2010 Winter Paralympics

As part of a formal agreement between the International Paralympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee first established in 2001, the winner of the bid for the 2010 Winter Olympics was also to host the 2010 Winter Paralympics. Following the second and final round of voting at the 115th IOC Session in Prague, Czech Republic, the right to host the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics were awarded to Vancouver. ==Development and preparation==

Torch relay The same torch design (silver with Paralympic logo) used for the Olympics was used for the Paralympic Games. On March 3, 2010, the torch began a 10-day journey from Ottawa to Vancouver. The relay involved approximately six hundred runners to carry the torch across ten Canadian cities in three provinces: • Ottawa – March 3 • Quebec City – March 4 • Toronto, Ontario – March 5 • Esquimalt, BC and Victoria, BC – March 6 • Squamish, BC – March 7 • Whistler, BC – March 8 • Lytton and Hope, BC – March 9 • Vancouver (Riley Park) and Maple Ridge, BC – March 10 • Vancouver (University of British Columbia), BC – March 11 • Vancouver, BC – March 12 (24-hour relay) Venues Venues for the 2010 Winter Paralympics were shared between Vancouver and Whistler, as with the 2010 Winter Olympics. ;Competition venues ;Non-competition venues Marketing When the mascot, Sumi, an animal guardian spirit with the wings of the Thunderbird and legs of a black bear, was introduced, it was the first time the Olympic and Paralympic mascots were introduced at the same time. To commemorate the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, 17 Canadian coins were issued for general circulation. Two of the circulation coins honour Paralympic sports: wheelchair curling (released on July 11, 2007) and ice sledge hockey (released on March 18, 2010). The circulation quarters omitted a traditional phrase, Dei Gratia Regina, from their obverse side, making them the first godless coins in circulation since 1911. Specifications Details ==The Games==

Ceremonies With a theme of "One Inspires Many," the opening ceremony featured over 5000 local performers and took place at BC Place. Fifteen-year-old snowboarder Zachary Beaumont, who is an amputee, was the final torchbearer and lit the Paralympic cauldron. The 2-hour live ceremony was produced by Vancouver-based Patrick Roberge Productions Inc. The closing ceremony occurred outdoors at Whistler Olympic Park and featured a 2014 Winter Paralympics handover segment, which was held in Sochi, Russia. The Paralympic flame was extinguished during the ceremony. Participating nations Forty-four National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) entered athletes at the 2010 Winter Paralympics. This was an increase of five from the 39 represented at the 2006 Winter Paralympics. The number in parentheses indicates the number of participants from each NPC. • • • • • • • • • as did Bosnia and Herzegovina. All three have previously participated in several editions of the Summer Paralympics. Serbia also made its Winter Paralympics début as a distinct NPC, following its split with Montenegro. Despite the overall increase of delegates and athletes, Latvia, which participated in Turin for the 2006 Winter Paralympics, did not send athletes to Vancouver. Sports Five sports were on the 2010 program: • • • • • Calendar In the following calendar for the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games, each blue box represents an event competition, such as a qualification round, on that day. The yellow boxes represent days during which gold medal finals for a sport are held. Medal count The top ten NPCs by number of gold medals are listed below. The host nation, Canada, is highlighted. Podium sweeps ==Broadcasters==

In Canada, the games were broadcast by Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium, a joint venture between CTVglobemedia and Rogers Media. The networks aired a greater amount of coverage than what had been shown in previous years, a total of 50 hours of coverage. Coverage included including a daily 90-minute highlight program, and live coverage of select sledge hockey matches (games involving Canada, plus the gold medal game) on CTV. The opening ceremony was broadcast live on CTV's Vancouver station CIVT-TV, followed by an encore aired nationally on CTV and Réseau Info Sports the following afternoon. ==Mascots==

The mascot of the 2010 Winter Paralympics is Sumi, who has the wings of a thunderbird and the legs of a black bear, accompanied by his marmot sidekick, Mukmuk. ==Legacy==

In the winter sports season following the games, there was a notable increase in winter disability sports participation throughout British Columbia. ==See also==