Winter Paralympics was the heart and soul of 2022! It added glam to the year. Still, a lot of people are unaware of its significance. So, let’s enlighten you a little. If you want to know all the exciting details about what Winter Paralympics is, how and when it took take place, its importance, etc., you’ve come to the absolute right place. Here, we’re going to share with you everything that you must know about the grand Winter Paralympics.
As many injured troops and citizens attempted to resume their skiing activities following World War II, winter sports for athletes with physical handicap eventually arose. Early innovators tried skiing with prosthetics, including Austrian double-leg amputee Sepp Zwicknagl. Other advancements in ski equipment design have included three-track skiing while using crutches. This resulted in the first three-track skiing course, which had 17 participants from all over Austria, being held in February 1948. Cross-country skiing competitions started in the 1970s, and the inaugural world championships were held in Grand Bornand, France, in 1974. Athletes with amputations and visual impairments could compete in Alpine and Nordic events.
This eventually led to the inaugural Paralympic Winter Games, which were hosted in Sweden in 1976 and featured alpine and cross-country skiing disciplines for athletes with amputees and vision impairments. There was an ice sledge racing demonstration. Every four years, the Winter Paralympics are held, and they feature an Opening Ceremony and a Closing Ceremony.
7 Star Games of Winter Paralympics
There are numerous games that are included in the Winter Paralympics. Mentioned below are the top 7 stars (star games) of Winter Paralympics:
Alpine Skiing in Winter Paralympics
The six disciplines of Paralympic Alpine Skiing are downhill, slalom, giant slalom, super-g, super combined, and team events. Athletes race down slopes at speeds of about 100 km/h while combining speed and agility. Athletes with physical impairments such spinal damage, cerebral palsy, amputation, les autres ailments, and blindness/visual impairment can compete, both as male and female athletes. According to their functional ability, athletes participate in three categories, and thanks to a system for calculating results, athletes with various disabilities can compete against one another. Skiers who are blind or have other visual impairments are led through the course by sighted guides who use signals to show them which way to go. Some athletes employ specialised gear, such as sit-skis, single skis, or orthopaedic aids, depending on their demands. Skiers who are blind or have other visual impairments are led through the course by sighted guides who use signals to show them which way to go. Some athletes employ specialised gear, such as sit-skis, single skis, or orthopaedic aids, depending on their demands.
Nordic Skiing
At the first Paralympic Winter Games in rnsköldsvik, Sweden, in 1976, cross-country skiing made its debut. Up until the 1984 Paralympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria, athletes competed in all cross-country distances using the traditional approach for both men and women. Classical and free technique races have since been separated into different competitions. For athletes with physical disabilities, biathlon was introduced in Innsbruck in 1988. In 1992, athletes with visual impairments also became eligible to compete.
Curling
Wheelchair curling made its Paralympic debut in Torino in 2006. The sport is open to male and female athletes who have a physical impairment in the lower half of their body, including spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and double-leg amputation. Teams are comprised of both men and women, and the sport is now practiced in 24 different countries.
Banked Slalom
Each participant completes three runs down the course; the best run, based on ascending time, determines the final placement. At any given time, only one rider is on the track. The slope of the course could be medium-pitch. It may be a U-shape or naturally occurring valley, and is preferable naturally varied terrain with lots of bumps and dips.
Snowboard-Cross (Time-Trial)
Each participant completes three runs down the course; the best run, based on ascending time, determines the final placement. At any given time, only one rider is on the track. The competition is held on a man-made course that incorporates several types of topographical elements, like bank turns, just like head-to-head matches. The course layout is identical to head-to-head.
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Giant Slalom
Two runs down the course are completed by each competitor, and the final standings are determined by the total time. At any given time, only one rider is on the track. A medium pitched slope, preferably with different grades, is among the course’s general features. The snow surface may be compacted and the course may be flawlessly manicured.
Ice Hockey
The Paralympic version of ice hockey made its debut at the Lillehammer 1994 Winter Games and has since grown to be one of the main draws for spectators. Male and female competitors with physical impairments in the lower body play this fast-paced, intensely physical sport. The IPC oversees the sport, and the World Para Ice Hockey Technical Committee coordinates it. With few revisions, it adheres to the regulations of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
Players utilise double-blade sledges, which the puck can travel beneath, in place of skates. Players utilise two sticks, each of which has a pushing spike and a firing blade. Similar to ice hockey, each side tries to outscore the other by attempting to keep the other team from scoring while firing the puck across the ice and into their goal. There are six players on the rink at once for each team, including the goalie. Players utilise sticks with a spike end and a blade end in place of skates, and double-blade sledges that enable the puck to pass underneath are used instead of skates. The players can thus push themselves using the spikes and play the puck utilising the blade end of the sticks with a rapid flick of the wrist. In order to facilitate stick handling and ambidextrous shooting, a player may use two bladed sticks. Games in ice sledge hockey last three 15-minute periods each.
The 2022 Winter Paralympics (Chinese: 2022年冬季残疾人奥林匹克运动会; pinyin: 2022 Nián Dōngjì Cánjí Rén Àolínpǐkè Yùndònghuì), commonly known as Beijing 2022 (Chinese: 北京2022), was an international winter multi-sport parasports event held in Beijing, China from 4 to 13 March 2022.
The impairments included:
Spinal Injury, Amputee, Visual Impairment, Cerebral Palsy, Other Similar Impairments.
This is all you need to know about the Winter Paralympics. Get ready for the excitement and set free some time of your schedule to enjoy this year’s Winter Paralympics.