London, UK
80 000
The 2012 Summer Paralympic Games will be held in London, England from 29 August to 9 September. This event occur every 4 years, featuring top athletes worldwide and it is for athletes with a disability.
The Paralympics are elite sport events for athletes from six different disability groups, which focuses on their achievements rather than their disabilities. It have grown from a small gathering of British World War II veterans in 1948 to become one of the largest international sport events by the early 21st century. Though this year will be London's third Olympic Games, it will be the first Paralympic Games to be staged there.
The Games will include 20 sports events - Athletics, Football (7-a-side and 5-a-side), Shooting, Tennis, Sailing, Boccia, Cycling, Judo, Swimming, Volley Ball, Table Tennis, Wheelchair Rugby, Powerlifting Archery, Wheelchair Fencing, Equestrian, Wheelchair basketball, and Goalball.
This year Paralympics are going to be held over a lot of interesting places, some new venues, existing and historic facilities, also temporary facilities. But the bulk of the the venues are set in two zones – the Olympic Park Zone and the River Zone, which are very close of each other, leading to one of the most compact Games ever, minimizing travel times and disruption for Paralympians.
Without doubt it would be a great event for the British audience, as the largest team of Paralympians from Britain will be competing in the London Paralympics 2012 and will be the first event to allow the intellectually disabled athletes to compete.
