1980 Summer Paralympics
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| Host city | Arnhem, Netherlands | ||
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| Nations participating | 42 | ||
| Athletes participating | 1,973 | ||
| Events | 489 in 12 sports | ||
| Opening ceremony | June 21 | ||
| Closing ceremony | June 30 | ||
| Officially opened by | Princess Margriet | ||
| Main venue | National Sports Centre Papendal | ||
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The 1980 Summer Paralympics (branded as the Olympics for the Disabled) (Dutch: Paralympische Zomerspelen 1980) were the sixth Paralympic Games. They were held in Arnhem, Netherlands, from June 21 to 30, 1980.
The Soviet Union, hosts of the 1980 Summer Olympics, were invited to host these Paralympics. However, disability sport was not yet well-developed there, and they passed; notoriously, a statement was issued denying the existence of any "invalids" there. Soviet Paralympic teams were first represented in the 1988 Summer and Winter Games, the last while the Soviet Union was extant. The first Paralympics on former Soviet territory would be in 2014.
There was controversy during the preparation for these Games over the inclusion of a team from South Africa. In the Netherlands, public and official opinion was against the inclusion of the South African team and pressure came from a number of sports organisations against the Organising Committee. The Dutch Parliament was negative as well. Eventually, the parliament decided against allowing the participation of the South African team. Although "much of the publicity relating to the South African participation had been negative, it did succeed in bringing the disabled sports movement into the minds of many people who would not have otherwise considered the subject at all. Dutch organisers also increased visibility through their fundraising ... building a fund that would hold a surplus years after the games. This would naturally find its expression in the International Fund Sport Disabled, supporting the future of the paralympic movement in the 1980s."
Competitors were divided into four disability categories: amputee, cerebral palsy, visually impaired, and wheelchair. It was the first time that cerebral palsy athletes competed in the Paralympics. Volleyball was added to the program as a new sport.
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