1972 Summer Paralympics

The 1972 Summer Paralympics (German: Paralympische Sommerspiele 1972), the fourth edition of the Paralympic Games, were held in Heidelberg, West Germany, from 2 to 11 August 1972. The games ended 15 days before the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich, also in West Germany.

IV Paralympic Games

Shot putter in 1972 Summer Paralympics
Location	Heidelberg, West Germany
Nations	41
Athletes	1,004
Events	187 in 10 sports
Opening	2 August
Closing	11 August
Opened by	President Gustav Heinemann
Stadium	Heidelberg Thingstätte
Summer ← Tel Aviv 1968 Toronto 1976 → Winter Örnsköldsvik 1976 → 1972 Summer Olympics

As with previous Paralympics, the 1972 games were intended for wheelchair athletes only. However, demonstration events such as goalball and a 100 m sprint for the visually impaired allowed visually impaired competitors to participate for the first time.^[1]

• Archery
• Athletics
• Dartchery
• Goalball (demonstration sport)
• Lawn bowls
• Snooker
• Swimming
• Table tennis
• Weightlifting
• Wheelchair basketball
• Wheelchair fencing

The top ten listed NOCs by number of gold medals are listed below. The host nation, West Germany, is highlighted.

Forty-two delegations took part in the Heidelberg Paralympics. Bahamas, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, Hong Kong, Hungary, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Romania, Uganda and Yugoslavia competed for the first time.^[2][3][4] Between 1964 and 1976, South Africa was competing at the Paralympics for the third time. Although banned from the Olympic Games due to its policy of apartheid, it was not banned from the Paralympics until 1980, and West Germany, as host country, did not object to its participation.^[5][6]

Rhodesia competed for the last time. Its invitation to take part in the 1972 Summer Olympics was withdrawn by the International Olympic Committee four days before the opening ceremony, in response to African countries' protests against the Rhodesian government. But as the Paralympics that year were held before the Olympics (and between 1968 and 1984 in an independently from^{[clarification needed]}), Rhodesia was able to take part in the 1972 Paralympic Games.^[7][8]