SPORTS

Sixteen different sports were featured in Barcelona, with Athletics having the largest number of entries. The most popular sport with spectators was Indoor Soccer, while Table Tennis garnered some attention of its own as well.

Archery IPC Athletics Boccia Cycling Football 7-a-side Judo Goalball IPC Powerlifting IPC Shooting IPC Swimming Table tennis Sitting volleyball Weightlifting Wheelchair basketball Wheelchair fencing Wheelchair tennis

OPENING CEREMONY

The Opening Ceremony on 3 September in the Montjuic Olympic Stadium was attended by 65,000 spectators and watched by millions of viewers on television. Nearly 90 delegations took part in the parade, and support was reinforced by the presence of Juan Antonio Samaranch (President of the IOC), King Juan Carols and Queen Sofia of Spain, and Mayor Pasqual Maragall, who was highly supportive of the Games.

MEDALS

The USA finished atop the medal standings, with Germany a close second just four less overall medals. Great Britain, France and Spain made up the top five.

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES

USA's visually impaired swimmer Trischa Zorn won 10 gold and two silver medals, while John Morgan and Bart Dodson of the USA won all eight medals in their Swimming and Athletics events, respectively. Teammate Elizabeth Scott took home seven golds in the pool.

In Wheelchair Basketball, the Canadian women’s team won gold, beating the USA, 35-26, in the final.

The men’s wheelchair Marathon provided a thrilling finish for the 65,000 spectators in the Olympic Stadium when Switzerland’s Heinz Frei beat a field of 196 competitors to cross the finish in a time of 1:30 hours.

Ajibola Adeoye, a single-arm amputee from Nigeria, finished the 100m dash in 10.72 seconds.

ATTENDANCE AND COVERAGE

In addition to the large crowd at the Opening Ceremony, millions also watched on television. Over 12 days of competition, more than 1.5 million spectators attended sporting events and millions more watched the competitions on a daily basis on television.

CLOSING CEREMONY

The Closing Ceremony took place on 22 September in the Palacio de Deportes following the Men’s Basketball Final. More than 15,000 spectators attended.