Paralympic cross-country skiing

Paralympic cross-county skiing is an adaptation of cross-country skiing for athletes with a disability. Paralympic cross-country skiing is one of two Nordic skiing disciplines in the Winter Paralympic Games. It is governed by the International Paralympic Committee.

Paralympic cross-country skiing includes standing events, sitting events (for wheelchair users), and events for visually impaired athletes.

The Paralympics cross country skiing is made for skiers with disabilities. It is an adaptation of cross country skiing, only it allows a wide variety of people who have mutations, amputations, blindness, or any other physical disability, to continue their sport. This sport appeared at the 1976 Winter Games in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, for the first time. Depending on the competitors’ functional disability, an athlete has the option of using a sit-ski. This is a chair with a pair of skis equipped to the bottom of it. Many Sit-skiers use this because they have no use of their legs. This is called paraplegic. To ensure the safety of people with blindness, they follow a guide through the whole race. Standing skiers are skiers with a locomotive disability and who are able to use the same equipment as able-bodied skiers.

Racers use two basic techniques in cross-country: classical, where the skis move parallel to each other through tracks in the snow, and free technique where skiers propel themselves in a manner similar to speed skating, pushing off with the edge of their skis.Free...
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