Rhodesia at the Paralympics


Rhodesia was one of the participants at the inaugural Paralympic Games in 1960 in Rome, where one of its two representatives was Margaret Harriman, in swimming and archery. The country took part in every edition of the Summer Paralympics until 1972. Although Rhodesia was barred from all Olympics from 1968 until its disestablishment in 1979 after its 1965 Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom, it was allowed to participate in the 1968 Tel Aviv and 1972 Heidelberg games because politicians, both from Britain and the host nations of the games, were unwilling to sanction athletes with disabilities. However, the Canadian government refused to grant visas for the Rhodesian Paralympic team to attend the
1976 Toronto Paralympics.
Rhodesia ceased to exist before the 1980 Summer Paralympics, in which its successor state, Zimbabwe, competed.

List of medalists

Over their four appearances, Rhodesians won a total of 21 gold medals, 18 silver and 15 bronze.
MedalNameGamesSportEvent
Margaret Harriman1960 RomeArcheryFITA round open
Margaret Harriman1960 RomeArcheryWindsor round open
Margaret Harriman1964 TokyoArcheryAlbion round open
Margaret Harriman1964 TokyoArcheryFITA round open
Margaret Harriman
George Mann		1964 TokyoDartcheryMixed pairs open
Lynette Gilchrist1964 TokyoAthleticsClub throw B
Lynette Gilchrist1964 TokyoAthleticsJavelin throw B
Lynette Gilchrist1964 TokyoSwimming50m freestyle prone incomplete class 3
Lynette Gilchrist1964 TokyoSwimming50m freestyle supine incomplete class 3
Lynette Gilchrist1964 TokyoSwimming50m breaststroke incomplete class 3
Leslie Manson-Bishop1964 TokyoSwimming50m freestyle supine complete class 4
Leslie Manson-Bishop1964 TokyoSwimming50m breaststroke complete class 4
Jacqueline Thompson1968 Tel AvivAthleticsShot put B
Leslie Manson-Bishop1968 Tel AvivSwimming50m backstroke complete class 4
Andrew James Scott1968 Tel AvivSwimming50m breaststroke class 4 incomplete
Sandra Coppard1968 Tel AvivSwimming25m freestyle class 1 incomplete
Sandra Coppard1968 Tel AvivSwimming25m breaststroke class 1 incomplete
Andrew James Scott1972 HeidelbergSwimming75m individual medley 4
Sandra James1972 HeidelbergSwimming25m freestyle 1A
Sandra James1972 HeidelbergAthleticsJavelin throw 1A
Lynette Gilchrist1964 TokyoAthleticsDiscus throw B
Lynette Gilchrist1964 TokyoAthleticsShot put B
Leslie Manson-Bishop1964 TokyoAthleticsPentathlon 2
Leslie Manson-Bishop1964 TokyoSwimming50m freestyle prone complete class 4
Lynette Gilchrist
Leslie Manson-Bishop
Keith Pienaar		1964 TokyoSwimmingMedley relay open
Gesina Smit1968 Tel AvivAthleticsJavelin throw C
Peter Goldhawk1968 Tel AvivSwimming50m backstroke class 3 incomplete
Jacqueline Thompson1968 Tel AvivSwimming50m freestyle class 3 incomplete
Avril Davis1968 Tel AvivSwimming50m backstroke class 5
Virginia Tomlinson1968 Tel AvivSwimming25m breaststroke class 2 incomplete
Andrew James Scott1972 HeidelbergSwimming50m backstroke 1B
Eileen Robertson1972 HeidelbergSwimming25m freestyle 1B
Sandra James1972 HeidelbergSwimming25m breaststroke 1A
Eileen Robertson1972 HeidelbergSwimming25m breaststroke 1B
Sandra James1972 HeidelbergAthleticsShot put 1A
Keith Pienaar1964 TokyoAthleticsDiscus throw B
Leslie Manson-Bishop1964 TokyoAthleticsJavelin throw C
David Holland1968 Tel AvivSwimming25m freestyle class 1 incomplete
Glynn Griffiths1968 Tel AvivSwimming25m backstroke class 1 incomplete
Virginia Tomlinson1968 Tel AvivSwimming25m freestyle class 2 incomplete
Jacqueline Thompson1968 Tel AvivSwimming50m backstroke class 3 incomplete
David Holland1972 HeidelbergSwimming25m freestyle 1B
Kevin English1972 HeidelbergSwimming100m backstroke 5
Andrew James Scott1972 HeidelbergSwimming50m breaststroke 1B
Sandra James1972 HeidelbergAthleticsDiscus throw 1A

Andrew James Scott went on to compete for Zimbabwe, winning a number of silver and bronze medals in 1980.