The Paralympian 03|2013 1 Official Magazine of the Paralympic Movement Issue No

THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 1 OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE PARALYMPIC MOVEMENT ISSUE NO. 3 | 2013

www.paralympic.org

Perfecting the game

Recap: Governing Board elections and summer sport World Championships Preview: Alpine skiing and snowboard World Cups

RZ_Paralympian_03_2013_title_final.indd 1 04.12.13 14:18 2 the Paralympian 03|2013 President’s Message The Paralympian 03|2013 3

“The Movement is now bursting with sport and, even though 2013 has not been a Paralympic year, we have seen a major international event take place every two weeks.”

Since the last edition of The Paralympian, so much It will bring together the whole Movement to address has happened within the Paralympic Movement, I’m any areas of concern and will determine our direc- not sure where to start with many things occurring tion for the next four years and beyond. both on and off the field of play. Everyone will be encouraged to contribute, taking In terms of sport, multiple World and regional Cham- into account language, culture and understanding pionships have taken place, in addition to Youth of the participants. Working with the new G overning Games in the Americas and Asia – all of which are Board, the intended outcome is that this event forms reviewed in this edition. The Movement is now burst- part of the foundations for the next IPC St rategic ing with sport, and even though 2013 was not a Plan. Paralympic year, we have seen a major international event take place every two weeks. To finish I would like to welcome the IPC’s new In- ternational Partner BP to the Paralympic Family and With more sporting events taking place, the need would like to encourage everyone to check out a new for better, more transparent and understandable IPC video that was launched on 3 December, the sport-specific classification has increased and our UN’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities. feature this edition covers all of these areas. The four-minute long video, which I previewed Athletes and classifiers give us their views on the at the General Assembly, can be found at www. subject and with the second round of consultation ParalympicSport.TV and gives a great background for the IPC Classification Code Review set to take to the history of the Movement and our future. If a place next June, I urge athletes, IPC members, clas- picture speaks a thousand words, this video speaks sifiers and other stakeholders to give their feedback about a million and is the perfect introduction to the whilst they can. Paralympic Movement. I hope you enjoy it.

Away from the sporting action, Tokyo was voted host Season’s Greetings, city of the 2020 Paralympic Games and a new IPC Governing Board was elected at November’s IPC General Assembly.

I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of the General Assembly and Confer- ence in Athens, Greece, and would like to inform Sir Philip Craven, MBE the whole IPC membership that planning has al- IPC President ready started for the event that will celebrate the IPC’s Silver Jubilee year. 4 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 CONTENTS CONTENTS THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 5

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Arnaud Assoumani participates in the long jump 07 PARALYMPIC NEWS 16 #ASKANATHLETE 17 DIGITAL BONUS at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France The latest news in the Paralympic Movement Germany’s Andrea Eskau and Olena Find out how Spanish alpine skier Jon includes results of the IPC Governing Board Iurkovska discuss their road to the Sochi Santacana Maiztegui and British equestrian election, a groundbreaking broadcast deal 2014 Paralympic Winter Games on the rider Sophie Christiansen are interacting with with NBC and new development grants from Nordic skiing trails. their fans while injured. the Agitos Foundation.

18 FUTURE GAMES 22 WORLD SPORT 28 FEATURE ROUNDUP

Russian media had a chance to try out ice Take a look back at the IPC Athletics and IPC An in-depth look at why para-sport fans sledge hockey in Sochi, and Tokyo was Swimming World Championships, in addi- should care about sport-specifi c classifi ca- awarded the 2020 Paralympic Games. tion to a sampling of sport action from each tion and what updates to the IPC Classifi ca- region. tion Code will mean for the Movement.

34 ISSUE OF THE SEASON 36 UPCOMING EVENTS 38 GUEST COLUMN

What questions and reporting methods are American snowboarder Evan Strong and Sixteen-year-old table tennis player Aleksy considered appropriate for broadcasters Slovakian alpine skier Henrietta Farkasova Kaniuka of Argentina shares why the Youth and journalists when interviewing athletes share what equipment they will be taking Parapan American Games are the perfect with an impairment? with them out on the slopes this winter. stepping stone for an athlete aiming for the 22 Paralympics.

