Paralympic Equestrianism
Venue: Greenwich Park 
Dates: Thursday 30 August – Tuesday 4 September 2012
Medal events: 11
Athletes: 78


Geenwich Park-image credit to Jeannette Briggs.

Para-Equestrian Dressage developed in the 1970s, with the first events held in Great Britain and and Scandinavia. The multi-disability sport has since spread around the world, and athletes from more than 40 countries now compete on a regular basis. The Paralympic Equestrian events will be held in Greenwich Park. 

Paralympic Football 5 a Side
Venue: Olympic Park - Hockey Centre
Dates: Friday 31 August – Saturday 8 September 2012
Medal events: 1
Athletes: 64 (all men; eight teams)
One of two forms of Football on the Paralympic programme, 5-a-side Football is played by visually impaired athletes using a ball with a noise-making device inside, with eight teams battling for gold at the new Hockey Centre in the Olympic Park.

Football 7 a Side
Venue: Olympic Park - Hockey Centre
Dates: Saturday 1 September - Sunday 9 September 2012
Medal events: 1
Athletes: 96 (all men; eight teams)
One of two Football variations played at the Paralympic Games, 7-a-side Football is a sport strictly played by athletes with cerebral palsy. At London 2012, the Hockey Centre on the Olympic Park will host eight men’s teams in a 20-match tournament, culminating in the gold medal match on 9 September.

Goalball
Venue: Olympic Park - Handball Arena
Dates: Thursday 30 August – Friday 7 September 2012
Medal events: 2
Athletes: 132 (72 men, 60 women;12 men’s teams and 10 women’s teams)
Since it was developed as a rehabilitation activity for injured soldiers returning from World War II, Goalball has spread around the world. It is played by visually impaired athletes using a ball with bells inside. Heats will be held at the Handball Arena on the Olympic Park

Paralympic Judo
Venue: ExCeL
Dates: Thursday 30 August – Saturday 1 September 2012
Medal events: 13
Athletes: 132 (84 men, 48 women)
Judo requires athletes to employ an intricate mix of attack and defence. It is contested at the Paralympic Games by visually impaired athletes and will be staged at the ExCeL Centre London.

Powerlifting
Venue: ExCeL
Dates: Thursday 30 August – Wednesday 5 September 2012
Medal events: 20
Athletes: 200 (120 men, 80 women)
With athletes from more than 100 countries now involved in international competition, Paralympic Powerlifting is one of the worlds fastest growing sports and will be held at the Excel Centre London.

Paralympic Rowing
Venue: Dorney Lake Eton Nr Windsor
Dates: Friday 31 August – Sunday 2 September 2012
Medal events: 4
Athletes: 96 (48 men, 48 women)
Although its history dates back centuries, Rowing became a competitive sport in the last 200 years. Interest helped by Oxford and Cambridge Universities began their rivalry on the Thames in each year since 1829. The sport made its Paralympic debut in Beijing, when Great Britain topped the medal table. The events will be held on Donrey Lake near Eton.

Paralympic Sailing
Venue: Weymouth and Portland, Dorset
Dates: Saturday 1 September –Thursday 6 September 2012
Medal events: 3
Athletes: 80
Sailing for athletes with a disability began to develop as a competitive sport in the 1980s, just over 10 years before it joined the Paralympic programme. Mastery over ever-changing conditions on open water requires skill, tactics and nerve, all of which will be essential for competitors in the Paralympic Sailing events at Weymouth Dorset in 2012.

Paralympic Shooting
Venue: The Royal Artillery Barracks
Dates: Thursday 30 August – Thursday 6 September 2012
Medal events: 12
Athletes: 140 (100 men, 40 women)
The sport of Shooting is popular all over the world. At the London 2012 Paralympic Games, the 12 events will be held in the historic surroundings of The Royal Artillery Barracks Woolwich.


The Pool - image credit to Jeannette Briggs.

Paralympic Swimming
Venue: Olympic Park - Aquatics Centre
Dates: Thursday 30 August – Saturday 8 September 2012
Medal events: 148
Athletes: 600 (350 men, 250 women)
Swimming  is a  popular activity all over the world, and 600 swimmers will be competing in nearly 150 medal events across 10 days in the new Aquatics Centre on the Olympic park.


The Aquatic Centre- image credit to Jeannette Briggs

Paralympic Table Tennis
Venue: ExCeL
Dates: Thursday 30 August – Saturday 8 September 2012
Medal events: 29
Athletes: 276 (174 men, 102 women)
Table Tennis developed as an after-dinner game called ping pong (or wiff-waff)  played by upper-class English families on their large tables in their stately homes. A permanent part of the Paralympic programme since the first Games in 1960, it is the biggest participation sport in the world. Again this will be held at the ExCeL Centre London.

Paralympic Volleyball
Venue: ExCeL
Dates: Thursday 30 August – Saturday 8 September 2012
Medal events: 2
Athletes: 198 (110 men, 88 women; 10 men's teams and 8 women's teams)
Sitting Volleyball was developed in the Netherlands in the 1950s, a combination of Volleyball and a German game called Sitzbal.  It really began to increase in popularity during the 1960s, and is now played by athletes in more than 50 countries around the world. The event will be held at the ExCel Centre London.

Wheelchair Basketball
Venue : The O2 Dome North Greenwich and Olympic Park - Basketball Arena
Dates: Thursday 30 August – Saturday 8 September 2012
Medal events: 2
Athletes: 264 (144 men, 120 women; 12 men’s teams and 10 women’s teams)
Wheelchair Basketball was developed by American World War II veterans as part of their rehabilitation programme and  is now played in more than 80 countries. The Paralympic wheelchair basketball games  will be held at the Basketball Arena and the O2 North Greenwwich.


The Basketball Arena- image credit to Robin Briggs.

Wheelchair Fencing
Venue: ExCeL
Dates: Tuesday 4 September – Saturday 8 September 2012
Medal events: 12
Athletes: 100
Fencing as  a sport developed in the 19th century. Wheelchair fencing was developed in the years after World War II at Stoke Mandeville by Sir Ludwig Guttmann, the founder of the Paralympic Games, It is a battle of tactics and techniques. The events will be held in the ExCeL Centre London.

Wheelchair Rugby
Venue: Olympic Park - Basketball Arena
Dates: Wednesday 5  September – Sunday 9 September 2012
Medal events: 1
Athletes: 96 (8 teams)
Wheelchair Rugby was invented in 1977 by a group of Canadian quadriplegic athletes, who were looking for an alternative to Wheelchair Basketball that would allow players with reduced arm and hand function to participate on equal terms. The sport they created is enormously popular with Paralympic spectators around the world. It will be held at the Basketball Centre on the Olympic Park.

Wheelchair Tennis
Venue: Olympic Park - Eton Manor
Dates: Saturday 1 September –Saturday 8 September 2012
Medal events: 6
Athletes: 112
Wheelchair Tennis was invented in 1976 and has grown at an amazing rate: now fully integrated into all four Grand Slam Tennis events. It will be staged at the Eton Manor Centre on the Olympic Park.

I hope that this comprehensive list of the various Paralympic Sports and Disciplines will highlight their complexity and make them even more interesting to the average person in the street, who will most likely be viewing such disciplines for the first time.

Jeannette Briggs - January 2012.