History
Wheelchair user Els-Britt Larsson was one of the pioneers of wheelchair dancing when it originated in her native Sweden in 1968 for recreational and rehabilitation purposes.
From there the sport’s popularity grew and in 1975 the first competition was organised in Vasteras, Sweden involving 30 couples.
Two years later in 1977, Sweden staged the first international competition and several regional and international competitions soon followed.
In 1984 Munich, Germany staged the first Rock’n’Roll European Championships for wheelchair dancers and the following year Netherlands hosted the first unofficial European Championships in Latin and standard.
The first World Championships took place in Japan in 1998, the same year the sport came under the governance and management of the International Paralympic Committee.
The sport remained under the International Paralympic Committee governance until December 2024. Starting from January 2024, Para dance sport is governed by the World Abilitysport.
At the 2006 World Championships in Papendal, the Netherlands, duo-dance was presented for the first time in two standard and three Latin dances.
In 2014 singles and freestyle/showdance (singles and combi) were introduced as the part of the official programme.
The sport remained under the International Paralympic Committee governance until December 2024. Starting from January 2024, Para dance sport is governed by the World Abilitysport.