Paralympiad

Noun

Paralympiad (plural Paralympiads)

1. An occurrence of the Paralympic Games.
   • Teams from many nations as far apart as Canada, Portugal and Pakistan, were entered in the sports festival held at Stoke Mandeville, England, this summer. […] Perhaps at this time, when the bloody wars of this century are in the forefront of our minds, the most significant aspect of the Paralympiad...[1954 November 9, “Wheelchair Olympics”, in The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton, Alta.: The Southam Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 4, column 1
   • Another group of athletes, less fortunate than the Olympians, move into Tokyo next week. They are the Paralympic squads representing 23 nations who will compete in an international sports meet that was founded in 1948. Sixty-five of the athletes, whose eligibility requires they be confined to wheel...1964 October 31, Tom Hopkins, “Sportraitures: The ‘Paralympiad’”, in William H. Ewing, editor, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, volume 53, number 305, Honolulu, Hi.: Porter Dickinson, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 19...

   Synonyms:

   Paralympic Games, Paralympics

2. (rare) A period of four years between occurrences of the Paralympic Games.
   • The Games of the VI Paralympiad attracted over a million spectators.2006, Liam McCann, “The Paralympic Games: Rome 1960 – Athens 2004”, in The Olympics: Facts, Figures & Fun, London: Facts, Figures & Fun, AAPPL Artists’ and Photographers’ Press, →ISBN, page 94
   • With the Games of the Fifth Paralympiad awarded to Canada, organizers had their sights on hosting the most inclusive and largest Games ever.2007, David A. Grieg, “Splitting Hairs: The Struggle between the Canadian Federal Government and the Organizing Committee of the 1976 Torontolympiad concerning South African Participation”, in Gerald...
3. (broadly) Usually preceded by a descriptive word: a competition or series of competitions for disabled participants involving sports or other activities.
   • Affiliated programs [to the Third Paralympic Congress] also will include an International Trade and Economic Initiative for international government and business leaders; an Abilities Expo, featuring exhibits of assistive technology and services; and the Cultural Paralympiad, a celebration of the...1996 June, G. Andrew Fleming, “The Paralympian—Another Kind of Hero”, in William Peters, editor, U.S. Society & Values: Electronic Journals of the U.S. Information Agency: America’s Olympic Summer...
   • The Malaysian Paralympiad, a national multisport and multidisability sport competition, has been organized biennially in Malaysia since 1982, and has grown steadily in terms of the variety of sports and number of participants, with the aim of training coaches and developing technical skills....2012, Selina Khoo, “New Direction: Disability Sport in Malaysia”, in Jill M. Le Clair, editor, Disability in the Global Sport Arena: A Sporting Chance (Sport in the Global Society: Contemporary...