殘疾人奧運會 Paralympic Games

首項專為殘疾人士而設的賽事在1948年奧林匹克運動會開幕當天舉行，而首個依循奧林匹克運動會模式專為殘疾運動員而設的運動會則於1960年緊接奧運會在羅馬舉行，這屆比賽被視為第一屆殘疾人奧運會(殘奧)。由1960年開始，殘奧逐漸發展成為僅次於奧林匹克運動會的體壇大事，並定為四年一度，與奧林匹克運動會同年舉行，兩個奧運會自1988年起在同一城市及場地舉行。

1996年，智障首次成為殘奧的其中一個殘障類別。然而僅僅四年後，全球的智障運動員卻因為西班牙籃球員於2000殘奧假冒智障而奪金一事遭國際殘奧會禁止參賽，禁賽令一直維持至2009年，在各方組織協調磋商和級別鑑定機制日趨成熟下方告解禁，令智障運動健兒在2012年重新踏上殘奧這個殘疾人體育界的最高舞台。

The first Games for athletes with disabilities was held on the day of the Opening Ceremony of the 1948 Olympic Games. Considered to be the first ever Paralympic Games, Olympic style Games for athletes with a disability was organized in Rome in 1960, immediately after the Olympic Games. After 1960, the Paralympic Games have evolved into a major sports event, second only to the Olympic Games and have been held every four years, the same year as the Olympic Games. Both Olympic and Paralympic Games have always taken place at the same venue since 1988.

In 1996, intellectual disability became one of the disability categories in the Paralympic Games for the first time. After four years, athletes with intellectual disability worldwide were unfortunately banned from the Games because the Spanish basketball team was found filled with able bodies to achieve the gold medal in the 2000 Paralympics. After years of negotiation between the corresponding organizations and the development of a mature classification mechanism, the ban was finally lifted in 2009, giving athletes an invaluable opportunity to return and compete with world elites in the 2012 Paralympics.