THE PARALYMPIAN CONTACT IMAGES

Editor Craig Spence International Paralympic Committee © Photo Credits: Luc Percival Photography (p. 1/4/19/22/34/35/40), IPC (p. 3/11/31), Assistant Editor Stuart Lieberman Adenauerallee 212-214 D-53113 Bonn, Germany Yosof Rohesh (p. 5/28), Getty Images (p. 5/11/12/13/14/16/19/21/22/23/25/30/ Art Editors Carolin Baird and Natalia Dannenberg 31/37), George Santamouris (p. 5/7/8/9/10), Lieven Coudenys (p. 11/12), Tel. +49 228 2097-200 Larry Wong (p. 10), istockphoto (p. 14/21/27/30/34/36), Graphic Design designfee Bianca Werninghaus Fax +49 228 2097-209 Alexander Manykin Photography (p.15), Tennis Foundation4 (p. 15), Printing welzel + hardt GmbH Jürgen Fälchle – Fotolia.com (p. 17), Jon Santacana (p. 17), [email protected] Sophie Christiansen (p. 17), Sochi 2014 (p. 18/19/31), Robyn Mackenzie (p. 19), All rights reserved www.paralympic.org Alex Ferro (p. 20), Rio 2016 (p. 20), T. Quehen (p. 22), IFDS (p. 24), © 2013 International Paralympic Committee Balint Vekassy (p. 24), MyRowingPhoto.com (p. 24), ITU (p. 25), PRINT The views expressed in The Paralympian are not necessarily those of the IPC. In case of republication of any part of The Paralympian, please ISSN 1609-1329 US Paralympics (p. 25), Yuki Higa (p. 26), Asian Paralympic Committee (p. 26), send a copy to the IPC. The publisher reserves the right to edit submitted articles. The International Paralympic Committee endeavours to NPC Brazil (p. 26/27), Tennis Foundation (p.26), ITTF (p. 26/38), be as current and accurate as possible with this publication, aiming to treat all readers with courtesy and respect. We can not guarantee Australian Paralympic Committee (p. 27), Olivier Papegnies (p. 30/32), however that the information contained in this publication is complete and accurate in all respects and readers are taken to understand IWRF (p. 30), Marcus Hartmann (p. 36), Henrieta Farkasova (p. 36), Print compensated and agree to this disclaimer upon reading any part of The Paralympian. No infringe-ments upon any law, including sport regulations, from Evan Strong (p. 37), Silke Schwarz (p. 38) Id-No. 1334095 people within the photographs and/or featured in the magazine’s content were known at the time of publication. Articles, pictures and other www.bvdm-online.de written or graphic devices published in The Paralympian may not be reproduced without the prior written permission of the International Paralympic Committee. Cover photo: Sweden’s Niklas Ingvarsson celebrates after scoring on Germany at the IPC Ice Sledge Hockey Qualiﬁ cation Tournament 6 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 PARALYMPIC NEWS THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 7

Paralympic Movement meets in Athens

New IPC members:

IPC Chief Executive Offi cer Xavier Gonzalez speaks to the Paralympic Family in Athens, Greece

A pilot mentoring programme will launch in Europe to develop stronger female leadership within the Paralympic Movement, and an Organisational Ca- pacity Programme will assist emerging National Paralympic Committees in six priority areas: Para- lympic Games preparation, athlete development, branding, fundraising, organisational capability and strategic partnerships.

The Foundation’s Grant Support Programme will return after successfully distributing EUR 630,000 in 2013 to 34 projects that will support athlete development programmes.

