Guatemala

Guatemala

Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...

have been irregular participants in the Paralympic Games

Paralympic Games

The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...

. The country made its début at the 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...

 in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, with a delegation of eleven athletes to compete in archery, dartchery, swimming, table tennis and weightlifting. It was then absent in 1980

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 :...

, and returned in 1984

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...

, with a delegation of two swimmers and two weightlifters. It sent a single weightlifter to the 1988 Games

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...

, then was absent for sixteen years, before returning for the 2004 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...

, represented by two runners. Visually impaired 5,000m runner César López was the sole Guatemalan competitor in 2008

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....

. Guatemala has never taken part in the Winter Paralympics.

Guatemalans have, however, won two Paralympic medals. Weightlifter J.R. de Leon won his country's only medal during its inaugural participation in 1976, lifting 150kg in the men's featherweight

Featherweight

Featherweight is a weight class division in the sport of boxing. There are similarly named divisions under several Mixed Martial Arts organizations and in Greco-Roman wrestling.-Professional boxing:...

 category, to take bronze. Guatemala's first (and so far only) gold medal also came in weightlifting, and was won by José Rolando, the only Guatemalan representative at the 1988 Games. Competing in the up to 57kg category, he lifted 175kg to become Paralympic champion.

List of medallists

Medal	Name	Games	Sport	Event
	José Rolando	1988 Seoul 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 :...	Weightlifting Weightlifting at the 1988 Summer Paralympics Weightlifting at the 1988 Summer Paralympics consisted of seven events for men.- Medal summary :- References :...	Men's Up To 57 kg
	J.R. de Leon	1976 Toronto 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...	Weightlifting Weightlifting at the 1976 Summer Paralympics Weightlifting at the 1976 Summer Paralympics consisted of six events for men.- Medal summary :- References :...	Men's Featherweight