Finland at the Paralympics
Encyclopedia
Finland
participated in the inaugural Paralympic Games in 1960
in Rome
, with a single representative, swimmer Tauno Valkama - who won gold in his sole event, the 50m crawl. The country was absent from the 1964 Games
, but returned in 1968, and has participated in every subsequent edition of the Summer Paralympics. Finland has also taken part in every edition of the Winter Paralympics, from the first in 1976
.
Finland's 'awakening' to the Paralympics came in 1976, both at the inaugural Winter Games (where it finished third on the medal chart), and at the Summer Games, where it won fifty medals - forty-seven more than it had at the previous summer edition. The country performed strongly throughout the 1980s, then began to decline, in terms of both medal hauls and ranking. In 2004, Finns won only eight medals - the first time since 1972 that they had won fewer than ten. At the Winter Games, Finland was initially a major power, ranking in the top 3 until 1988, and in the top 10 until 2002, despite a gradual yet steady decline. At the 2006 Winter Games, Finland shockingly failed to win a single medal; the country won only a silver and a bronze in 2010.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
participated in the inaugural Paralympic Games in 1960
1960 Summer Paralympics
The 1960 Summer Paralympics, originally known as the 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games, were the first international Paralympic Games, following on from the Stoke Mandeville Games of 1948 and 1952. They were organised under the aegis of the International Stoke Mandeville Games...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, with a single representative, swimmer Tauno Valkama - who won gold in his sole event, the 50m crawl. The country was absent from the 1964 Games
1964 Summer Paralympics
The 1964 Summer Paralympics, originally known as the 13th International Stoke Mandeville Games, were the 2nd Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in Tokyo, Japan, they were the last Summer Paralympics to take place in the same city as the Summer Olympics until the 1988 Summer Paralympics...
, but returned in 1968, and has participated in every subsequent edition of the Summer Paralympics. Finland has also taken part in every edition of the Winter Paralympics, from the first in 1976
1976 Winter Paralympics
The 1976 Winter Paralympic Games were the first Winter Paralympics. They were held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden from 21 to 28 February 1976. The disabilities included in this paralympics were blindness and amputees. Sixteen countries took part with 198 athletes...
.
Finland's 'awakening' to the Paralympics came in 1976, both at the inaugural Winter Games (where it finished third on the medal chart), and at the Summer Games, where it won fifty medals - forty-seven more than it had at the previous summer edition. The country performed strongly throughout the 1980s, then began to decline, in terms of both medal hauls and ranking. In 2004, Finns won only eight medals - the first time since 1972 that they had won fewer than ten. At the Winter Games, Finland was initially a major power, ranking in the top 3 until 1988, and in the top 10 until 2002, despite a gradual yet steady decline. At the 2006 Winter Games, Finland shockingly failed to win a single medal; the country won only a silver and a bronze in 2010.
Summer Paralympics
Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Ranking |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1960 Summer Paralympics 1960 Summer Paralympics The 1960 Summer Paralympics, originally known as the 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games, were the first international Paralympic Games, following on from the Stoke Mandeville Games of 1948 and 1952. They were organised under the aegis of the International Stoke Mandeville Games... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15th |
1968 Summer Paralympics 1968 Summer Paralympics The 1968 Summer Paralympics were the third Paralympic Games to be held. Organised under the guidance of the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation , they were known as the 17th International Stoke Mandeville Games at the time... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
1972 Summer Paralympics 1972 Summer Paralympics The 1972 Summer Paralympics, the fourth edition of the Paralympic Games, were held in Heidelberg, West Germany, from August 2 to 11, 1972.- Sports :As with previous Paralympics, the 1972 games were intended for wheelchair athletes only... |
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 28th |
1976 Summer Paralympics 1976 Summer Paralympics The 1976 Summer Paralympics were the fifth Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in Toronto, in the province of Ontario, Canada from August 3 to 11, 1976... |
12 | 20 | 18 | 50 | 13th |
1980 Summer Paralympics 1980 Summer Paralympics The 1980 Summer Paralympics were the sixth Paralympic Games. They were held in Papendal, close to the host city of Arnhem, Netherlands, from June 21 to 30, 1980.- Sports :... |
8 | 19 | 13 | 40 | 17th |
1984 Summer Paralympics 1984 Summer Paralympics The 1984 Summer Paralympics were the seventh Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in two separate locations, Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom and in the Mitchel Athletic Complex and Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, United States of America The 1984 Summer Paralympics were the... |
