Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

made its Paralympic Games

Paralympic Games

The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...

 début at the inaugural Paralympic Games

1960 Summer Paralympics

The 1960 Summer Paralympics, originally known as the 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games, were the first international Paralympic Games, following on from the Stoke Mandeville Games of 1948 and 1952. They were organised under the aegis of the International Stoke Mandeville Games...

 in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

 in 1960 (sending just two athletes, who nonetheless won four medals), and has participated in every edition of the Summer Paralympics. It also took part in the inaugural Winter Paralympics

1976 Winter Paralympics

The 1976 Winter Paralympic Games were the first Winter Paralympics. They were held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden from 21 to 28 February 1976. The disabilities included in this paralympics were blindness and amputees. Sixteen countries took part with 198 athletes...

 in 1976 in Örnsköldsvik

Örnsköldsvik

Örnsköldsvik is a locality and the seat of Örnsköldsvik Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden with 28,617 inhabitants in 2005.Its natural harbour and archipelago is in the Gulf of Bothnia and the northern boundaries of the High Coast area. It is well known as an exporter of paper products...

, and has competed in every edition of the Winter Games.

Swiss athletes have won a total of 380 Paralympic medals, of which 117 gold, 133 silver and 130 bronze, placing the country 17th on the all-time Paralympic Games medal table

All-time Paralympic Games medal table

An all-time medal table for all Paralympic Games from 1960 to 2008 Summer Paralympic Games and 1976 to 2010 Winter Paralympic Games is tabulated below....

. The country has won 228 medals at the Summer Games, and 152 at the Winter Games.

Switzerland's best result at the Summer Games came in 1984, when its athletes won 43 medals, of which 18 gold. Its worst result in terms of medal haul came in 1964, with just one silver medal, but it had sent a delegation of just one athlete (archer Caroline Troxler-Kung). Its highest ranking was 13th, in 1960; its lowest was 40th, in 2004. The country placed 2nd on the medal chart at the inaugural Winter Games in 1976, its best result, winning 10 gold medals. Swiss athletes also won 10 gold medals in 1998, but their highest medal haul over all came in 1988, when they took 37 medals (of which 5 gold). The country's poorest result was in 2006, when for the first time the Swiss failed to win a gold medal, and finished 13th on the medal chart, with one silver and a bronze.

Switzerland's most successful athlete, and one of the most successful Paralympians of all times, is wheelchair athlete Heinz Frei

Heinz Frei

Heinz Frei is a Swiss wheelchair athlete. Frei has had a long career of racing, winning the London Marathon wheelchair race three times, and earning 5 medals at the 2003 European games at the age of 45...

, who since his début in 1984 has won fourteen gold medals, seven silver and eleven bronze, in track events

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

, road cycling

Road cycling

Road cycling is the most widespread form of cycling. It includes recreational, racing, and utility cycling. Road cyclists are generally expected to obey the same rules and laws as other vehicle drivers or riders and may also be vehicular cyclists....

 and cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...

. He has, in particular, won the Paralympic marathon

Marathon at the Paralympics

Marathon events have been held at the Summer Paralympic Games, for both men and women, since the 1984 Summer Paralympics in Stoke Mandeville and New York....

 for his disability category on two occasions, in 1984 and in 1992. In addition, wheelchair athlete Franz Nietlispach

Franz Nietlispach

Franz Nietlispach is a Swiss wheelchair athlete, handcyclist, and politician.He has competed in every Summer Paralympic Games from 1976 to 2008, winning a total of fourteen gold, six silver, and two bronze medals. All of these medals were for athletics, except for one bronze earned in handcycling...

, over the course of his career from 1976 to 2004, won fourteen gold medals, six silver and one bronze in track events, from sprinting to long distance running, as well as a bronze medal in road cycling. At the 1984 Games

1984 Summer Paralympics

The 1984 Summer Paralympics were the seventh Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in two separate locations, Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom and in the Mitchel Athletic Complex and Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, United States of America The 1984 Summer Paralympics were the...

, he managed a virtually clean sweep of the six individual racing events he entered, winning gold in five, but taking "only" silver in the 100 metres, where he was beaten by D. Barret (full name not recorded) of the United States

United States at the 1984 Summer Paralympics

The United States sent a delegation to compete at the 1984 Summer Paralympics in Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom and New York, United States of America. Its athletes finished first in the gold and overall medal count.-External links:**...

. At the 1988 Games

1988 Summer Paralympics

The 1988 Summer Paralympics were the first Paralympics in 24 years that take place in the same city as the Olympic Games. They took place in Seoul, South Korea. This was the first time the term "Paralympic" came into official use.- Sports :...

, Nietlispach won six gold medals in individual races, including the 5,000 metres (though he was again beaten in the 100 metres). Rolf Heinzmann, for his part, won twelve gold medals and two silver in alpine skiing

Alpine skiing

Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...

 between 1980 and 2002, including a clean sweep of the downhill, slalom, giant slalom and Super-G in 1998.

