The 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney broke the record of participating countries: 122 (or 123 delegations, including independent athletes from East Timor). It was the largest edition of the event up to then, with a total of 3,824 athletes. The event could not have been more successful. After all, nearly 1.2 million tickets were sold for the competitions, more than two times the public in the previous edition in Atlanta.

Once again, the level of the competitions was impressive and more than 300 world and Paralympic records were broken. For example, Tanni Grey-Thompson from England had an incredible performance. She finished first in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 meter wheelchair races. American Jason Wening, a swimmer with both legs amputated from the knee down, won his third gold medal in the 400 meter freestyle, breaking his own world record.

The Sydney Games finished highlighted by the enormous success in the broadcasting of the sports events. The competition's official site broadcast more than 100 hours of video to users in 103 countries. Besides that, nearly 2,300 press professionals were accredited to work on event coverage.

Number of countries: 122
Sports: 19

A spectacular opening ceremony marked the beginning of the 2004 Paralympic Games. The Athens event repeated the previous edition's success both in the number of athletes and public interest. Of the 136 participating nations, 73 saw at least one competitor win a medal.

A total of 304 world and 448 Paralympic records were broken. Japanese swimmer Mayumi Narita was one of the edition's stars. She won seven gold medals and one bronze. Canadian Chantal Petitclerc took home five gold medals in wheelchair races and was one more athlete who stood out in Athens.

Brazil also did well, winning the first 5-a-side Football tournament and establishing itself as the best team in the world. After defeating Argentina 3 x 2 in penalty kicks, Brazil became the only unbeaten team in the tournament and finished with the best offense, scoring 14 goals in 6 games.

Once again, the event was highly promoted and watched by a record number of people around the world. At the closing ceremony, a flag was hoisted with the new International Paralympic Committee logo.

Number of countries: 136
Sports: 19

The Arnhem Games saw the participation of almost two thousand athletes from 42 countries. The participants included 452 amputees, 341 visually impaired, and for the first time, 125 with cerebral palsy. Other innovations were the inclusion of sitting volleyball in the competitions and the introduction of goalball as a Paralympic sport for the visually impaired.

New Zealander Neroli Fairhall was the highlight at the event, winning the gold in archery for paraplegics. Four years later, she finished 35th among 56 competitors at the Los Angeles Olympics.

The United States finished at the top of the medals table, followed by Poland. The Federal Republic of Germany finished in third. In the end, the Arnhem Games were able to consolidate the sports schedule for the four main groups of disabled represented by their respective international federations, which contributed towards the development of Paralympic athletes. Later on, at the end of that year, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) was created.

Number of countries: 42
Sports: 12

The seventh edition of the Paralympic Games was held in Europe and North America from July to August 1984. The English city of Stoke Mandeville, seat of the first amateur competitions among the disabled, received athletes with spinal lesions from June 22 to August 1. New York was the seat for the competitions involving the amputees and those with cerebral palsy or the visually impaired from June 16-30.

During the Games held in the United States, which had the largest press coverage up to then, approximately 1.8 thousand athletes from 45 countries fought for medals. One of the stand outs was American Jim Martinson, world record holder in the 100 meter wheelchair race. Frenchman Mustapha Badid was also impressive in the 800 meters and he took the gold.

Back in England, 1.1 thousand athletes from 41 countries competed in 14 events from July 22 to August 1. Many records were broken, especially in track and field. Swiss Reiner Kuschall and American Bart Dodson dominated the men's events and each took two gold medals home. Danish athlete Ingrid Lauridson was the star among women, coming in first six different times. American swimmer Marcia Bevard achieved a similar feat, reaching the top of the podium six different times.

The Games finished with the United States at the top, followed by Great Britain and Canada. Despite the short amount of time for its organization, the event was a success.

Number of countries: 45 em Nova York e 41 em Stoke Mandeville
Sports: 18

The 1988 Paralympic Games took the event to a new level. The eighth edition was the largest and the one with the best infrastructure thus far. The 3,053 athletes from 61 countries were well lodged in 1316 Paralympic Village apartments just four kilometers from the Olympic Stadium.

The opening ceremony was held in Seoul's Olympic Stadium for 75 thousand people. The athletes' performances were impressive that year. For example, American Trischa Zorn, a visually impaired swimmer, won a total of 12 gold medals and broke nine world records. Frenchman Mustapha Badid, another star at the Seoul Games, climbed to the top of the podium four times, after the 200, 1,500, 5,000 meter races and the wheelchair marathon.

Swiss Franz Nietlspach also stood out that year, winning three gold medals in the 200 and 800 meter wheelchair races and a canoeing event. Connie Hansen, from Denmark, was another athlete with an incredible performance in the wheelchair speed competitions, finishing first five times. And American Dennis Oelher was able to break the 12 second barrier in the 100 meters, covering the distance with prosthesis on one of his legs in just 11.73 seconds.

The United States finished at the top of the medals table once again. The Federal Republic of Germany was second, ahead of Great Britain. The closing ceremony was held on October 24 with full capacity and a great fireworks display.

