1988 Summer Paralympics

During the fourth meeting of the International Paralympic Committee held at the Aylesbury Civic Center in England (28 July 1983), two candidate cities made themselves known;

• Seoul, South Korea, under the initiative of Dr. Whang Youn Dai
• Melbourne, Australia, under the initiative of Dr. John Grant

The ICC sent a questionnaire to gauge the cities' interest and preparedness for hosting such an event. Both candidates were given one year to respond. In the end, only Seoul returned with a completed document; Melbourne did not respond to the ICC.

At the same time, a political movement in Australia to have Brisbane host the 1992 Summer Olympics and Paralympic events weakened the case for Melbourne to be a host city in 1988.

A final choice would have to be made during the sixth meeting of ICC, scheduled for 14 June 1984 in New York City, and Seoul was selected to host the 1988 events.

As the 1988 Olympic and Paralympic games were the first to be hosted in the same city, the Games in Seoul allowed a new generation of Paralympic athletes to compete in many of the well-designed and well-constructed facilities previously only used for the Olympic Games. The medal results have shown the importance of assistance from host countries.[1]

The Seoul Paralympic Organizing Committee (SEPOC) had only a tangential relationship with the Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee (SLOOC). But this relationship was substantial enough to recruit and train many athletes, technical officials and other common areas for the Paralympic Games.

For the first time in history since Tokyo 1964, the same city held the Olympics and Paralympics. This tradition was revived in Seoul and has been kept ever since. This was also the first Summer Paralympics in history under the aegis of the International Co-ordinating Committee (ICC).[2] In 1982, the Olympic Family accepted the ICC, which allowed greater cooperation by National Olympic Committees regarding the organization of the Paralympic Games.[2] The Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee (SLOOC) regarded the Paralympic Games as an extension of the Olympic Games and formulated a support plan which allowed the sharing of the Seoul Olympic workforce, facilities, equipment, and key personnel.[2] The SLOOC gave a subsidy of US$12,857,143.[2]

When the games ended, the logo used by the Seoul Paralympic Organizing Committee (SEPOC) turned into the first Paralympic symbol. This symbol was used from 1989 to 1994. The Five 'teardrops' (resembling the halves of the taeguk pattern, also found in the South Korean flag) in the 'W' configuration and colors of the Olympic rings represented the five oceans and the five continents.[2] Due to many controversies starting in 1989, this symbol was eventually changed after the 1994 Winter Paralympics, as it was considered too close to the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) 5-ring emblem.[7] Due to these actions, the 1988 Seoul Summer Paralympic Games is considered the start of the Modern Paralympic Games.[6]

Mascots

Gomdoori
Mascots of the 1988 Summer Paralympics (Seoul)

According to Korean ancestral culture, bears are known for their courage and wisdom, which is reflected by the existence of two sister constellations: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. The two bears chosen as mascots are of a species known as the Asian black bear. This practice was common on the Korean peninsula and was marked by the white V-shaped chest mark. The two chosen mascots are brothers tied by a rope to the leg; this demonstrates the brotherhood, guidance, coherent and coexistent cooperation and relationship that the Olympic and Paralympic Games would have now: dreamt of by the Organizing Committee of this edition of the Paralympics. They also represented achievements and camaraderie recorded during the event. The name chosen for the mascots was Gomdoori.[8][9]

Australian flag bearer Paul Croft at the Opening Ceremony.

During the Opening Ceremony, over 75,000 people in the Olympic Stadium were watching a then-record of 3,057 competitors from 61 nations.[10] The President of South Korea, Roh Tae-Woo, presented the new Paralympic flag to the President of the ICC, Jens Bromann.[5] Paul Croft, competing in his second Paralympic Games, was the flag bearer for Australia.[11]

