Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
made its
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...
début at the
inaugural Paralympic Games in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
in 1960 (sending just two athletes, who nonetheless won four medals), and has participated in every edition of the
Summer Paralympics
The Summer Paralympics also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, are an international multi-sport event where athletes with physical disabilities compete. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral ...
. It also took part in the
inaugural Winter Paralympics in 1976 in
Örnsköldsvik
Örnsköldsvik (, ) is a locality and the seat of Örnsköldsvik Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden, with 32,953 inhabitants in 2017.
Its natural harbour and archipelago is in the Gulf of Bothnia and the northern boundaries of the Hig ...
, and has competed in every edition of the Winter Games.
Swiss athletes have won a total of 380 Paralympic medals, of which 117 gold, 133 silver and 130 bronze, placing the country 17th on the
all-time Paralympic Games medal table. The country has won 228 medals at the Summer Games, and 152 at the Winter Games.
Switzerland's best result at the Summer Games came in 1984, when its athletes won 43 medals, of which 18 gold. Its worst result in terms of medal haul came in 1964, with just one silver medal, but it had sent a delegation of just one athlete (archer
Caroline Troxler-Kung
Caroline may refer to:
People
*Caroline (given name), a feminine given name
* J. C. Caroline (born 1933), American college and National Football League player
* Jordan Caroline (born 1996), American (men's) basketball player
Places Antarctica
*Ca ...
). Its highest ranking was 13th, in 1960; its lowest was 40th, in 2004. The country placed 2nd on the medal chart at the inaugural Winter Games in 1976, its best result, winning 10 gold medals. Swiss athletes also won 10 gold medals in 1998, but their highest medal haul over all came in 1988, when they took 37 medals (of which 5 gold). The country's poorest result was in 2006, when for the first time the Swiss failed to win a gold medal, and finished 13th on the medal chart, with one silver and a bronze.
Switzerland's most successful athlete, and one of the
most successful Paralympians of all times, is wheelchair athlete
Heinz Frei, who since his début in 1984 has won fifteen gold medals, eight silver, and twelve bronze, in
track events,
road cycling
Road cycling is the most widespread form of cycling in which cyclists ride on paved roadways. It includes Recreational cycling, recreational, Road bicycle racing, racing, Bicycle commuting, commuting, and utility cycling. As users of the road, ...
, and
cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...
. He has, in particular, won the
Paralympic marathon for his disability category on two occasions, in 1984 and in 1992. In addition, wheelchair athlete
Franz Nietlispach
Franz Nietlispach (born 2 April 1958) is a Swiss wheelchair athlete, handcyclist, and a politician.
He has competed in every Summer Paralympic Games from 1976 to 2008, winning an incredible total of fourteen gold, six silver, and two bronze m ...
, over the course of his career from 1976 to 2004, won fourteen gold medals, six silver and one bronze in track events, from sprinting to long distance running, as well as a bronze medal in road cycling. At the
1984 Games, he managed a virtually clean sweep of the six individual racing events he entered, winning gold in five, but taking "only" silver in the 100 metres, where he was beaten by D. Barret
(full name not recorded) of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. At the
1988 Games, Nietlispach won six gold medals in individual races, including the 5,000 metres (though he was again beaten in the 100 metres).
Rolf Heinzmann
Rolf Heinzmann is a Swiss para-alpine skier. He represented Switzerland at the Winter Paralympics in 1980, 1984, 1994, 1998 and 2002.
Career
Heinzmann represented Switzerland in five editions of the Winter Paralympics and, in total, he won tw ...
, for his part, won twelve gold medals and two silver in
alpine skiing
Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...
between 1980 and 2002, including a clean sweep of the downhill, slalom, giant slalom and Super-G in 1998.
Medals by Summer Games
Winter Paralympics
See also
*
Switzerland at the Olympics
Switzerland has sent athletes to compete in every Games since it first participated at the Olympic Games at the inaugural 1896 Games. Switzerland boycotted the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, but the equestrian events for those Games were he ...
References
{{Nations at the Paralympics