Paralympic symbols The Paralympic flag has a white background, with the Paralympic symbol in the centre. The current Paralympic flag was first flown during the Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver Paralympic Games in 2010. Until the 2010 Winter Paralympics, the host country chose the site and the method through which the Paralympic Torch was lit. Since the 2012 Summer Paralympics, the concept of the Paralympic Torch Relay has changed and the Official Paralympic Flame is always created in the Games host city by uniting different regional flames. For London 2012 four regional flames from the national capitals of London, Belfast, Edinburgh and
Paralympic Games making it the first international competition of its own kind. These early competitions, also known as the Stoke Mandeville Games, have been described as the precursors of the Paralympic Games. There have been several milestones in the Paralympic movement. The first official Paralympic Games, no longer open solely to war veterans, was held in Rome in 1960. 400 athletes from 23 countries competed at the 1960 Games. Since 1960, the Paralympic Games have taken place in the same year as the Olympic Games. The Games were initially open only to athletes in wheelchairs; at the 1976 Summer Games, athletes with