The main difference between Paralympics and Invictus Games is that Paralympics is for athletes with disabilities while Invictus Games is for wounded, injured or sick members of the armed services.
Paralympics is a series of international sports contests for athletes with disabilities, which is associated with the Olympic Games. It is, in fact, one of the biggest sporting events in the world. Invictus Games, on the other hand, is an international series of adaptive sports events for wounded, injured or sick members of the armed personnel, created by Prince Harry.
Key Areas Covered
1. What is Paralympics
– History, Events, Competitors
2. What is Invictus Games
– Overview, Events, Competitors
3. What is the Difference Between Paralympics and Invictus Games
– Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
Paralympic, Invictus Games, Sports
What is Paralympics?
Paralympics is a series of international sports contests for athletes with disabilities. It is associated with the Olympic Games and is usually held following the summer and winter Olympics. It is, in fact, the third-largest sports event in the world (in terms of ticket sales). 4,328 athletes from 159 countries participated in the last summer Paralympics (2016, in Rio).
We can trace the history of Paralympics to a 1948 sports competition involving World War II veterans with a spinal cord-related injury. Further, this was organized by Sir Ludwig Guttmann and held in Stoke Mandeville, England. Competitors from Holland joined this game four years later, and it thus became an international movement. Then, in 1960, Olympic-style sports competitions for athletes with disabilities took place in Rome. However, it was in 1976 that the concept of merging different disability groups together for international sports competitions was born.
At present, Paralympics feature athletes with a range of disabilities. Moreover, these disabilities have ten eligible impairment categories: an impaired passive range of movement, impaired muscle power, leg length difference, limb deficiency, short stature, ataxia, athetosis, hypertonia, vision impairment and intellectual impairment. These categories have further classifications, varying from sport to sport.
Currently, there are 28 Paralympic sports events: 22 summer sports as well as 6 winter sports, as listed below.
Summer Sports
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Archery
- Boccia
- Canoe
- Cycling
- Equestrian
- Football 5-a-side
- Goalball
- Judo
- Powerlifting
- Rowing
- Shooting Para sport
- Sitting volleyball
- Table tennis
- Taekwondo
- Triathlon
- Wheelchair basketball
- Wheelchair fencing
- Swimming
- Wheelchair rugby
- Wheelchair tennis
Winter Sports
- Alpine skiing
- Biathlon
- Cross-country skiing
- Para ice hockey
- Snowboard
- Wheelchair curling
What is Invictus Games
Invictus Games is an international series of adaptive sports events for wounded, injured or sick members of the armed personnel. In fact, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, was the creator of this event and the first-ever Invictus Games took place in London 2014. So far, there have been four Invictus Games, in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018. Further, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canda, and Australia were the hosts of the games, respectively.
Moreover, the 2021 Invictus games will have ten sports categories: archery, athletics, wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, wheelchair rugby, indoor rowing, Jaguar Landover driving challenge, powerlifting, road cycling, and swimming. In the last Invictus Games (2018), competitors from 18 countries, including the U.S., U.K., Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Romania, and Ukraine participated in the games. However, two new countries, Belgium and the Republic of Korea will join the games in 2021.
Difference Between Paralympics and Invictus Games
Definition
Paralympics is a series of international sports contests for athletes with disabilities, which is associated with the Olympic Games while Invictus Games is an international series of adaptive sports events for wounded, injured or sick members of the armed personnel, created by Prince Harry.
Participants
While Paralympics is for athletes with disabilities, Invictus Games is for members of armed services who have becomes wounded, injured or sick during or as a direct consequence of their service.
Sports Events
As of 2020, there are 28 Paralympic sports events: 22 summer sports as well as 6 winter sports. However, 2021 Invictus games will have 10 sports events.
Countries
Competitors from 159 countries participated in the last Paralympics (2016) while competitors from 18 countries took part in the last Invictus Games (2018).
Years
While Paralympics takes place every four years, Invictus is an annual event.
2021 Event
The 2021 Summer Paralympic will be held in Tokyo while the 2021 Invictus Games will be held in The Hague, Netherlands.
Popularity
Paralympics is more well known than Invictus games.
Conclusion
In brief, the main difference between Paralympics and Invictus Games is their competitors. While Paralympics is for athletes with disabilities, Invictus Games is for members of armed services who have become wounded, injured or sick during or as a direct consequence of their service. Basically, Paralympics is a bigger sporting event than Invictus, in terms of the number of competitors, sporting events, as well as popularity.
Reference:
1. “Paralympic Games.” International Olympic Committee, 23 Sept. 2019, Available here.
2. “Competitors.” Invictus Games Sydney 2018, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Logo of the International Paralympic Committee 2019” By International Paralympic Committee – (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Wheelchair rugby at Invictus Games 140912-N-PW494-279” By Joshua Sheppard – (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
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