The 1984 Paralympic Games were held in both Europe and North America. Initially, the four disability groups (amputee and les autres, cerebral palsy, visually impaired, wheelchair) were supposed to compete together in the USA. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had announced as early as 1977 that the 1984 Olympics would be held in Los Angeles. The independent sports organizations for athletes with disabilities were keen to hold their Games in the same city as the Olympics. But as voluntary organizations, they had no formal relations with the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee (LAOOC) and only a tenuous relationship with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).
In 1980, the American National Wheelchair Athletic Association (NWAA), an affiliated organization to the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation (ISMGF), announced that it would hold its own Games for wheelchair athletes at a separate venue. As a result, the other three disability groups combined their efforts and chose New York as their Games venue. Amputee and les autres athletes, cerebral palsy athletes and visually impaired athletes competed in New York, USA, while athletes with spinal cord disabilities competed in Stoke Mandeville, England.
Some 1,800 athletes from 45 countries arrived in New York for competitions from 16 to 30 June, with 900 medals to be won. Funding for the Games came from a combination of private and governmental sources, with the larger part donated by the US Federal Government through its US Information Agency. Additional funds were provided by the state of New York and the National Guard. Media coverage of the Games was more extensive in the history of disabled sport than before. The major US television networks and newspapers were present, as well as BBC TV, Dutch TV, West German TV and Swedish radio and TV.
US President Ronald Reagan officially opened the Games at the Opening Ceremony on 17 June in Mitchel Park. In the course of the Games, more than 80,000 spectators cheered on the athletes across a total of 13 events.
Amputees, both wheelchair and standing, were divided into nine classes, and they competed in Athletics, Lawn Bowls, Powerlifting, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis and Volleyball. Cerebral palsy athletes were divided into eight classes and competed in Archery, Athletics, Boccia, Cycling, Equestrian (Dressage), Football, Powerlifting, Shooting, Swimming and Table Tennis. There were three classes of visually impaired athletes who competed in Athletics, Goalball, Swimming and Wrestling. The six classes of les autres athletes competed in Archery, Athletics, Basketball, Powerlifting, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis and Volleyball.
Each of the disability groups produced outstanding performances. American amputee athlete Jim Martinson set a new world record in the 100m wheelchair race in 17.13 seconds. Mustapha Badid of France took the gold in the 800m wheelchair race with a time of 2:17.27 minutes. Charles Reid of the USA gained recognition as a top cerebral palsy athlete when he took the gold in Powerlifting, a demonstration event at the Games. Visually impaired athlete Winford Haynes of the US won the gold in the 100m dash in 11.78 seconds. At the final medal tally, the USA topped the table with 276 medals, 101 of which were gold. Britain was next with 240 medals, including 75 gold.
The Games in Stoke Mandeville, England, were held from 22 July to 1 August. The British Paraplegic Sports Society (BPSS) organized the Games at the Stoke Mandeville Stadium. More than 1,100 athletes from 41 countries competed in 14 events.
The Opening Ceremony on 22 July was presided by HRH Prince Charles, who officially opened the Games. A crowd of 3,000 cheered on the teams in the wheel-past. Athletes competed in 10 events: Archery, Athletics, Basketball, Fencing, Lawn Bowls, Powerlifting, Shooting, Snooker, Swimming and Table Tennis. For the first time, a wheelchair marathon was held.
Many world and Paralympic records were broken and rewritten, mainly in Athletics. Swiss Reiner Kuschall and American Bart Dodson dominated the men's events and won two gold medals each. Swiss Heinz Frei raced to gold in the 1500m, 5000m and the marathon. Frank Nietlespach of Switzerland took four golds and one silver in the wheelchair racing events. Canadian Rick Hansen, who later wheeled around the world on his Man-in-Motion Tour, won gold medals in the 1500m and the marathon.
Ingrid Lauridson of Denmark topped the women competitors on the track with six gold medals, while American Marcia Bevard reaped six golds in Swimming. In men's Basketball, the French team emerged as a new force. They beat the Dutch team 68:61 to take their first Paralympic gold medal. The German women's team successfully defended its gold medal won during the 1980 Paralympic Games in Arnhem with a 43:32 victory over Israel.
The Games were a success, despite the short four-month preparation period. The organizers agreed that the Games should in future be held at the same venue, as the success of the Paralympics calls for unified representation and participation. The four international federations— the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CP-ISRA), the International Blind Sports Association (IBSA), the International Sport Organization for the Disabled (ISOD), and the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation (ISMGF)—came together to form the International Coordinating Committee of World Organizations for the Disabled (ICC). The ICC was to serve as the governing body for the Paralympic Games.
(Credit: IPC. Click here for further information.)