Summer Paralympics

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Ranking
1960 Summer Paralympics 1960 Summer Paralympics The 1960 Summer Paralympics, originally known as the 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games, were the first international Paralympic Games, following on from the Stoke Mandeville Games of 1948 and 1952. They were organised under the aegis of the International Stoke Mandeville Games...	1	3	0	4	13th
1964 Summer Paralympics 1964 Summer Paralympics The 1964 Summer Paralympics, originally known as the 13th International Stoke Mandeville Games, were the 2nd Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in Tokyo, Japan, they were the last Summer Paralympics to take place in the same city as the Summer Olympics until the 1988 Summer Paralympics...	0	1	0	1	15th
1968 Summer Paralympics 1968 Summer Paralympics The 1968 Summer Paralympics were the third Paralympic Games to be held. Organised under the guidance of the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation , they were known as the 17th International Stoke Mandeville Games at the time...	0	2	6	8	22nd
1972 Summer Paralympics 1972 Summer Paralympics The 1972 Summer Paralympics, the fourth edition of the Paralympic Games, were held in Heidelberg, West Germany, from August 2 to 11, 1972.- Sports :As with previous Paralympics, the 1972 games were intended for wheelchair athletes only...	3	2	4	9	19th
1976 Summer Paralympics 1976 Summer Paralympics The 1976 Summer Paralympics were the fifth Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in Toronto, in the province of Ontario, Canada from August 3 to 11, 1976...	10	12	10	32	14th
1980 Summer Paralympics 1980 Summer Paralympics The 1980 Summer Paralympics were the sixth Paralympic Games. They were held in Papendal, close to the host city of Arnhem, Netherlands, from June 21 to 30, 1980.- Sports :...	9	10	10	29	15th
1984 Summer Paralympics 1984 Summer Paralympics The 1984 Summer Paralympics were the seventh Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in two separate locations, Stoke Mandeville, United Kingdom and in the Mitchel Athletic Complex and Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, United States of America The 1984 Summer Paralympics were the...	18	13	12	43	16th
1988 Summer Paralympics 1988 Summer Paralympics The 1988 Summer Paralympics were the first Paralympics in 24 years that take place in the same city as the Olympic Games. They took place in Seoul, South Korea. This was the first time the term "Paralympic" came into official use.- Sports :...	12	12	11	35	21st
1992 Summer Paralympics 1992 Summer Paralympics The 1992 Summer Paralympics were the ninth Paralympic Games to be held. They were held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.- Sports :The games consisted of 487 events spread over fifteen sports. Powerlifting and weightlifting were considered to be a single sport...	6	16	13	35	20th
1996 Summer Paralympics 1996 Summer Paralympics The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, USA were held from 16 August to 25 August. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million....	9	6	6	21	18th
2000 Summer Paralympics 2000 Summer Paralympics The 2000 Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia, from 18 October to 29 October. The eleventh Summer Paralympic Games, an estimated 3800 athletes took part in the Sydney programme. They commenced with the opening ceremony on 18 October 2000...	8	4	8	20	20th
2004 Summer Paralympics 2004 Summer Paralympics The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as...	2	6	8	16	40th
2008 Summer Paralympics 2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....	3	2	6	11	34th

Winter Paralympics

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total	Ranking
1976 Winter Paralympics 1976 Winter Paralympics The 1976 Winter Paralympic Games were the first Winter Paralympics. They were held in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden from 21 to 28 February 1976. The disabilities included in this paralympics were blindness and amputees. Sixteen countries took part with 198 athletes...	10	1	1	12	2nd
1984 Winter Paralympics 1984 Winter Paralympics The 1984 Winter Paralympic Games, were the third Winter Paralympics. They were held from 14 to 20 January 1984 in Innsbruck, Austria. They were the first Winter Games organized by the International Co-ordinating Committee , which was formed on March 15, 1982 in Leysin, Switzerland. These Games were...	4	2	3	9	5th
1988 Winter Paralympics 1988 Winter Paralympics The 1988 Winter Paralympic Games, were the fourth Winter Paralympics, held again in Innsbruck, Austria. These were the last Winter Paralympics to be held in a separate location from the Winter Olympics. Beginning in 1992, the Olympics and the Paralympics were held in the same city or in an adjacent...	5	16	16	37	7th
1992 Winter Paralympics 1992 Winter Paralympics The 1992 Winter Paralympics were the fifth Winter Paralympics. They were the first winter Paralympics to be celebrated concurrently with the Olympic Games. They were held in Tignes and Albertville, France, from March 25 to April 1, 1992...	3	8	4	15	8th
1994 Winter Paralympics 1994 Winter Paralympics The 1994 Winter Paralympics, the sixth Winter Paralympics, were held in Lillehammer, Norway, from 10–19 March 1994. These Games marked the first time the Paralympic Winter Games were held in the same location as the Winter Olympics, a tradition that has continued through an agreement of cooperation...	2	9	5	16	11th
1998 Winter Paralympics 1998 Winter Paralympics The 1998 Winter Paralympics, the seventh Winter Paralympics, were held alongside the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan from March 5 to March 14, 1998. They were the first Paralympic Winter Games to be held outside Europe.- Sports :...	10	5	8	23	6th
2002 Winter Paralympics 2002 Winter Paralympics The 2002 Winter Paralympics, the eighth Winter Paralympics, were held in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, from March 7 to March 16, 2002. A total of 416 athletes from 36 nations participated....	6	4	2	12	7th
2006 Winter Paralympics 2006 Winter Paralympics The 2006 Winter Paralympic Games, the ninth Winter Paralympics, took place in Turin, Italy from 10 to 19 March 2006. These were the first Winter Paralympic Games to be held in Italy. They were also the first Paralympics to use the new paralympics logo....	0	1	1	2	13th
2010 Winter Paralympics 2010 Winter Paralympics The 2010 Winter Paralympics, officially the X Paralympic Winter Games, or the 10th Winter Paralympics, were held in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada from March 12 to 21, 2010. The Opening Ceremony took place in BC Place Stadium in Vancouver and the Closing Ceremony in Whistler...	1	2	0	3	13th