What's in a name?

The 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul was the first time the term 'Paralympics' came into official use, although the origin of the name is unclear. It's believed to have originally been a portmanteau of the words 'Olympic' and 'paraplegic', but as this fails to represent the broad cross-section of athletes competing, the formal explanation of the name is that it derives from the Greek word para, meaning 'alongside', and thus refers to a competition held in parallel with the Olympic Games.

Pictured: 24 April 2012 - Venezuelan sprinter Willy Martinez