2006 Winter Paralympics

Paralympics infobox
Name = IX Paralympic Winter Games

Host city = Turin, Italy
Nations participating = 39
Athletes participating = 486
Events = 20 in 4 sports
Opening ceremony = March 10
Closing ceremony = March 19
Officially opened by = Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
Athlete's Oath = Fabrizio Zardini
Olympic Torch = Silvia Battaglio Aroldo Ruschioni
Olympic Stadium = Stadio OlimpicoThe 2006 Winter Paralympic Games, the ninth winter Paralympics, took place in Turin, Italy from 10 to 19 March, 2006. These were the first Winter Paralympic Games to be held in Italy.

Medal count

Events

The Games featured 58 medal events in five disciplines of four sports. As with other Paralympic Games, medals are awarded for each classification within each event. The sport of wheelchair curling made its Paralympic debut at these games. [cite web |title=Torino 2006 - General Information |publisher=International Paralympic Committee |date=2008 |url=http://www.paralympic.org/release/Main_Sections_Menu/Paralympic_Games/Past_Games/Torino_2006/General_Information/index.html |accessdate=2008-08-06 ]

* Alpine skiing
* Ice sledge hockey
* Nordic skiing
** Biathlon
** Cross-country skiing
* Wheelchair curling

Venues

The sport venues were also used during the Winter Olympics, although not all Olympic venues were in use for the Paralympics.

Alpine skiing events were held at Sestriere.
Cross-country skiing and
biathlon events were held at Cesana San Sicario. All skiing athletes were accommodated in the Paralympic Village in Sestriere.

Ice sledge hockey was held in Torino, and wheelchair curling was held in Pinerolo. These athletes were accommodated in Paralympic Village in Torino.

Calendar

Participants

Thirty-nine National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) entered athletes at the 2006 Winter Paralympics. This was an increase of three from the 36 represented at the 2002 Winter Paralympics. The number in parentheses indicates the number of participants from each NPC.
*flagIPC-2006|AND (2)
*flagIPC-2006|ARM (2)
*flagIPC-2006|AUS (10)
*flagIPC-2006|AUT (25)
*flagIPC-2006|BLR (6)
*flagIPC-2006|BEL (1)
*flagIPC-2006|BUL (3)
*flagIPC-2006|CAN (35)
*flagIPC-2006|CHI (2)
*flagIPC-2006|CHN (8)
*flagIPC-2006|CRO (1)
*flagIPC-2006|CZE (5)
*flagIPC-2006|DEN (6)
*flagIPC-2006|FIN (7)
*flagIPC-2006|FRA (19)
*flagIPC-2006|GER (35)
*flagIPC-2006|GBR (20)
*flagIPC-2006|GRE (1)
*flagIPC-2006|HUN (2)
*flagIPC-2006|IRI (1)
*flagIPC-2006|ITA (39)
*flagIPC-2006|JPN (40)
*flagIPC-2006|KAZ (2)
*flagIPC-2006|KOR (3)
*flagIPC-2006|LAT (1)
*flagIPC-2006|MEX (1)
*flagIPC-2006|MGL (2)
*flagIPC-2006|NZL (2)
*flagIPC-2006|NOR (29)
*flagIPC-2006|POL (11)
*flagIPC-2006|RUS (29)
*flagIPC-2006|SVK (17)
*flagIPC-2006|SLO (1)
*flagIPC-2006|RSA (1)
*flagIPC-2006|ESP (9)
*flagIPC-2006|SWE (19)
*flagIPC-2006|SUI (21)
*flagIPC-2006|UKR (12)
*flagIPC-2006|USA (56)A total of 486 athletes participated in the Games, 385 male and 101 female. This is an increase from the 430 athletes participated in 2002. Despite overall increase of delegates and athletes, the following nations who participated in the 2002 Winter Paralympics did not send athletes to Turin.
*EST
*NED

Mexico is the only country who had sent an athlete to these Games but not the Winter Olympic Games in 2006.

Other Information

These are the second Paralympic Games to be held in Italy, which hosted the first Summer Paralympics in Rome in 1960.

These are the first Paralympic Games to feature a live webcast of events, hosted by [http://www.ParalympicSport.TV ParalympicSport.TV] .

The Games mascot is Aster, a star-shaped snowflake similar in design to the Olympic mascots Neve and Gliz.

ee also

*2006 Winter Olympics

External links

* [http://www.paralympicgames.torino2006.org/ Torino 2006]
* [http://www.paralympicgames.torino2006.org/eng/index.php Torino 2006 Paralympic Games (English)]
* [http://www.ParalympicSport.TV ParalympicSport.TV]
* [http://www.paralympic.org International Paralympic Committee]