Paralympic Facts

The London 2012 Paralympic Games are from Wednesday 29th August (Opening Ceremony) to Sunday 9th September.

20 sports will feature in the 2012 Paralympic Games. They are: Archery, Athletics, Boccia, Cycling, Equestrian, Football 5-a-side, Football 7-a-side, Goalball, Judo, Powerlifting, Rowing, Sailing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Fencing, Wheelchair Rugby, Wheelchair Tennis. There were 26 Olympic sports in 2012.

4200 athletes will compete in the Paralympics. 10,500 athletes competed in the 2012 Olympics.

174 countries are taking part in the Paralympics vs 205 that took part in the Olympics.

There are 21 competition venues, including the following: Aquatic Centre - Swimming; Basketball Arena - Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby; Brands Hatch - Road Cycling; Copper Box - Goalball; Eton Dorney - Rowing; Eton Manor - Wheelchair Tennis; ExCeL - Boccia, Judo, Powerlifting, Table Tennis, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Fencing; Greenwich Park -Equestrian; North Greenwich Arena - Wheelchair Basketball; Olympic Stadium -Athletics; Riverbank Arena - 5-a-side Football, 7-a-side Football; The Royal Artillery Barracks -Archery, Shooting; Velodrome - Track Cycling; Weymouth and Portland -Sailing. 28 venues were used throughout the Olympics.

The Paralympic torch relay
The London 2012 Paralympic torch relay Begins Friday 24 August in London with the lighting of England's flame.
The United Kingdom's other three capital cities - Greater Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh - will then light a flame on each of the following days, at special Flame Lighting events. Each city will develop its unique method of lighting.
Once a flame has been lit, it will visit local community groups and key locations in and around the city. In addition to the lighting events there will be a series of evening celebrations called Flame Festivals. Confirmed locations to date for Flame Festivals are Greater Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff. The Flame Festivals are public events staged by LOCOG with the assistance of the host Local Authority and will include plenty of activities and entertainment.

Flame Festivals
25 August: Belfast - City Hall
26 August: Edinburgh - Inverleith Park
27 August: Cardiff - Roald Dahl Plass

Paralympic Flame Lighting Ceremony
Each flame will then be taken to Stoke Mandeville, home of the Paralympic Movement where the four flames will be combined at a Paralympic Flame Lighting Ceremony on 28th August to create the London 2012 Paralympic Flame.
Later that evening, there will be a 24-hour Torch Relay from Stoke Mandeville. Torchbearers working in teams of five will carry the Paralympic Flame to the Olympic Stadium to light the Cauldron at the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games on the 29th August.