Paralympic alpine skiing
Encyclopedia
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
for athletes with a disability. Paralympic alpine skiing is one of the sports in the Paralympic Winter Games. It is governed by the International Paralympic Committee
International Paralympic Committee
The International Paralympic Committee is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nine sports...
(IPC) under the auspices of the International Ski Federation
International Ski Federation
The International Ski Federation, known by its name in French, Fédération Internationale de Ski is the main international organisation for ski sports...
(FIS).
In addition to the Paralympic Games, elite disabled ski racing includes the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships (held every four years from 1980 to 2004 and every two years beginning in 2009) and the IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup, an annual international racing circuit. Below the World Cup level, races are held at the Continental Cup level. The Europa (or European) Cup is contested in Europe, and the Nor-Am Cup in North America; additionally, sub-World Cup-level races are also held in East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
In 1984
Disabled skiing at the 1984 Winter Olympics
Disabled skiing was an Olympic demonstration sport for the first time at the 1984 Winter Olympics. There was alpine giant slalom held for men only, with medals awarded in four different standing disability classes. As a demonstration sport, these medals did not contribute to the overall medal count...
, giant slalom races for four categories of male standing skiers were held as a demonstration sport
Demonstration sport
A demonstration sport is a sport which is played to promote itself, most commonly during the Olympic Games, but also at other sporting events.Demonstration sports were officially introduced in 1912 Summer Olympics, when Sweden decided to include glima, traditional Icelandic wrestling, in the...
at the Winter Olympics. In 1988
Disabled skiing at the 1988 Winter Olympics
Disabled skiing was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Winter Olympics. Contrary to the Paralympics, these events were demonstrations held during the Olympics.- Placement table :- Modified Giant slalom for above-the-Knee Amputees :February 21, 1988...
a disabled GS was again demonstrated, this time for men and women but limited to "three-trackers" (above-knee amputees).
Ski racers with a disability compete in three different medal categories: standing, sitting, and visually impaired. Each of these groups is divided into three to seven classes, some of which are further subdivided into two or three sub-classes. Within each of the three major categories, times are compared by means of a "factor system" that attempts to put athletes with different disabilities on a level playing field with one another by multiplying the time of each racer in a given class or sub-class by a fixed number between zero and one called a factor. The result, known as "adjusted time," is the time that commonly appears on result lists for disabled ski races.
The disability categories for both alpine and nordic
Paralympic nordic skiing
Paralympic Nordic skiing is a Winter Paralympics sport consisting of biathlon and cross-country skiing. The sport is governed by the International Paralympic Committee....
ski racing are as follows:
| Class | Description | Typical equipment |
|---|---|---|
| LW 1 | Double leg amputation Amputation Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for... above the knee, moderate to severe cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement.... , or equivalent impairment |
Two skis, two outriggers |
| LW 2 | Single leg amputation Amputation Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for... above the knee |
One ski, two outriggers |
| LW 3 | Double leg amputation Amputation Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for... below the knee, mild cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement.... , or equivalent impairment |
Two skis, two poles |
| LW 4 | Single leg amputation Amputation Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for... below the knee |
Two skis, two poles |
| LW 5/7-1 | Double arm amputation Amputation Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for... above the elbow |
Two skis, no poles |
| LW 5/7-2 | Double arm amputation Amputation Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for... , one above and one below the elbow |
Two skis, no poles |
| LW 5/7-3 | Double arm amputation Amputation Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for... below the elbow |
Two skis, no poles |
| LW 6/8-1 | Single arm amputation Amputation Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for... above the elbow |
Two skis, one pole |
| LW 6/8-2 | Single arm amputation Amputation Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for... below the elbow |
Two skis, one pole |
| LW 9-1 | Amputation Amputation Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for... or equivalent impairment of one arm and one leg above the knee |
Choice of equipment |
| LW 9-2 | Amputation Amputation Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for... or equivalent impairment of one arm and one leg below the knee |
Choice of equipment |
| Class | Description |
|---|---|
| LW 10-1 | Paraplegia Paraplegia Paraplegia is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek: παραπληγίη "half-striking". It is usually the result of spinal cord injury or a congenital condition such as spina bifida that affects the neural elements of the spinal canal... with no upper abdominal function and no functional sitting balance |
| LW 10-2 | Paraplegia Paraplegia Paraplegia is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek: παραπληγίη "half-striking". It is usually the result of spinal cord injury or a congenital condition such as spina bifida that affects the neural elements of the spinal canal... with some upper abdominal function and no functional sitting balance |
| LW 11 | Paraplegia Paraplegia Paraplegia is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek: παραπληγίη "half-striking". It is usually the result of spinal cord injury or a congenital condition such as spina bifida that affects the neural elements of the spinal canal... with fair functional sitting balance |
| LW 12-1 | Paraplegia Paraplegia Paraplegia is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek: παραπληγίη "half-striking". It is usually the result of spinal cord injury or a congenital condition such as spina bifida that affects the neural elements of the spinal canal... with some leg function and good sitting balance |
| LW 12-2 | Double leg amputation Amputation Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for... above the knees |
| Class | Description |
|---|---|
| B1 | Totally blind |
| B2 | Visual acuity Visual acuity Visual acuity is acuteness or clearness of vision, which is dependent on the sharpness of the retinal focus within the eye and the sensitivity of the interpretative faculty of the brain.... of less than 2/60 |
| B3 | Visual acuity Visual acuity Visual acuity is acuteness or clearness of vision, which is dependent on the sharpness of the retinal focus within the eye and the sensitivity of the interpretative faculty of the brain.... of 2/60 to 6/60 |
See also
- Alpine skiingAlpine skiingAlpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
- Alpine skiing at the Winter ParalympicsAlpine skiing at the Winter ParalympicsParalympic alpine skiing has been competed at the Winter Paralympic Games since they were first held in 1976. Events include men's and women's downhill, Super G, giant slalom, slalom, and combined....
- IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships
- List of Paralympic medalists in Alpine skiing
- SkiingSkiingSkiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
- U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association