WHAT ARE THE PARALYMPIC GAMES? The Paralympic Games are Olympic-equivalent competitions for elite athletes with physical disabilities. An integral part of Olympic competition, the Paralymics are held two weeks after the Olympics at the same Olympic venues. With over 4,000 athletes, the Paralympic Games are the 2nd largest sporting event in the world, surpassed only by their Olympic counterpart. With the recent merger of the U.S. Paralympic and Olympic organizations, there is a growing effort to bring the U.S. to the forefront of the worldwide disability sports movement. For more information, go to US Paralympics