Changes in the Number of Medal Events, Sport Events, and Classes During the Paralympic Games: A Historical Overview

PurposeTo chart how changes in the number of medal events relate to changes in the number of sport events and classes during the Paralympic Games (PG) between 1960 and 2018. MethodsWeb-scraping was used to extract information from the website of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) on all unique medal events, sport events, and classes per PG, which were then accumulated per sport to descriptively identify and further explore changes. ResultsThe increased number of medal events during the early Summer Games (SG) (1960-1984: 113-975) and Winter Games (WG) (1976-1994: 55-113) was primarily due to an increased number of classes and sport events. While this suggested an increased sports participation among athletes with disabilities, it made the PG difficult to organize. A decrease in the number of medal events subsequently occurred during the SG (1984-1992: 975-489) and WG (1994-2006: 133-58). This was mainly achieved by reducing the number of sport events in the larger sports. Following this decline phase, the number of medal events and sport events has remained relatively stable for both editions of the PG, though this was achieved through different strategies. The WG employed the time-factor system for all individual sports, which enabled competitions across classes within sport events and thus, award a single gold medal (one medal event) for several classes. The SG have maintained the number of medal events despite a slight increase in classes (112-181). This was due to some sports combining classes in the same event, while others excluded certain classes from certain sport events. ConclusionsThe number of medal events during each PG appear to be closely related to the number of sport events and, partially, to the number of classes. The stability in the number of medal events may indicate that a balance has been achieved, where there currently are enough classes and sport events to ensure fairness, while also maintaining a level of prestigiousness for winning a medal. However, it remains to be seen whether this stability will last or if the continued growth of the PG with more athletes and countries will warrant changes in the number of medal events.

Automated summary

This study examines the relationship between the number of medal events and the number of sport events and classes in the Paralympic Games from 1960 to 2018. The results show that the increase in medal events was due to an increase in classes and sport events, while the decrease in medal events was achieved by reducing the number of sport events. Currently, the number of medal events and sport events has remained stable with different strategies employed. The Winter Games use a time-factor system, while the Summer Games maintain stability by combining classes in some sports.