Paralympic symbols

The Paralympic symbols are the icons, flags, and symbols used by the International Paralympic Committee to promote the Paralympic Games.
The Paralympic motto is "Spirit in Motion". The motto was introduced in 2004 at the Paralympic Games in Athens. The previous motto was "Mind, Body, Spirit", introduced in 1994.
The symbol of the Paralympic Games is composed of three "crescents", coloured red, blue, and green, encircling a single point on a white field. The agito (Latin for "I move") is a symbol of movement in the shape of an asymmetrical crescent. The colours of the agitos with the white background represent the three most widely represented colours in national flags around the world. The three agitos encircle a centre point, to emphasize "the role that the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has of bringing athletes from all corners of the world together and enabling them to compete". The shape also symbolises the Paralympic vision "to enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and inspire and excite the world".
The emblem was designed by the agency Scholz & Friends as a modernisation of a tri-coloured emblem first adopted in 1992. It was used in a formal capacity for the first time during the closing ceremony of the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, where a new Paralympic flag with the emblem was handed over to Beijing, host of the 2008 Summer Paralympics. The agitos were used as part of the Paralympics branding for the first time at the 2006 Winter Paralympics.
In October 2019, the IPC unveiled a new corporate identity and a refreshed version of the emblem; the three crescents were changed to have a "stricter" geometry with consistent shapes and alignment, and the colours were brightened to match those used in the Olympic rings. The IPC also announced a new "brand narrative" of "Change Starts with Sport", to "better communicate the transformational impact the Paralympic Movement has on society and drive the human rights agenda."
The first designated Paralympic logo was created for the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul and based on a traditional Korean decorative component called a pa {Hangul: 파; Hanja: 巴}, two of which make up the taegeuk symbol at the center of the flag of South Korea. The first Paralympic flag used five pas arranged similarly to the Olympic rings and coloured identically.
In 1991, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) formally requested that the International Coordinating Committee of World Sports Organizations for the Disabled (ICC) modify the Paralympic logo due to the similarity between the five-pa symbol and the Olympic emblem, and therefore the potential for confusion between the two. In November 1991, IPC members voted against adopting a new logo comprising six overlapping pas in a circle (representing the then 6 IPC regions - Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Oceania), opting instead to retain the five-pa symbol. Nevertheless, the IOC made it clear that it would refuse future collaborations with the IPC if the five-pa symbol remained in place.
During the 1992 Winter Paralympics, a new Paralympic symbol, using a new simplified version utilizing only three pas, representing the new motto of the institution - Body, Soul, and Spirit was revealed.
Following this agreement between the IOC and the IPC, the five-pa symbol would be discontinued after the 1994 Winter Paralympics in Lillehammer, Norway, since the Lillehammer Paralympic Organizing Committee (LPOC) had already started a marketing program based on the five-pa version. The three-pa version officially remained in place from the closing of the Lillehammer Games through the 2004 Summer Paralympics.
Each Paralympic Games version has a unique emblem that exemplifies its vision and ideals, much like the Olympic Games. Every emblem is individual and respects the local design and personality of the host nation. Each Paralympic Games version has a unique emblem that exemplifies its vision and ideals, much like the Olympic Games.
See also:Category:Summer Paralympic Games and Category:Winter Paralympic Games for various Paralympic emblems. Those designs incorporates their version of the Paralympic symbol, used at the time, the name and year of the event, and one or more distinctive and cultural elements of the host country or city to identify the event.
It is the responsibility of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to approve Paralympic emblems for the Paralympic Games. The Paralympic emblems are used in promotional materials, by sponsors, and on the uniforms of every Paralympic competitor. All emblems are the property of the IPC.
The Paralympic flag has a white background, with the Paralympic symbol in the centre.
The current version of the Paralympic flag was first flown in 2019.
