New Zealand at the 1972 Summer Paralympics

New Zealand at the Paralympic Games
Flag of New Zealand IPC code  NZL NPC Paralympics New Zealand
At the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg
Competitors	10
Medals	Gold 0	Silver 0	Bronze 0	Total 0
Paralympic history (summary)
Summer Games
1960 • 1964 • 1968 • 1972 • 1976 • 1980 • 1984 • 1988 • 1992 • 1996 • 2000 • 2004 • 2008
Winter Games
1976 • 1980 • 1984 • 1988 • 1992 • 1994 • 1998 • 2002 • 2006 • 2010

New Zealand sent a delegation to compete at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, West Germany. They sent ten competitors, seven male and three female.^[1]

Disability classifications

Athletes at the Paralympics in 1972 were all afflicted by spinal cord injuries and required the use of a wheelchair.^[2] This is in contrast to later Paralympics that include events for participants that fit into any of five different disability categories; amputation, either congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes; visual impairment, including blindness; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism or multiple sclerosis.^[3][4] Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependent upon the specific physical demands of competition. Events are given a code, made of numbers and letters, describing the type of event and classification of the athletes competing.^[5]

References

1. ^ "Participants Heidelberg 1972 Paralympic Games". International Paralympic Committee. 1972. http://www.paralympic.org/Sport/Results/reports.html?type=participation&games=1972PG&sport=all. Retrieved 27 May 2011. 
2. ^ "Paralympic Games". International Paralympic Committee. http://www.paralympic.org/Paralympic_Games/. Retrieved 29 May 2011. 
3. ^ "Paralympics categories explained". ABC. 3 September 2008. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/03/2354016.htm?site=paralympics/2008. Retrieved 27 May 2011. 
4. ^ "Making sense of the categories". BBC Sport. 6 October 2000. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics2000/paralympics/959701.stm. Retrieved 27 May 2011. 
5. ^ "A-Z of Paralympic classification". BBC Sport. 28 August 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/disability_sport/7586684.stm. Retrieved 27 May 2011.