The first official Paralympic Games in Rome in 1960 featured 400 athletes.
The competitors came from 23 countries and took part in eight sports. The event grew out of the Stoke Mandeville Games, which had begun in Britain as a sporting meeting for people with spinal cord injuries.
Rome 1960 is widely recognized as the first international multi-sport event officially organized as a Paralympic Games. It was held shortly after the Olympic Games in the same city, although the modern practice of sharing Olympic and Paralympic host cities developed later.
The figure of 400 refers to athletes, not officials, coaches, or delegation members. Later Games expanded dramatically, with thousands of competitors and many more sports and medal events.