2016 Summer Paralympics — multi-parasport event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The 2016 Rio Paralympics were the first hosted in Latin America and a Lusophone country, and the first since 1960 in which an athlete died during competition.
Key Facts
- Edition
- 15th Summer Paralympic Games
- Dates
- 7–18 September 2016
- Tickets sold
- Over 2 million
- China gold medals
- 107
- New sports introduced
- Canoeing and paratriathlon
- Refugee team athletes
- 2 (from Iran and Syria)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Rio de Janeiro was selected to host both the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, becoming the first South American city to do so. Pre-Games preparations were troubled by financial shortcomings due to weak sponsor interest and poor initial ticket sales, forcing cuts to staffing, transport, and venue infrastructure at Deodoro.
The 2016 Summer Paralympics took place in Rio de Janeiro from 7 to 18 September 2016, featuring athletes with disabilities across multiple sports. Two new disciplines—canoeing and paratriathlon—debuted. A refugee Paralympic team competed for the first time, and China topped the medal table for the fourth consecutive Summer Paralympics.
Over two million tickets were ultimately sold, surpassing Beijing 2008 as the second-most-attended Paralympic Games in history. The Games were also marked by tragedy when Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad died during competition, the first such death in Paralympic history and the first at an Olympics or Paralympics since 1960.
Result
at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (multiple venues)