Ireland sent a delegation to compete at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, West Germany. They sent seventeen competitors, eight male and nine female.[1]
| Ireland at the 1972 Summer Paralympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IPC code | IRL |
| NPC | Paralympics Ireland |
| Website | www |
| in Heidelberg | |
| Competitors | 17 |
| Medals Ranked 21st |
|
| Summer Paralympics appearances (overview) | |
Disability classifications
editAthletes at the Paralympics in 1972 were all afflicted by spinal cord injuries and required the use of a wheelchair.[2] This is in contrast to later Paralympics that include events for participants that fit into any of five different disability categories; amputation, either congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes; visual impairment, including blindness; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism or multiple sclerosis.[3][4] Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependent upon the specific physical demands of competition. Events are given a code, made of numbers and letters, describing the type of event and classification of the athletes competing.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Participants Heidelberg 1972 Paralympic Games". International Paralympic Committee. 1972. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ "Paralympic Games". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- ^ "Paralympics categories explained". ABC. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ "Making sense of the categories". BBC Sport. 6 October 2000. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ "A-Z of Paralympic classification". BBC Sport. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2011.