The Paralympics are back in Tokyo after being postponed last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Twelve days of sport lie ahead, as athletes play to win some of the most prestigious metal ware in the world.

While the modern Olympics was launched back in 1896, the Paralympics was only established in the latter half of the 20th century. 

Here's everything you need to know about when the games started and where the first Paralympics was hosted...

When did the first Paralympic games take place?

The first Paralympic games took place in Rome in 1960, just six days after the culmination of that year's Olympic games.

400 athletes from 23 countries took part in the first Paralympic games, all of whom competed in wheelchairs across eight sports: athletics, wheelchair basketball, swimming, table tennis, archery, snooker, dartchery (a combination of darts and archery) and wheelchair fencing. 

Sport wheelchairs did not exits, meaning athketes competed in their everyday - and very heavy - chairs. 

The second Paralympic games took place in Tokyo in 1964, where it returns this year for the sixteenth edition. 

Since that first games 61-years ago, the games has developed and expanded, with 4,350 athletes competing in 537 events across 22 sports.

How has coverage of the Paralympic games changed?

London 2012 was a gamechanger in terms of transforming Paralympic visibility. 

Prior to the 2012 games, coverage of the Paralympics in the UK was limited, especially compared to the Olympic games. 

Channel 4's bid for the rights changed this, bringing extensive footage of the Paralympics to a nationwide audience. 

Since 2012, the channel has maintained the rights and hasn't looked back, with each year proving bigger and better. 

This year, it will broadcast over 300 hours of sport on its mains channels, while a dedicated livestream will provide an additional 1,000 hours of footage.