1980 Summer Paralympics
| VI Paralympic Games | |||
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| Host city | Arnhem, Netherlands | ||
| Nations participating | 42 | ||
| Athletes participating | 1,973 | ||
| Events | 489 in 12 sports | ||
| Opening ceremony | June 21 | ||
| Closing ceremony | June 30 | ||
| Officially opened by | Princess Margriet | ||
| Main venue | National Sports Centre Papendal | ||
| Summer: | |||
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| Winter: | |||
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The 1980 Summer Paralympics (branded as the Olympics for the Disabled) were the sixth Paralympic Games. They were held in Arnhem, Netherlands, from June 21 to 30, 1980.
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Background[edit]
The Soviet Union, hosts of the 1980 Summer Olympics, were offered to host these Paralympics. However, they passed, claiming that no disabled sportsmen and sportswomen lived in Russia.[citation needed] Russia didn't host the Paralympics before 2014.[1]
There was controversy during the preparation for these Games over the inclusion of a team from South Africa. In the Netherlands, public and official opinion was against the inclusion of the South African team and pressure came from a number of sports organisations against the Organising Committee. The Dutch Parliament was negative as well. Eventually, the parliament decided against allowing the participation of the South African team. Although "much of the publicity relating to the South African participation had been negative, it did succeed in bringing the disabled sports movement into the minds of many people who would not have otherwise considered the subject at all. Dutch organisers also increased visibility through their fundraising ... building a fund that would hold a surplus years after the games. This would naturally find its expression in the International Fund Sport Disabled, supporting the future of the paralympic movement in the 1980s."[2]
Sports[edit]
Competitors were divided into four disability categories: amputee, cerebral palsy, visually impaired, and wheelchair. It was the first time that cerebral palsy athletes competed in the Paralympics. Volleyball was added to the program as a new sport.[3]
Participating delegations[edit]
Forty-three delegations took part in the Arnhem Paralympics.[4]
Prior to the Games, the States General (national Parliament) of the Netherlands, as host country, adopted a motion declaring South Africa's participation "undesirable", due to its policy of apartheid. The 1980 Games thus marked South Africa's first absence from the Summer Paralympics since it had joined the movement in 1964, and it remained absent until 1992. The United States and other countries boycotted the Olympics because of the Soviet war in Afghanistan but they did not boycott the Paralympics. The Netherlands' decision thus corrected the anomaly whereby South Africa had been banned from the Olympic movement since 1960, while still being authorised to take part in the Paralympic Games.[5][6]
Medal table[edit]
The top 10 NPCs by number of gold medals are listed below. The host nation, Netherlands, is highlighted.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States |
75 | 66 | 54 | 195 |
| 2 |  Poland |
75 | 50 | 52 | 177 |
| 3 |  West Germany |
67 | 48 | 46 | 161 |
| 4 |  Canada |
64 | 35 | 31 | 130 |
| 5 |  Great Britain |
47 | 32 | 21 | 100 |
| 6 |  Netherlands |
33 | 31 | 36 | 100 |
| 7 |  Sweden |
31 | 36 | 24 | 91 |
| 8 |  France |
28 | 26 | 31 | 85 |
| 9 |  Mexico |
20 | 16 | 6 | 42 |
| 10 |  Norway |
15 | 13 | 8 | 36 |
See also[edit]
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References[edit]
- ^ "Sochi 2014 Paralympics: IPC confident on venue accessibility". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- ^ Bailey, Steve (2008). Athlete First: A history of the paralympic movement. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 38–39. ISBN 9780470058244.
- ^ "Arnhem 1980". International Paralympic Committee. 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
- ^ "Medal Standings - Arnhem 1980 Paralympic Games". International Paralympic Committee. 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
- ^ "'The Netherlands against Apartheid' - 1970s", International Institute of Social History
- ^ South Africa at the Paralympics, International Paralympic Committee
External links[edit]
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