In the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games several of these countries secured their first medal in Paralympic Games history. For 17 countries, these were their first Paralympics ever. China took the top spot in the final medal tally for the ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games by winning 141 medals in total, 63 of which were gold. Although the live broadcast of the Opening Ceremony coincided with the middle of the night in some parts of the world, around 10 million Chinese enjoyed the event.

At the Closing Ceremony, the new logo of the IPC was unveiled to the world as the Paralympic flag with the three "agitos" was raised in the stadium. IPC President Phil Craven handed over the Paralympic flag with the new IPC symbol to the Vice-Mayor of Beijing, Mr. Liu Jingmin.