Winter Paralympics are held in a separate year to Summer Paralympics for first time

In 1994, the Winter Paralympics were staged in Lillehammer, Norway only two years after the Tignes-Albertville 1992 Winter Paralympics.  In breaking from the usual four-year cycle the Winter Paralympics and Winter Olympics were held in a different year from their summer counterparts for the first time ever.  After these Games, the Winter Paralympics and Olympics returned to their usual four-year cycle so they have never been staged in the same year as the Summer Paralympics or Olympics since.

The decision to move the date of the Games was due to an agreement of cooperation between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).  In fact, the Lillehammer 1994 Paralympics were actually the first Paralympic Games (Winter or Summer) to be organised by the IPC who had been formed in 1989.  Every previous Olympic and Paralympic Games had been organised by the IOC.

The Lillehammer 1994 Paralympic Winter Games saw the first inclusion of ice-sledge hockey which became an immediate crowd favorite.

The Games were represented by an emblem depicting the sun people. This image portrayed power, vitality, strength and energy, all of which are characteristics of the athletes who took part.

Norway claimed top spot on the medals table with 64 medals, 29 of which were gold. Germany finished the Games in second place while the USA took the third spot.

Date Games were held: March 10 - 19

Number of nations represented: 31

Number of competitors: 512

Number of medals awarded: 399