Ireland at the
1972 Summer Paralympics
IPC codeIRL
NPCParalympics Ireland
Websitewww.paralympics.ie
in Heidelberg
Competitors17
Medals
Ranked 21st
Gold
2
Silver
4
Bronze
2
Total
8
Summer Paralympics appearances (overview)

Ireland sent a delegation to compete at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, West Germany. They sent seventeen competitors, eight male and nine female.[1]

Disability classifications

Athletes at the Paralympics in 1972 were all afflicted by spinal cord injuries and required the use of a wheelchair.[2] This is in contrast to later Paralympics that include events for participants that fit into any of five different disability categories; amputation, either congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes; visual impairment, including blindness; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism or multiple sclerosis.[3][4] Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependent upon the specific physical demands of competition. Events are given a code, made of numbers and letters, describing the type of event and classification of the athletes competing.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Participants Heidelberg 1972 Paralympic Games". International Paralympic Committee. 1972. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  2. ^ "Paralympic Games". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
  3. ^ "Paralympics categories explained". ABC. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  4. ^ "Making sense of the categories". BBC Sport. 6 October 2000. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  5. ^ "A-Z of Paralympic classification". BBC Sport. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
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