Wheelchair athletics was met initially with resistance. But after 50 years and a few Olympic Gold medals, wheelchair sports are now viewed as pure athletics and not a cause. Early wheelchair sports included track and field events, bowling, archery and basketball. Road racing and eventually marathons were added to the list of sports that wheelchair athletes would tackle. Today there is no limit to the extent of sports engaged in by those with disabilities.
Wheelchair athletes compete in skiing, kayaking, mountain climbing, sailing and even bungee jumping.
The Paralympics allows the best athletes with disabilities from around the world to compete. The Paralympics takes place in the weeks following the Olympic Games in the same country and in the same facilities. The Olympics also include two exhibition wheelchair events. These are the women's 800m and the men's 1500m races.