Expansion

The Games were initially open only to athletes in wheelchairs but at the 1976 Summer Games in Toronto, athletes with different disabilities were included for the first time at a Summer Paralympics. With the inclusion of more disability classifications the 1976 Summer Games expanded to 1,600 athletes from 40 countries. 1976 was also the first year the Winter Paralympics were held, in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden.

Pictured: 28 July 1981 - Kari Nielsen of Norway putting the shot