Several elements used in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games were recycled or made on a smaller scale. The first entry was made by parachutists in the Paralympic colors of blue, black, red, yellow, and green. They swept into the Olympic Stadium following a procession of children in wheelchairs.[12] The Olympic Torch was carried in by a one-legged South Korean Paralympic volleyball player and handed to a 19-year-old athlete with cerebral palsy, who in turn passed it to Cho Hyun-hui, a wheelchair athlete. He was wheeled around the stadium by her 7-year-old daughter before handing the Torch to blind runner Lee Jae-oon, who linked hands with women's handball Olympic gold medalist Kiifi Hyun-mi. They were both carried up by an elevator platform to light the Olympic Cauldron. The 2018 Winter Paralympics opening ceremony (also held in South Korea) recreated this scene.[12]

Chief Paralympic Organiser Koh Kwi-nam addressed the athletes. He said that "The goal you as athletes should try to reach for in the Games is not to accomplish the Olympic slogan of 'faster, higher and farther' but to show the world your real selves as courageous challengers, glorious conquerors and impartial participants."[12]

There were concerns that the number of medals awarded on the final day of competition would mean that competitors would not be able to attend the 1988 Games closing ceremonies where the flag of Spain was raised as the host of the next Games.[13]

Despite the advances, the Seoul Paralympic Games also took place with several controversies, embarrassments and polemics. On the first day, the Iranian goalball team was disqualified for refusing to play against the Israeli team; the Iranian team had misused the sporting platform for political aims. After the draw, the ICC sent the team home immediately.[5] Asghar Dadkhan, the Iranian team manager, made a formal apology pledging that all other Iranian athletes would compete with full regard to the regulations and would compete against Israel and any other nation.[5]

Due to logistic problems, the Libyan delegation arrived in Seoul some days after the opening ceremony; the ICC rules did not allow this situation. Their athletes could not register for the events or stay in the Paralympic Village. They had entered South Korea without having gone through the usual entry procedures.[5] The SEPOC urged the ICC to accept the Libyan team; soon after, they reached a compromise, permitting the athletes and delegates to participate as observers and compete in the marathon events. However, they would not have any medal entitlement nor be officially recognized at the Closing Ceremony.[5]

Another embarrassing moment happened at the athletics slalom event: some athletes were given medals at the end of the first round. Later, officials realized that the medals should not have been awarded until after the second round of competition.[14]

The games consisted of events in seventeen sports, including one demonstration sport, but the medals count for the official medal list. Powerlifting and weightlifting were considered to be a single sport.[15]

• Archery (9)
• Athletics(337)
• Boccia(3)
• Cycling(7)
• Football 7-a-side (1)
• Goalball (2)
• Judo(6)
• Lawn bowls(6)
• Lifting
  • Powerlifting (9)
  • Weightlifting (7)
• Shooting (23)
• Snooker (1)
• Swimming (252)
• Table tennis (37)
• Volleyball (2)
• Wheelchair basketball (2)
• Wheelchair fencing

(14)

• Wheelchair tennis (demonstration sport)

The top ten listed NOCs by the number of gold medals are listed below. The host nation, South Korea, is highlighted.

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	United States	91	90	88	269
2	West Germany	76	65	52	193
3	Great Britain	65	65	54	184
4	Canada	55	42	55	152
5	France	46	44	50	140
6	Sweden	42	38	23	103
7	South Korea*	40	35	19	94
8	Netherlands	30	24	29	83
9	Australia	23	34	38	95
10	Poland	23	25	33	81
Totals (10 entries)		491	462	441	1394

Sixty delegations took part in the Seoul Paralympics.[16] Burma, which had taken part in the previous Games, was absent. The Seoul Paralympics occurred weeks after the 8888 Uprising and the military coup which brought the State Peace and Development Council to power. Burma would return as Myanmar in 1992.[17]

The Soviet Union made its Summer Paralympic debut, previously participating in the 1988 Winter Paralympics. It was not only the USSR's first participation in the Summer Games but was also to be its last, as the Union was dissolved before the 1992 Summer Paralympics. It won a total of 56 medals, of which 21 were gold. Other countries who made first appearances were Bulgaria, Cyprus, Iran, Macau, Morocco, Oman, Philippines, Singapore and Tunisia.[18]

• 1988 Summer Olympics
• 1988 Winter Paralympics

• International Paralympic Committee