London 2012 

Key facts

Venues: Olympic Stadium (track and field events); The Mall (road events)
Dates: Friday 31 August – Sunday 9 September 2012
Medal events: 166
Athletes: 1,100 (740 men, 360 women)

With 1,100 athletes competing for 166 gold medals, Athletics is the largest sport on the Paralympic programme. There are various different strands to the competition: track events, in distances from 100m to 10,000m; field events, which include the High Jump and Shot Put; and the Marathon, which is held on the roads. Some athletes compete in wheelchairs or throwing frames, others with prostheses, and others with the guidance of a sighted companion.

Staged in the brand new Olympic Stadium, the track events will be held over distances ranging from 100m to 10,000m. Track events may begin with heats, with the best athletes eventually qualifying for the finals.

 The field events broadly fall into two categories. The list of throwing events includes Discus, Javelin, Shot Put and Club Throw, while the programme of jumping events includes High Jump, Long Jump and Triple Jump.

The Pentathlon includes both track and field disciplines, from the 100m to the Discus. Athletes are given a score for their performance in each discipline, with their total scores determining the rankings at the end of the competition.

The men’s and women’s Marathons will be held on the streets of central London and will be straight finals. 

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