1972 Summer Paralympics

As with previous Paralympics, the 1972 games were intended for wheelchair athletes only. However, demonstration events such as goalball and a 100 m sprint for the visually impaired allowed visually impaired competitors to participate for the first time.[1]

• Archery
• Athletics
• Dartchery
• Goalball (demonstration sport)
• Lawn bowls
• Snooker
• Swimming
• Table tennis
• Weightlifting
• Wheelchair basketball
• Wheelchair fencing

The top ten listed NOCs by number of gold medals are listed below. The host nation, West Germany, is highlighted.

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	West Germany*	28	17	22	67
2	United States	17	27	30	74
3	Great Britain	16	15	21	52
4	South Africa	16	12	13	41
5	Netherlands	14	13	11	38
6	Poland	14	12	7	33
7	France	10	8	15	33
8	Israel	9	10	9	28
9	Italy	8	4	5	17
10	Jamaica	8	3	4	15
Totals (10 nations)		140	121	137	398

Forty-one delegations took part in the Heidelberg Paralympics. Bahamas, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, Hungary, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Romania, Uganda and Yugoslavia competed for the first time.[2]

South Africa was competing at the Paralympics for the third time. Although banned from the Olympic Games due to its policy of apartheid, it was not banned from the Paralympics until 1980, and West Germany, as host country, did not object to its participation.[3][4]

Rhodesia competed for the last time. Its invitation to take part in the 1972 Summer Olympics was withdrawn by the International Olympic Committee four days before the opening ceremony, in response to African countries' protests against the Rhodesian government. But as the Paralympics that year were held before the Olympics (and independently from them), Rhodesia was able to take part in the 1972 Paralympic Games.[5][6]