Paralympic symbols
The Paralympic symbols are the icons, flags, and symbols used by the International Paralympic Committee to promote the Paralympic Games.
Motto
The current Paralympic motto is "Spirit in Motion". It was introduced at the 2004 Summer Paralympics.Symbol
Current
The symbol of the Paralympic Games consists of three red, blue, and green crescents encircling a single point on a white field. It was modernized from the 1992 emblem by advertising agency Scholz & Friends and was formally used for the first time during the closing ceremony of the 2004 Summer Paralympics.In October 2019, the IPC unveiled a new version of the emblem with a "stricter" geometry and brightened colours to match those used in the Olympic rings.
Previous
The first Paralympic logo was created for the 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul and based on a traditional Korean decorative component called a pa, two of which make up the taegeuk symbol used in the flag of South Korea. The first Paralympic flag used five identically colored pas arranged similarly to the Olympic rings.In 1991, the International Olympic Committee requested that the IPC modify its logo due to its similarity to the Olympic emblem. As a result, a new Paralympic symbol utilizing only three pas was revealed at the 1992 Winter Paralympics. It took effect after the 1994 Winter Paralympics and officially remained through the 2004 Summer Paralympics.
Paralympic emblems
Like the Olympics, each Paralympic Games has a unique emblem incorporating a version of the Paralympic symbol, the name and year of the event, and distinctive and cultural elements of the host nation. The emblems, once approved by the IPC, are used in promotional materials, by sponsors, and on Paralympic uniforms.Flag
The Paralympic flag consists of the Paralympic symbol on a white background. The current version of the flag was first flown in 2019.Flame and torch relay
Since the 1988 Summer Paralympics, the Paralympic torch was used to maintain energy and keep energy dissipated before the Paralympic games.Until the 2010 Winter Paralympics, each Organizing Committee was free to choose which method and how the Paralympic torch would be lit. Following the Games, calls emerged for a "heritage flame" to become a permanent tradition of the Paralympics. In August 2013, a ceremonial heritage flame was lit during a ceremony at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, and on October 2023, it was announced that future Paralympic torch relays would officially in begin Stoke Mandeville, in a direct parallel to the traditional Olympic flame lighting in Olympia.