Spanish Paralympic athletes are represented by 12 federations during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It is a historical record for Spanish federations in the Paralympic Games. Among them are those that group athletes according to their type of disability: Blind (FEDC), People with Physical Disabilities (Feddf), People with Intellectual Disabilities (Feddi) and People with Cerebral Palsy and Acquired Brain Damage (Fedpc) . They are joined by the Spanish Rowing Federations (FER) and Triathlon (Fetri), and the Royal Spanish Cycling Federations (RFEC), Canoeing (RFEP), Taekwondo (RFET), Tennis (RFET), Table Tennis (Rfetm) and Archery (Rfeta).
2008 was the year in which the number of federations that supported the Paralympics increased
During the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, Paralympic athletes entered the Spanish Rowing Federation to compete. This federation was added to the Spanish Federation of Blind Athletes (FEDC), the Spanish Federation of Athletes with Cerebral Palsy (FEDPC) and the Spanish Federation of Athletes with Physical Disabilities (Feddf).
Four years later, in London 2012, the number of federations was expanded to 8: FEDC, Feddf, Feddi, Fedpc, FER, RFEC, Rfetm and RFEV. And in Rio 2016 there were athletes from 11 federations, that is, the same ones as in Tokyo 2020 with the incorporation of rowing and taekwondo, and the withdrawal of sailing, which will not be a Paralympic sport in the Japanese capital.
Paralympic athletes are the greatest example of integration for society
Paralympic sport is nourished by numerous specific federations that are made up of athletes of each disability. However, Paralympic athletes in the United Kingdom were already fighting at the end of the 80s to be integrated under the same conditions into the Olympic federations of their country. As of 2004, there are a series of sports that are unified, whether they are Olympic or Paralympic athletes who practice this discipline.
Of the 28 sports that take place at the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, the following are integrated into their respective International Olympic Federations: badminton, cycling, curling, horse riding, canoeing, rowing, taekwondo, tennis, table tennis, shooting with bow and triathlon.
These international federations organize and manage the modalities practiced by people with disabilities in their sport. Therefore, in order to compete in the international championships that they organize, athletes must have the license of the corresponding federation. These entities, in turn, have instructed their national federations to proceed to integrate these modalities in each country. If we focus on Spain, there are 11 federations that are integrated into the General Assembly of the Spanish Paralympic Committee (CPE): badminton, cycling, ice sports, horse riding, canoeing, rowing, taekwondo, tennis, table tennis, archery and triathlon.
.
