Amazing Athletes: An All-Star Look at Canada's Paralympians

Amazing Athletes: An All-Star Look at Canada's Paralympians — page 3
Gaining popularity With each competition the Paralympic Games have brought together more and more athletes from all over the world In 1960 there were 400 participants from 23 countries In 2016 there were more than 4,300 from 160 countries and getting more buzz For many years the spotlight was only on the Olympic Games That changed in Sydney in 2000 when the organizers were determined to give the Paralympic Games equal footing The following statistics show how the Paralympic Games have been gaining more attention in recent years The Paralympic Winter Games have often drawn less attention because they include fewer sports However media recognition has increased substantially in recent years In Canada the number of people watching listening to or reading about the Paralympic Games television radio newspapers the web and social media went from three million in 2010 to two billion in 2018 Coverage on the Internet and on social media has boosted the visibility of the Paralympic Games Deservedly so In 2012 Canadian television devoted seven hours of airtime to the summer Paralympic Games in London focusing mainly on Para athletics and Para swimming In 2016 the airtime increased to 300 hours and included a wider variety of sports such as Boccia and Goalball 6