The 1984 Winter Paralympics in Innsbruck were the first Winter Games organized by the newly formed International Co-ordinating Committee and the first open to athletes with cerebral palsy.
Key Facts
- Dates
- 14–20 January 1984
- Edition
- 3rd Winter Paralympics
- Sports contested
- Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, ice sledge speed racing
- Top gold medal winners
- Falch, Di Bello, Åhren, Hämäläinen (4 golds each)
- ICC formation date
- 15 March 1982, Leysin, Switzerland
- Olympic exhibition event
- 30 male three-track skiers in giant slalom at Sarajevo
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following two previous Winter Paralympics, the International Co-ordinating Committee (ICC) was established on 15 March 1982 in Leysin, Switzerland, to provide unified governance for international Paralympic sport. Innsbruck, already experienced in hosting Paralympic events, was selected to stage the next Winter Games under this new body.
The 1984 Winter Paralympic Games, officially the 3rd World Winter Games for the Disabled, were held in Innsbruck, Austria, from 14 to 20 January 1984. Three sports were contested, and for the first time athletes with cerebral palsy were eligible to compete. The Games were fully sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee.
The Innsbruck Games set organizational precedents under ICC governance and broadened Paralympic inclusion by integrating cerebral palsy athletes. Concurrently, an exhibition event at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics featuring 30 three-track skiers raised the profile of Paralympic sport within the mainstream Olympic movement.