19 | 13 | 26 | 58 | 15th |
1988 Summer Paralympics 1988 Summer Paralympics The 1988 Summer Paralympics were the first Paralympics in 24 years that take place in the same city as the Olympic Games. They took place in Seoul, South Korea. This was the first time the term "Paralympic" came into official use.- Sports :... |
11 | 23 | 16 | 50 | 22nd |
1992 Summer Paralympics 1992 Summer Paralympics The 1992 Summer Paralympics were the ninth Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.- Sports :The games consisted of 487 events spread over fifteen sports. Powerlifting and weightlifting were considered to be a single sport... |
8 | 6 | 11 | 25 | 17th |
1996 Summer Paralympics 1996 Summer Paralympics The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, USA were held from 16 August to 25 August. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million.... |
4 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 30th |
2000 Summer Paralympics 2000 Summer Paralympics The 2000 Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia, from 18 October to 29 October. The eleventh Summer Paralympic Games, an estimated 3800 athletes took part in the Sydney programme. They commenced with the opening ceremony on 18 October 2000... |
1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 43rd |
2004 Summer Paralympics 2004 Summer Paralympics The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as... |
4 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 33rd |
2008 Summer Paralympics 2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao.... |
2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 40th |
Winter Paralympics
Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Ranking |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1976 Winter Paralympics 1976 Winter Paralympics The 1976 Winter Paralympic Games were the first Winter Paralympics. They were held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden from 21 to 28 February 1976. The disabilities included in this paralympics were blindness and amputees. Sixteen countries took part with 198 athletes... |
8 | 7 | 7 | 22 | 3rd |
1980 Winter Paralympics 1980 Winter Paralympics The 1980 Winter Paralympic Games, the second Winter Paralympics, were held from 1 to 7 February 1980 in Geilo, Norway. Eighteen countries took part with 299 athletes. A demonstration event was held in sledge downhill racing. All classes of athletes with locomotor disabilities were able to... |
15 | 7 | 12 | 32 | 2nd |
1984 Winter Paralympics 1984 Winter Paralympics The 1984 Winter Paralympic Games, were the third Winter Paralympics. They were held from 14 to 20 January 1984 in Innsbruck, Austria. They were the first Winter Games organized by the International Co-ordinating Committee , which was formed on March 15, 1982 in Leysin, Switzerland. These Games were... |
19 | 9 | 6 | 34 | 2nd |
1988 Winter Paralympics 1988 Winter Paralympics The 1988 Winter Paralympic Games, were the fourth Winter Paralympics, held again in Innsbruck, Austria. These were the last Winter Paralympics to be held in a separate location from the Winter Olympics. Beginning in 1992, the Olympics and the Paralympics were held in the same city or in an adjacent... |
9 | 8 | 8 | 25 | 4th |
1992 Winter Paralympics 1992 Winter Paralympics The 1992 Winter Paralympics were the fifth Winter Paralympics. They were the first winter Paralympics to be celebrated concurrently with the Olympic Games. They were held in Tignes and Albertville, France, from March 25 to April 1, 1992... |
7 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 5th |
1994 Winter Paralympics 1994 Winter Paralympics The 1994 Winter Paralympics, the sixth Winter Paralympics, were held in Lillehammer, Norway, from 10–19 March 1994. These Games marked the first time the Paralympic Winter Games were held in the same location as the Winter Olympics, a tradition that has continued through an agreement of cooperation... |
6 | 7 | 12 | 25 | 7th |
1998 Winter Paralympics 1998 Winter Paralympics The 1998 Winter Paralympics, the seventh Winter Paralympics, were held alongside the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan from March 5 to March 14, 1998. They were the first Paralympic Winter Games to be held outside Europe.- Sports :... |
7 | 5 | 7 | 19 | 9th |
2002 Winter Paralympics 2002 Winter Paralympics The 2002 Winter Paralympics, the eighth Winter Paralympics, were held in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, from March 7 to March 16, 2002. A total of 416 athletes from 36 nations participated.... |
4 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 9th |
2006 Winter Paralympics 2006 Winter Paralympics The 2006 Winter Paralympic Games, the ninth Winter Paralympics, took place in Turin, Italy from 10 to 19 March 2006. These were the first Winter Paralympic Games to be held in Italy. They were also the first Paralympics to use the new paralympics logo.... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - |
2010 Winter Paralympics 2010 Winter Paralympics The 2010 Winter Paralympics, officially the X Paralympic Winter Games, or the 10th Winter Paralympics, were held in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada from March 12 to 21, 2010. The Opening Ceremony took place in BC Place Stadium in Vancouver and the Closing Ceremony in Whistler... |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 17th |