Discover Our History

BlazeSports America is the legacy organization of the 1996 Paralympic Games held in Atlanta, Georgia. These Games, the first held on American soil, were the realization of the dreams of thousands of Americans involved in the growth and promotion of sports for persons with physical disabilities in the United States.

Committed to the development of a national program of community-based adaptive sports for children and adults with physical disabilities, the Atlanta Paralympic Organizing Committee established the United States Disabled Athletes Fund (USDAF) in 1993.

In partnership with the Georgia Recreation and Park Association and its member agencies, the USDAF rolled out a model program called BlazeSports Georgia in 1998. The program, named BlazeSports Georgia after the wildly popular Atlanta Paralympic Games' mascot Blaze, quickly evolved into a comprehensive plan providing year-round local programs delivered by the community recreation provider; state-level sport camps, clinics, junior teams and competitions delivered by BlazeSports Georgia; and state and regional competitions sponsored by USDAF and other partnering organizations.

In 2002, USDAF launched a national program, BlazeSports America, in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). Today BlazeSports America provides direct service in Georgia, nationally and internationally in developing countries. BlazeSports is also affiliated with local BlazeSports teams/programs in just over 60 communities and 29 states and the District Columbia.

In 2006, USDAF officially changed its name to BlazeSports America in recognition of the ever-increasing profile of the BlazeSports brand.

In 2007, the organization restructured to create the BlazeSports Institute for Applied Sciences – the Division of Training and Education and the Division of Policy and Global Outreach to reflect the organization’s historical role in capacity building and creating more local opportunities for disability sports in the United States and the developing world such as Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, and most recently Iran.

BlazeSports America is recognized by the United States Olympic Committee serving on its Multi-Sport Organizational Council and serves as the National Coordinating Body for competitive sports for individuals with cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and survivors of stroke. BlazeSports is also is the national member organization of the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA). CPISRA is a founding member of the International Paralympic Committee.

Learn about Blaze, our mascot.