The Paralympic Games usually take place the month following the Olympic Games. The city hosting the Olympic Games also puts on the Paralympic Games. Vancouver will host the Paralympic Games in 2010 beginning March 12.
Five winter sports categories with numerous classifications of athletes make up the schedule for the Paralympic Winter Games. These are:
- Alpine Skiing
- Cross-Country Skiing
- Biathlon
- Ice Sledge Hockey
- Wheelchair Curling.
One of the most enjoyable and exciting sports to watch is Ice Sledge Hockey, which mirrors ice hockey for the fast-paced, hard hitting action.
Eligibility for Ice Sledge Hockey
According to the International Paralympic Committee Ice Sledge Hockey (IPC) Regulations: "The athlete must have an impairment of a permanent nature in the lower part of teh body of such a degree that it is obvious and easily recognizable, and makes ordinary skating - and consequently able-bodied standing ice hockey playing impossible."
There are minimum requirements to meet the specifications such as degree of spasticity, disparity in leg length or amputation at the ankle.
For the first time since the sport was introduced as a demonstration sport in 1994, countries will be permitted to have female players on their teams. Currently no females are participating, not surprising as overall a very small percentage of Paralympians are women.
How Ice Sledge Hockey is Played
Players sit on a sledge which in effect is their skates. The two-blade sledges allow for the puck to move easily beneath the sledge. Players use two sticks, one with a point to push the puck and one with a blade for shooting; the sticks have picks on one end which players use to propel themselves quickly around the ice.
As in standard ice hockey, hitting is a part of the game so the players wear appropriate padding and helmets. The players are braced on to the sled to prevent slipping and sliding around. The goaltender also wears protective padding, necessary to save pucks that reach speeds of 80-90 km/h.
Countries in the Paralympic Tournament
Canada are the defending Paralympic Ice Sledge Hockey gold medallists from 2006 Turin. They will defend their gold on home ice in Vancouver, one of eight teams in the tournament along with the Czech Republic, Japan, Korea, USA, Italy, Sweden and Norway.
Though only eight countries are represented at the Games, the sport is played in over 15 countries around the world and continues to grow in popularity.
There may be a new dimension to the hockey tournament at the 2014 Sochi Games in Russia as the International Standing Ice Hockey Federation has applied to be part of the program. This sport differs from sledge hockey as players skate in the upright position, using prostheses and standard ice hockey equipment.
Schedule for 2010 Vancouver Paralympic Ice Sledge Hockey
The tournament begins on March 13, 2010 with a game between Canada and Italy . The final takes place at Noon on March 20, 2010. The UBC Thunderbird Arena will host the event; the arena has seating for 6,800 spectators. There are eight countries participating in the 2010 Sledge Hockey tournament: Canada, Italy, Norway, Sweden, United States, Korea, Japan and the Czech Republic.
Two of the three rinks at the Thunderbird Arena are specially fitted for Ice Sledge Hockey. The team bench areas are fitted with plexiglass which enable the players not on the ice to see the action.
Lorah Delaney - Lorah is a native of Vancouver, British Columbia. She has a degree in Physical Education from the University of British Columbia and a ...
