The USOPC's Paralympic Educational Hub is your one-stop source for background information on the Paralympic Movement, ways to cover Para sport and debunking common myths.
Let's make the Paralympic Games impossible to miss, and together we can show the world that we are Team USA
Learn about the 27 sports that make up the Paralympic movement, each with their own eligibility requirements and sports classes.
Understand who is eligible to compete in a Paralympic sport and how eligible athletes are grouped in competition.
There are many misconceptions about the Paralympic Games. Find out the truth behind these events and the athletes.
Explore our guidelines for how media can best cover people with disabilities, especially when highlighting our Para athletes.
U.S. Paralympics, a division of the nonprofit USOPC, is dedicated to becoming the world leader in the Paralympic Movement and promoting excellence in the lives of people with disabilities, including physical disabilities and visual impairments.
Since its formation in 2001, U.S. Paralympics has been inspiring Americans to achieve their dreams. Through relationships with hundreds of organizations across the country including National Governing Bodies, High Performance Management Organizations and adaptive sports organizations, U.S. Paralympics is making a difference in the lives of thousands of people with Paralympic-eligible impairments.
The USOPC is recognized as the National Paralympic Committee in the United States, as recognized by the International Paralympic Committee, and is one of only four organizations in the world to manage both Olympic and Paralympic sport at the national level – and the first to include the distinction in its official name and marks. U.S. Paralympics is responsible for elite sports programming including sending the U.S. Paralympic Team to the summer and winter Paralympic Games.
The IPC is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. The IPC’s primary responsibilities are to support our 200 plus members develop Para sport and advocate social inclusion, ensure the successful delivery and organization of the Paralympic Games and act as the international federation for 10 Para sports. For more information on the IPC, please click here.
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee has opened requests for media accreditation to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. The application for written and photo credentials, as well as new details on the USOPC’s allocation of non-media rights-holder (ENR) credentials, for both the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 can be found here.
U.S. press organizations must apply for ENR accreditation via the application form by Nov. 1, 2024, and for written and photo accreditation by Dec. 6, 2024, to be considered for the initial allocation. You will receive a confirmation email after submitting to keep for your records, and we expect to share allocation results in early 2025. If you would like to verify that your application was received, please email Accreditation@usopc.org.
We encourage you to explore the main areas of Paralympic programs including high school, collegiate and military programming. Within each area, you will find additional resources to help guide your journey in Para sports. In addition to the key areas l...
There are 27 sports on the Paralympic program (22 summer and five winter).
