Athletics

About

Key Facts
Rules
30-Second Expert

Aim of the game

Across the different events the aim is always the same: to surpass your opponents' performance, whether in running, jumping or throwing

Why should you watch this?

Nowhere else is the skill, strength, speed, endurance and courage of Paralympic athletes – and the human capacity for overcoming challenges – more in evidence than in the athletics arena

Venues

Fort Copacabana , Olympic Stadium (Engenhão)

International Federation

IPC

Paralympic debut

Rome 1960

False start

Starting an individual race before the starting pistol is fired, invalidating the start and resulting in disqualification
Western Roll

High jump technique whereby the athlete turns their body as they are passing over the bar so they are facing downwards, a precursor to the straddle and 'Fosbury flop'
Guide Runners

Help athletes with a visual impairment stay in lane – competitor and guide occupy one lane each and are attached by a cord, but the guide must not pull the athlete

Impress your friends

The first official athletics competition for people with a disability – a wheelchair race between World War II veterans – was held in Stoke Mandeville, England, in 1952
At the first official Paralympic Games, Rome 1960, there were 25 athletics events – at Rio 2016 there will be 177
Brazil's Alan Oliveira stunned the Olympic Stadium at London 2012 by beating the seemingly unbeatable Oscar Pistorius, from South Africa, in the T44 200m final
Great Britain's David Weir became a national hero by winning four wheelchair racing events (800m, 1500m, 5000m and marathon) at the London 2012 Games
Switzerland's Franz Nietlispach and Canada's Chantal Petitclerc have each won 21 Paralympic Games medals, 14 of which were gold
China's Na Mi is a two-time Paralympic and world champion in both shot put and discus in the F37 class
Great Britain's Tanni Grey-Thompson has won 11 gold medals in wheelchair racing
Brazil's Terezinha Guilhermina is a double Paralympic champion in the 200m and has one gold and one silver in the 100m in the T11 class
Brazil's Alan Fonteles Oliveira is the 100m and 200m world champion and world record holder, and 200m Paralympic champion in the T44 class
Athletics will have the most competitors at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games – there will be 1,100 athletes
Special wheelchairs, whose designs are similar to bicycles, can reach speeds above 30km/h

Running

Athletes race over 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m or 5000m. Lower limb amputees use special prosthetics, seated athletes compete in adapted wheelchairs and visually impaired athletes run with a guide.

Relay

Teams of four athletes compete in 4x100m and 4x400m races, each competitor completing an equal a portion of the total distance. Each athlete passes a baton to the next, except in wheelchair events, where touching the teammate's body with the hand is enough.

Throwing events

Discus throw

Each athlete has three attempts at throwing a disc weighing 0.75-2kg. Depending on the class, athletes may throw from a standing position or seated.

Javelin throw

Each athlete has three attempts to throw a javelin weighing 500-800g. Depending on the class, athletes may throw from a standing position or seated.

Shot put

Each athlete has three attempts to put a metal sphere (shot) weighing 2-7.26kg. Depending on the class, athletes may throw from a standing position or seated.

Club throw

Each athlete has three attempts to throw a 40cm wooden club with a metal base, weighing around 400g. Athletes compete seated in wheelchairs or on platforms.

Jumping events

Long jump

Each athlete has three attempts to jump as far as possible. They build up speed on a runway around 40m long – their last step must not be beyond the take-off board – and jump into a sand pit.

High jump

In the high jump, athletes must jump as high as possible over a horizontal bar resting on two uprights, landing in a cushioned area. Each athlete has three attempts at each height – three consecutive failures (toppling the bar) result in elimination.

Marathon

At 42.195km, this is the longest running event, traditionally taking athletes around the city. Lower limb amputees use special prosthetics, seated athletes compete in special wheelchairs and visually impaired athletes may run with a guide.