Innsbruck 1988

Due to issues with the Calgary 1988 Organising Committee in Canada, it was not possible to hold the Paralympic Winter Games at the same venue as the Olympic Winter Games that year. Thus, they were held again in Innsbruck, Austria.

The Games attracted 377 Para athletes from 22 countries who competed in 97 medal events across four sports. Norway topped the medals table.

Queen Silvia of Sweden attended the Games, revealing the connection between the royal family and the Paralympic Movement that existed since King Carl Gustaf was the patron of the Ornskoldsvik 1976 Paralympic Winter Games.

COMPETING NATIONS AND ATHLETES

A total of 377 Para athletes (300 men and 77 women) from 22 countries competed at the Games.

Hosts Austria had the biggest delegation with 52 athletes, followed by USA (45) and West Germany (34).

The Soviet Union made their Paralympic Winter Games debut with eight Para athletes.

Austria (15) and USA (14) had the highest number of female athletes.

SPORTS

The Games featured 97 medal events in total and 94 events across Para alpine skiing, Para cross-country skiing and ice sledge speed skating. There were three events in Para biathlon which was included in the Paralympic Winter Games for the first time.

In Para alpine skiing 203 athletes from 21 countries contested 44 events in downhill, slalom and giant slalom.

The first Para biathlon medal events – men's 7.5km race for three classes - attracted 36 athletes from eight countries.

The 38 Para cross-country skiing medal events were contested by 164 athletes from 17 countries, while 24 Para athletes from six countries were involved in the 12 ice sledge speed skating events.

Sit skiing was introduced for the first time as an event in both Para alpine skiing and Para cross-country skiing.

©Richard Altenberger

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES

Norway's Knut Lundstroem enjoyed a record-breaking Games winning seven gold medals across Para cross-country skiing and ice sledge speed skating. No other athlete has achieved the feat of seven Paralympic titles at a single Games since.

Lundstroem's compatriot Ragnhild Myklebust won six medals – five gold and one silver – with success in ice sledge speed skating and Para cross-country skiing.

Results

Norway's dominance in Para-cross country skiing and ice sledge speed skating meant they topped the overall medals table for the second time in their history, finishing ahead of Austria and West Germany.

For the third successive Games, Norway enjoyed great success in ice sledge skating winning gold in eight of the 12 races and winning 27 out of 36 medals overall.

In Para cross-country skiing Norway won 14 gold medals, while Austria topped the Para alpine skiing medals table for the third successive Games winning 15 titles.

Finland finished atop the Para biathlon medals table.

Overall, 15 nations won medals at the Games.

Country

Gold

Silver

Bronze

NOR

AUT

FRG

FIN

SUI

Medals

The innsbruck medal featured the emblem of the Games

The Innsbruck 1988 Paralympic medal features the emblem of the Games, along with the word “Paralympics”, which was gaining recognition at the time.

The medal’s ribbon showcases red and white: the colours of the flag of the host country, Austria. The medal has the emblem of the Innsbruck 1988 Paralympic Winter Games. The other face of the medal has an engraved graphic representing the sport event the medal was awarded in.