, who told the athletes and the audience: "The Olympic flame illuminates athletes. Many of you will leave Athens with medals, but all of you will leave as champions." Phil Craven quoted Democritus in his speech: "Two thousand years ago, Democritus said 'To win oneself is the first and best of all victories.' This holds true for all athletes, but especially for Paralympians. Recognising and cultivating your unique abilities and mastering challenges - you set standards and give expression for many people, young and old, around the world." The Olympic flame was lit by Greek athlete Georgios Toptsis .
Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony for the 2004 Summer Paralympics took place on September 28, 2004. The traditional cultural display was removed from the ceremony as a mark of respect for the deaths of 37 teenagers and 4 teachers from Farkadona , travelling to Athens, whose bus collided with a lorry near the town of Kamena Vourla .
- "The Athens Olympics Organising Committee (ATHOC) has decided to cancel the closing ceremony of the 12th Paralympics as initially planned and scheduled because of the tragic accident that cost the life of pupils. The artistic and entertainment part of the ceremony will not take place." (official statement)
Flags were flown at half mast and a minute's silence was observed. In contrast with the formal nature of the opening ceremony, the athletes entered the stadium for the final time as a collective. The flag of the IPC was then officially handed over to the 2008 hosts, Beijing. A procession of young people then made their way to join the athletes in the centre of the stadium carrying paper lanterns, before the Paralympic flame was extinguished, the final moment of the Paralympic Games.
Sports featured in the 2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics included 19 sports. New events featured in the Games were five-a-side blind football, women's wheelchair volleyball, and quads wheelchair tennis.
Results for individual events can be found on the relevant page.
- Archery
- Athletics
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Boccia
- see Boccia for general details of the sport
- Cycling
- Equestrian
- Football (5-a-side)
-
Football (7-a-side)
- see Paralympic Football for general details of the sport
-
Goalball
- see Goalball for general details of the sport
-
Judo
- see Paralympic Judo for general details of the sport
-
Powerlifting
- see Paralympic Powerlifting for general details of the sport
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Sailing
- see Paralympic Sailing for general details of the sport
-
Shooting
- see Paralympic Shooting for general details of the sport
-
Swimming
- see Paralympic Swimming for general details of the sport
-
Table Tennis
- see Paralympic Table Tennis for general details of the sport
-
Volleyball (Sitting)
- see Paralympic Volleyball for general details of the sport
-
Wheelchair Basketball
- see Paralympic Basketball for general details of the sport
-
Wheelchair Fencing
- see Paralympic Fencing for general details of the sport
-
Wheelchair Rugby
- see Wheelchair Rugby for general details of the sport
-
Wheelchair Tennis
- see Wheelchair Tennis for general details of the sport
Nations
Athletes from 136 nations competed in the Athens Paralympics.
Articles by nation:
See also
External links
- 2004 Paralympic Games official site
- 2004 Paralympic Games - sports
- 25 things you never knew about the Paralympics (BBC website). Also links to information about 20 athletes from Team GB.
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