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T
he Modern Olympic Movement, revived in 1892 the glory of sport and the spirit of international
by French educator and philosopher Baron goodwill come together to create the world’s
Pierre de Coubertin, has been the inspiration greatest spectacle.
for extraordinary sports performances, personal For more information on the Olympic Games visit
excellence and international goodwill for more http://en.beijing2008.cn/.
than a century, and continues to work toward
building a better and more peaceful world.
Through almost 200 National Olympic
Committees and more than 50 International
A Brief History of the
Sports Federations, the Olympic Movement
promotes its ideals through sport, 365 days a year
Paralympic Games
all over the world.
In 1894, the International Olympic Committee
The Paralympic Movement started in
was founded in Paris as an independent body
1948, when a sports competition was
charted to guide the activities of the Olympic
organized for persons with a disability
Movement and the organisation of the Olympic
during the London Olympic Games. In 1960,
Games, while nurturing and sharing Coubertin’s
two weeks after the Rome Olympic Games,
philosophy of peace through sport. Two years
400 athletes from 23 countries participated
later, in Athens, the first Games of the modern era
in Olympic style games organized for the
took place, imprinting upon the world’s collective
first time for the disabled in Rome. These
memory a concrete expression of the ethics of
were the first Paralympic Games.
sport, culture and peace that marked the ancient
The Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games will
Olympic Games.
be the 13th Paralympics and will be held
During the 20th century, the modern Olympic
10 days after the completion of the Beijing
Games witnessed progress, global growth and
Olympic Games.
immense change. Against the backdrop of two
The most significant aspect of this
world wars, periods of economic adversity and
Paralympic Games is that South African
prosperity, the Olympic Games and their ideals
female swimming sensation, Natalie du Toit,
have exhibited an enduring appeal to all humanity,
will be the first athlete ever to compete in
creating legends and heroes out of athletes once
both the Olympic and Paralympic events.
unknown. The Olympic Games have become a
www.nataliedutoit.com
global stage for almost every human emotion:
triumph, agony, glory and defeat. It is here where
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