David Eulitt

sports: paralympic games

The athletes in the parade of nations didn't march into Olympic Stadium. Some rolled, some limped, some were led but all shared the thunderous ovation that greeted them at the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. The spotlight was on them now, the world's disabled athletes, as they had come to Barcelona to prove that world-class athletic performance isn't limited to the able-bodied.

The history of the Paralympic Games began in the city of Rome in 1960. The Games have been held every four years since, usually in the same city or country as the Olympic Games. Athletes compete in categories according to their disabilities, such as blindness and impaired vision, tetra and paraplegia, amputees, cerebral plasy and polio.

In Barcelona, 1.346 million spectators attended the 15 sports competitions over a 10-day period, setting a new Paralympic attendance record and demonstrating the increasing interest and competitiveness in sports without limits.

These photographs were taken at the Ninth Paralympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, and the Tenth Paralympic Games in Atlanta, USA.

Antionio Rebello aimed his flaming torch at the Paralympic torch cauldron that opened the games in the Ninth Paralympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.
   
11 athletes crash on the final lap of the men's 5,000m paraplegic wheelchair final at the Paralympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. None of the athletes was injured as a result of the crash.
   
Starting blocks, Barcelona, Spain, 1992.
     
  
Chinese high jumper Bin Hou starts his head-first leap over the high jump bar to set a new world record of 1.92 meters (6 feet, 3.59 inches) for amputee high jumpers at the Olympic Stadium in Atlanta, GA.
   
Slovenia's Janez Roskar readied his throw in the men's wheelchair javelin competition at Olympic Stadium in Barcelona, Spain during the Ninth Paralympic Games.
   
400-meter race, Barcelona, Spain, 1992.
     
  
Ajibola Adeoye of Nigeria fell to the track is disbelief after setting his second world record of the Ninth Paralympic Games in the men's 200m arm amputee class.
   
Wheelchair sprint, Barcelona, Spain, 1992.
   
Britain's Janet McMorran leaned to return a backhand in the women's wheelchair tennis competition at the Paralympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.
     
  
USA men's basketball center Reggie Colton, left, kissed his wife, Lottie, after the USA team defeated the Netherlands at the Omni in Atlanta, GA.
   
Chantal Benoit got a boost from her coach out of her wheelchair up onto the rim after Canada's women's basketball team won the gold medal at the Paralympic Games in Atlanta.
   
Raja Singh of Singapore took a warmup lap on the wet Olympic Stadium track prior to the men's 1,500m wheelchair race at the Paralympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.
     
  
United States track cyclist Dory Selinger raced around the velodrome at Stone Mountain to win the gold medal in Atlanta during the Paralympic Games. Selinger uses a prosthetic leg extension to aid in his cycling.
   
Australia's Liesl Tesch, right, is lifted off the basketball floor and hugged by her coach, Shona Casey, after the Australian women's basketball team upset the favored United States team in pool play during the Paralympic Games in Atlanta, GA.
   
Post-race cooling spray, Atlanta, USA, 1996.
     
  
Iwan Van Breeman of the Netherlands, center, danced with flag bearer Sonia Guiu of Barcelona during the Closing Ceremonies of the Ninth Paralympic Games.