Alpine Skiing
Athletes in Alpine Skiing events must combine speed and agility while racing down slopes at speeds of around 100km/h. There are five events on the Paralympic Programme: Downhill, Super-G, Super Combined, Giant Slalom and Slalom. Paralympic competition accommodates male and female athletes with a physical disability such as spinal injury, cerebral palsy, amputation, les autres conditions and blindness/visual impairment. Athletes compete in three categories based on their functional ability, and a results calculation system allows athletes with different impairments to compete against each other.
Alpine Skiing is governed by the IPC with co-ordination by the IPC Alpine Skiing Technical Committee using the IPCAS Rules and Regulations. Skiers with blindness/visual impairment are guided through the course by sighted guides using voice signals to indicate the course to follow. Athletes with physical disabilities use equipment that is adapted to their needs including single ski, sit-ski or orthopaedic aids.
Alpine Skiing is currently practiced by athletes in nearly 40 countries and is steadily growing. Two Alpine Skiing events (Slalom and Giant Slalom) were already introduced at the first Paralympic Winter Games in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, in 1976.
For more detailed information on Alpine Skiing, please visit www.ipc-alpineskiing.org.