Until the 2010 Winter Paralympics, each Organizing Committee was free to choose which method and how the Paralympic torch would be lit. Since the 1988 Summer Paralympics, the Paralympic torch had the role is to maintain the engagement on the host country and keep the energy dissipated in the Olympic Games. With the exception of the 1992 Summer and 1994 Winter Games, when the Olympic flame was conserved at the host city for use at the Paralympic Games. Each city performed its specific ritual days after the closing ceremony and in a unique way respecting its local culture and since then it has been normal for each one to take the Paralympic relay to places where its Olympic counterpart did not go, as was the case in the Atlanta 1996 relay. The first time that the current Paralympic torch relay concept was used was for the 2002 Winter Paralympics. The Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympics and Paralympics Organizing Committee (SLOOC) selected 15 communities in the state of Utah to host their local celebrations between the period of March 1–4, 2002 when they lit their local flames. After the local stages were carried out and at the end each torch was sent inside a lantern to Salt Lake City. At the evening before the Opening ceremonies, the 15 flames were merged in a special cauldron at the front of the Utah State Capitol.At the early hours of the next morning, the last leg of the 2002 Winter Paralympic flame relay started and during the Opening Ceremonies the Paralympic cauldron was lit by Chris Waddell and Muffy Davis. The next edition to use this concept was the 2010 Winter Paralympics when indigenous celebrations were held between 3–12 March 2010. They started in Ottawa where bearers from all 10 provinces and 3 Canadian territories participated in the Canadian capital, the flame was born through a ritual carried out by representatives of all Canadian indigenous nations who used their traditional methods to and in the end the ashes were collected and placed in a box that was sent to Vancouver.In addition to Ottawa, outside British Columbia, local celebrations were held in Toronto and Québec City had local legs. These rituals were performed in 9 selected cities and communities in British Columbia. In the early hours of the morning of the day of the opening ceremony, all the boxes with the ashes were opened in a special ceremony also with the first peoples, and the Paralympic flame was born and made its way to the opening ceremony at the BC Place.
The concept used in these editions was refined for the 2012 Summer Paralympics; four regional cauldrons were lit in each of the Home Nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) during "Flame Festival" events, as well as a fifth "heritage flame" in Stoke Mandeville, in honour of its role as the birthplace of the Paralympic movement. The four flames were transported to Stoke Mandeville Hospital and combined with the heritage flame during a ceremony on 28 August 2012, creating a singular flame for the final leg of the torch relay to Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremonies.
Following the Games, calls emerged for the "heritage flame" to become a permanent tradition of the Paralympics. In August 2013, this process was made official as part of a partnership between the IPC and Buckinghamshire County Council; beginning with the 2014 Winter Paralympics, a ceremonial heritage flame is lit during a ceremony at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, which is then contributed to the Paralympic flame created in the host country. For 2014, this ceremony featured Hannah Cockroft generating sparks with her wheelchair to create the flame, and the torch lit by fellow wheelchair athlete Caz Walton. In October 2023, it was announced that future Paralympic torch relays would officially begin with a flame created in Stoke Mandeville, in a direct parallel to the traditional Olympic flame lighting in Olympia.
The Paralympic medals awarded to winners are another symbol associated with the Paralympic Games. The medals are made of gold-plated silver (commonly described as gold medals), silver, or bronze, and awarded to the top 3 finishers in a particular event.
For each Paralympic Games, the medals are designed differently, reflecting the host of the games.
The Paralympic Anthem, also known as the Paralympic Hymn, is played when the Paralympic Flag is raised. It is a musical piece, "Hymne de l’Avenir" (en. "Anthem of the Future") composed by Thierry Darnis. The anthem was approved by the IPC in March 1996.
Australian country singer Graeme Connors wrote the lyrics for the anthem in 2001.
The Paralympic Oath is recited at the opening ceremonies of each Paralympic Games. It is a solemn promise made by one athlete, one judge, and one coach, as representatives, respectively, of all of the participating Paralympic competitors, all officiating Paralympic referees and other officials, and all coaches and other members of the athletes entourage.
The athlete, from the team of the organizing country, holds a corner of the Paralympic Flag while reciting the oath:
Athletes' Oath
The judge, also from the host nation, holds a corner of the flag but takes a slightly different oath:
Judges' Oath (Officials' Oath)
The coach, from the host nation, holds a corner of the flag but takes a slightly different oath:
Coaches' Oath
The first Paralympic Oath was taken at the first Paralympic Games, in Rome in 1960. The Paralympic Oath is identical to the Olympic Oath, with the exception of the word 'Olympic' being substituted by 'Paralympic'. The Oath was originally written by Pierre de Coubertin. The first oath (an Athlete's Oath) was taken at the Olympic Games in Antwerp in 1920. The original text by Coubertin, has since been modified several times. The first Judge's/Official's Oath was taken at the Olympic Games in Sapporo in 1972. The first Coach's Oath was taken at the Paralympic Games in London in 2012.
Athletes and judges that have taken the Paralympic Oath are listed below.
The Paralympic Order is the highest award of the Paralympic Movement. The recipients get a medal with the IPC logo on it. The Paralympic Order is awarded to individuals for particularly distinguished contribution to the Paralympic Movement.
Starting in 2022, the International Paralympic Committee introduced post nominals, PLY, to recognize their contribution to the Paralympic movement, similar to the International Olympic Committee's OLY. It was first awarded to Ragnhild Myklebust and Kevin Coombs.
Each Paralympic Games have a mascot, usually an animal native to the area or occasionally human figures representing the cultural heritage. Nowadays, most of the merchandise aimed at young people focuses on the mascots, rather than the Paralympic flag or organization logos.