Number of countries: 61
Sports: 18

Seventy-five thousand people watched the opening ceremony of the Games at Montjuic Olympic Stadium. The 12 days of competitions were watched by 1.5 million spectators and thousands of television viewers. More than three thousand athletes from 82 countries participated in 487 events where 279 records were broken.

Once again, the athletes had unforgettable performances. American swimmer Trischa Zorn, visually impaired, took home ten gold and two silver medals. John Morgan and Bart Dodson, also from the United States, won all eight competitions in which they participated in swimming and track and field, respectively. Swimmer Elizabeth Scott, also from the United States, took the gold in seven events.

The spectacular closing ceremony, held on September 14, was the ideal finish to one of the most praised editions of the Paralympic Games in history.

Number of countries: 82
Sports: 16

For the first time in history, the tenth edition of the Paralympic Games included mentally handicapped athletes together with the physically handicapped. The main concept of the Atlanta Games was based on three elements: quantity, quality and universality. The objective was to reach the highest level with the largest possible number of athletes.

In the 1996 edition, 3,195 athletes from 103 countries participated in 508 events in 20 sport modalities. Of those, 17 were for medals, whereas the other three, racquetball, sailing and wheelchair rugby, were introductory sports. Many athletes stood out at that year's Games. For example, Australian Louise Savagem won four gold medals in wheelchair races. In swimming, Kasper Engel from Holland broke the men's world record in the breaststroke and Beatrice Hess from France won the 200 meter individual medley, breaking the Paralympic and world's record. A total of 269 records were broken.

The United States finished in first at the Games, followed by Australia and Germany. The Games reached their end and stood out due to the high number of spectators at the competitions (388,373 people) and the wide press coverage, with 2,088 accredited professionals.

Besides the growth of the Games, there were other novelties that year. The third Paralympic Congress was held four days before the beginning of the competitions. It addressed issues concerning the political and economic strengthening of actions geared towards the disabled. The Cultural Pyramid, a space the exhibited the works of several artists from around the world with some sort of disability, was another innovation in 1996. With the initiative, the organizing committee was able to draw a parallel between the arts and sports.

Number of countries: 103
Sports: 19

The second edition of the Paralympic Games in 1964 continued the successful trajectory that had begun in Rome. Tokyo received a total of 375 athletes representing 21 countries. The largest delegation was from the United Kingdom with 70 competitors. The United States was right behind, with 66 participants.

That year, an important sports modality was introduced: the wheelchair race. Both men and women competed in the event and it would become one of the most popular at the Paralympic Games, which contributed to the development of its competitors.

Many athletes had brilliant performances. In track and field, American Ron Stein, South African Daniel Erasmus and Englishman Dick Thompson had excellent performances. Frenchman Serge Bec (fencing) and Zimbabwean Margaret Harriman also stood out.

Number of countries: 21
Sports modalities: 9

Ten thousand people watched the opening ceremony for the Games, which counted on the participation of 750 competitors from 29 countries. The number of sports categories increased compared to the previous edition held in Tokyo. New competitions such as bocce, women's basketball and men's 100 meter wheelchair race were included in the Games' schedule.

Italian Roberto Marson was the big star that year. After winning two gold medals in Track and Field in 1964, he also began to compete in swimming and fencing. Thanks to his effort, Marson left Tel Aviv with nine gold medals. Another stand out was Australian swimmer Lorraine Dodd, who on the same day broke three records in her category.

Twenty records were broken that year during the event's 181 competitions.

Number of countries: 29
Sports modalities: 10

Many records were broken over the seven days of the event, which saw the use of electronic touch sensors for the first time. Some of the athletes broke world records such as Dutch swimmer Van der Bender (100 meters freestyle), Canadian Reimer (discus) and Israeli Zipora Rubin (javelin). In the end, the big winner of the Games was the Federal Republic of Germany, followed by the United States and Great Britain.

The biggest news was the participation of the visually impaired in some modalities. Another factor that contributed to the importance of the Heidelberg Games was the meeting coaches and technical commissions after the event. At the meeting, sub-committees were created with the intent of improving competition rules, which would contribute to athlete development.

Number of countries: 41
Sports modalities: 10

The Paralympic Games in Toronto, Canada, were marked by the high number of participants (more than 1.6 thousand) and the introduction of new categories and modalities. For the first time, 261 amputees and 187 visually impaired participated in competitions and events. The wheelchair races began to be run at 200, 400, 800 and 1500 meters and the shooting events and goalball matches began to win medals.

The Toronto Paralympics also went down in history as the first with television coverage from the opening ceremony. Among the athletes, one of the stand outs was Canadian Arnie Boldt, an 18 year-old who had lost one of his legs. He was the first to cross the finish line in the first race with the participation of amputees in the Games' history. He also won the long jump and pole vault events.

American David Kiley also stood out by breaking the world's record in the wheelchair race. On the courts, he also did well, defeating the Israel basketball team and earning yet another gold medal for the United States, which finished at the top of the overall medals table. Holland and Israel followed.

Number of countries: 40
Sports modalities: 13