Winter Paralympics leave Scandinavia for the first time

The third Winter Paralympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria saw the Games held outside Scandinavia for the first time since their creation in Örnsköldsvik eight years before.

The 1984 Winter Olympics were held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia but the Innsbruck 1984 Winter Paralympics were hugely successful in their own right.

Three parasports were contested at the Innsbruck 1984 Games. These were: alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and ice-sledge speed racing, which had been a deomnstration sport only at the two previous Winter Paralympics.

Austria topped the medal table in front of their home supporters by taking 70 medals, 34 of which were gold. Finland finished a distant second with 34 medals and 19 gold while Norway were third with 41 medals, including 15 gold.

The Games also saw Great Britain win their first ever Winter Paralympic medals.  They claimed a total of ten medals with four silver and six bronze to finish a respectable 12th in the overall medal table.

Date Games were held: January 14-20

Number of nations represented: 21

Number of competitors: 450+

Number of medals awarded: 315