Sweden at the 1968 Summer Paralympics
Encyclopedia
Sweden was one of twenty-eight nations that sent a delegation to the 1968 Summer Paralympics
in Tel Aviv
, Israel
from November 4 to 13, 1968. The team finished seventeenth in the medal table
and won eleven medals: one gold, six silver and four bronze. Thirty-two Swedish athletes took part in the Games; twenty-seven men and five women.
, the condition may be congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy
; wheelchair
athletes, there is often overlap between this and other categories; 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
. Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependant 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.
round open.
format. Two Swedish pairs entered; Luks and Andersson lost in the first round to the Australians
Fowler and Bawden; Johansson and Hansson also lost in the first round to Belgian pair Schelfaut and Desal.
class 5 cauda equina
and a bronze in the 50 metres freestyle; Tufuesson won a bronze in the open 3×25 metres individual medley and a silver in the women's 50 metres backstroke
class 4 incomplete. Further bronze medals were won by Eden in the men's 50 metres breaststroke class 4 incomplete and by Olfson in men's 50 metres backstroke class 5 cauda equina.
division. He lifted 120 kg to win the silver medal. Gold was won by Dumont of France
whose lift of 125 kg was a new world record.
and 15–35 to Canada
, and did not advance to the quarterfinals.
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...
in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
from November 4 to 13, 1968. The team finished seventeenth in the medal table
1968 Summer Paralympics medal table
The 1968 Summer Paralympics was an international multi-sport event held in Tel Aviv, Israel, from November 4 to 13, 1968, in which athletes with physical disabilities competed against one another...
and won eleven medals: one gold, six silver and four bronze. Thirty-two Swedish athletes took part in the Games; twenty-seven men and five women.
Disability classifications
The Paralympics groups athletes' disabilities into one of five disability categories; amputationAmputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
, the condition may be congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
; wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
athletes, there is often overlap between this and other categories; visual impairment
Visual impairment
Visual impairment is vision loss to such a degree as to qualify as an additional support need through a significant limitation of visual capability resulting from either disease, trauma, or congenital or degenerative conditions that cannot be corrected by conventional means, such as refractive...
, including blindness
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism
Dwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
or multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
. Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependant 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.
Archery
Sweden sent nine athletes to compete in archery. Two medals were won by Swedish archers; Johansson won silver in the St. Nicholas round for paraplegic women and Rodaster won silver in the women's FITAInternational Archery Federation
The International Archery Federation is the governing body of the sport of archery. It is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is composed of 140 national archery associations, and is recognized by the International Olympic Committee.-History:FITA was founded on 4 September 1931 in Poland...
round open.
Dartchery
The only dartchery event at the Games was the mixed pairs event which had a knockout tournamentSingle-elimination tournament
A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
format. Two Swedish pairs entered; Luks and Andersson lost in the first round to the Australians
Australia at the 1968 Summer Paralympics
Australia competed at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel. The team finished fourth in the medal table and won a total of 38 medals; 15 gold, 16 silver and 7 bronze....
Fowler and Bawden; Johansson and Hansson also lost in the first round to Belgian pair Schelfaut and Desal.
Swimming
Swedish swimmers won to silver and four bronze medals in Tel Aviv. Two athletes won multiple medals; Soderberg won a silver in the men's 50 metres breaststrokeBreaststroke
The breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on his or her chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time. In most swimming classes, beginners learn...
class 5 cauda equina
Cauda equina
The cauda equina is a structure within the lower end of the spinal column of most vertebrates, that consists of nerve roots and rootlets from above...
and a bronze in the 50 metres freestyle; Tufuesson won a bronze in the open 3×25 metres individual medley and a silver in the women's 50 metres backstroke
Backstroke
The backstroke, also sometimes called the back crawl, is one of the four swimming styles regulated by FINA, and the only regulated style swum on the back. This has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see where they are going. It is also the only...
class 4 incomplete. Further bronze medals were won by Eden in the men's 50 metres breaststroke class 4 incomplete and by Olfson in men's 50 metres backstroke class 5 cauda equina.
Weightlifting
One man entered weightlifting events for Sweden, Benny Nilsson in the featherweightFeatherweight
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:...
division. He lifted 120 kg to win the silver medal. Gold was won by Dumont of France
France at the 1968 Summer Paralympics
France competed at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel from November 4 to 13, 1968. The team finished fifth in the medal table and won a total of thirty-two medals; thirteen gold, ten silver and nine bronze...
whose lift of 125 kg was a new world record.
Wheelchair basketball
Sweden entered a team into the men's wheelchair basketball. The competition featured a pool stage followed by a knockout competition. Sweden lost both their pool matches, 8–26 to BelgiumBelgium at the 1968 Summer Paralympics
Belgium competed at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel from November 4 to 13, 1968. The team finished twentieth in the medal table and won a total of six medals; three silver and three bronze.-References:...
and 15–35 to Canada
Canada at the 1968 Summer Paralympics
Canada competed at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel from November 4 to 13, 1968. The team finished twelfth in the medal table and won a total of nineteenth medals; six gold, six silver and seven bronze. The Canadian team contained twenty-five athletes; eighteen men and seven...
, and did not advance to the quarterfinals.