The London Paralympics Draw Record Crowds

In August 2012, London welcomed thousands of competitors for the fourteenth Summer Paralympic Games, marking the first time Great Britain hosted the event on its own. The country possessed a long connection to parasports, having held the Stoke Mandeville Games for British Second World War veterans in 1948 to coincide with London's Summer Olympics. Later, in 1984, Stoke Mandeville staged the wheelchair events of that year's Paralympic Games, while other events were held in New York. Following a 2001 agreement between the International Paralympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee, any city awarded the Olympics also secured the Paralympics, so London's successful Olympic bid also brought it the 2012 Paralympics.

Preparations for the London Games emphasized broad accessibility across both venues and transit. Purpose-built Olympic sites, including the Olympic Village, were designed to accommodate parasport competitors, while existing locations received retrofitted accessible seating. Road lanes covering 8.7 miles were designated specifically for athletes and officials as part of the Paralympic Route Network. Ahead of the opening, Transport for London officials worried that commuter habits and the end of school holidays might strain the capital's transport infrastructure. Network Rail also installed new lifts at Swanley station in Kent in time for the Games, after nearby Brands Hatch was chosen as the road cycling venue.