The first Paralympic Games took place in Rome, a week after the 1960 Summer Olympic Games were held there.
400 athletes with spinal cord injuries from 23 countries competed in eight sports, including snooker, fencing, field events, basketball, swimming, table tennis, archery, and the pentathlon.
In 1964, they were again held in the same venue as the Olympics, in Tokyo.
In 1968, Mexico City (home of that year's Olympics) declined to host the Paralympics, so they moved to Tel Aviv instead.
From then until 1988, the Paralympics continued to be held in locations other than the Olympics.
The 1972 Paralympics included the first competition for quadraplegics, and demonstration events for the visually impaired.
In 1976, the visually impaired, amputees, and "les autres"—a catchall term embracing many sorts of motor disabilities—were fully included for the first time.
1976 also brought the first Paralympic Winter Games, featuring events in Alpine and Nordic skiing for visually impaired athletes and amputees.
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