USA announces full delegation for Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
With 267 members, Team USA will send its largest ever Paralympic Games delegation to Brazil
Swimmer Jessica Long is the most decorated US para-athlete with 17 Paralympic Games medals (Photo: Getty Images/Sean M Haffey)
The USA has announced its largest ever team for the Paralympic Games, with 267 athletes set to compete at Rio 2016.
The team, which includes seven guides for athletes with visual impairments, will compete across 20 sports during the 11 days of competition, which start on 8 September, the day after the opening ceremony at the Maracanã Stadium.
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“We are very excited and proud to announce our largest team yet to compete in the Paralympic Games,” said Rick Adams, chief of Paralympic Sport at the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). To see our team increase in size by more than 17 per cent since London is tremendous, and it shows the growth of the Paralympic Movement here in the US.
"This team of 267 athletes is not only going to excel on the field of play, but they are also going to captivate the nation with their athleticism and determination, inspiring the next generation of amazing athletes.”
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For the first time since 2004, Team USA qualified all eight of its team sports to compete in the Games.
At the London 2012 Paralympic Games, the USA claimed a total 98 medals, finishing fourth in the table. Among the members of the 2016 US Paralympic Team are 14 reigning Paralympic champions, and 18 athletes who won multiple medals in London, including swimmer Jessica Long (five gold, two silver, one bronze) and track and field athletes Raymond Martin (four golds) and Tatyana McFadden (three golds, one bronze).
The team also includes 30 military veterans and active duty service members, some of whom were wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The 2016 US Paralympic Team roster may still be adjusted due to injury, illness or exceptional circumstances until the technical meetings for each sport.
