South Africa sent a team to compete at the 1972 Summer Paralympics held in Heidelberg, West Germany, from 2 to 11 August.[1] They sent twenty five competitors, twelve male and thirteen female.[1] The team won forty-one medals—sixteen gold, twelve silver and thirteen bronze—and finished fourth in the medal table.[2]
Despite being banned from the Olympic Games, because of the policy of apartheid, since 1964 South Africa continued to participate in the Paralympics until 1976.[3]
Disability classifications
Athletes at the Paralympics in 1972 were all afflicted by spinal cord injuries and required the use of a wheelchair.[4] This is in contrast to later Paralympics that include events for participants that fit into any of five different disability categories; amputation, either congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes; visual impairment, including blindness; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism or multiple sclerosis.[5][6] Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependent upon the specific physical demands of competition. Events are given a code, made of numbers and letters, describing the type of event and classification of the athletes competing.[7]
Nineteen of the South African delegation entered athletics events, nine male and ten female.[10] They won seventeen medals, five gold, six silver, six bronze.[11]
South Africa entered nine of its thirty seven competitors, four male and five female.[8] They won eighteen medals, eight gold, three silver, seven bronze.[14]
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