Nearly 450 people from more than 150 countries The IPC also announced its publication of the stra- – including IPC members, observers and media – tegic plans for the nine Paralympic sports it acts as attended the 16th IPC General Assembly and Con- the International Federation (IF) for. In order to en- ference in November in Athens, Greece. sure these sports become more self-sustainable, the plans will help them develop athlete opportu- The General Assembly is the supreme authority of nities and pathways and ensure greater visibility the IPC, the Paralympic Movement’s global govern- and promotion of the sports between the Paralym- ing body, and meets every two years. pic Games.es.

During the event, a number of motions and policies were discussed and voted upon, and seven new members were welcomed into the Paralym- pic Movement.

Georg Schlachtenberger, Director of the Agitos Foundation, which is the IPC’s development arm, highlighted the Movement’s development work over the past year and gave an insight into the Founda- tion’s plans for 2014. 8 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 PARALYMPIC NEWS PARALYMPIC NEWS THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 9

Sir Philip Craven re-elected IPC President IPC Governing Board full of new faces

This wonderful Movement has reaffi rmed its trust Ten Members at Large were also elected to the IPC “ Governing Board, which also consists of the President, in me and I pledge to repay that faith by maintaining Vice President, Athletes’ Representative, and Chief the momentum and building on the tremendous Executive Offi cer. The IPC Governing Board is repre- progress we have made in recent years. sentative of the IPC membership and responsible for the implementation of policies and directions set by IPC President Sir Philip Craven, MBE ” the General Assembly. It meets at least three times a year and meetings are chaired by the President.

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1 Mohamed Alhameli 5 Rita van Driel (Netherlands)* 10 Miguel Sagarra (Spain)* (United Arab Emirates) 6 Patrick Jarvis (Canada)* 11 Xavier Gonzalez (Spain) 2 Kyung-won Na (South Korea) 7 Duane Kale (New Zealand) 12 Todd Nicholson (Canada) (Left) Alan Dickson congratulates Sir Philip Craven on being re-elected; (right) Andrew Parsons shows emotion after being chosen aass Vice President ✔ 3 Yasushi Yamawaki (Japan) 8 Jairus Mogalo (Kenya) 13 Sir Philip Craven (Great Britain) Great Britain’s Sir Philip Craven The new IPC Vice President is and has been an IPC Governing 4 Ann Cody (USA)* 9 John Petersson (Denmark) 14 Andrew Parsons (Brazil) was re-elected as IPC President Andrew Parsons, who is also Board member since 2009. and will serve a ﬁ nal four-year the President of the Brazilian *Denotes candidate was re-elected. All others are new to the IPC Governing Board. term after receiving 127 votes Paralympic Committee, a role Parsons, who received 95 votes in the IPC Governing Board he took over in 2009. to ﬁ nish ahead of the USA’s Ann elections. The 63-year-old was Cody with 52 votes, replaces

chosen over fellow Britain and Parsons, 36, served as President Australia’s Greg Hartung, who did Election results National Paralympic Committees in the region and build the Paralym- CPISRA candidate Alan Dick- of the Americas Paralympic Com- not seek re-election. pic Movement from the grassroots through to the elite level and the son, who polled 20 votes. mittee between 2005 and 2009 Paralympic Games, calling for more competitions in more countries.

During his next four-year term, Campo will be involved in three Denmark’s John Petersson was re-elected President of the European Paralym- major events in the region – the Santiago de Chile 2014 Para-South pic Committee (EPC), unopposed, at the EPC’s General Assembly in October. American Games, Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games and Rio Croatian Vice President Ratko Kovacic and British Treasurer Craig Corscadden 2016 Paralympic Games. were also elected unopposed. At the 12th Americas Paralympic Committee (APC) General Assem- bly in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jose Luis Campo defeated incum- Carla Qualtrough, former President of the Canadian Paralympic Five individuals were elected to the EPC’s Executive Board, including: Petra bent, Colombian Octavio Londono, 14 votes to three. Committee, was elected Vice President, and the Dominican Re- Huber (Austria), Samuel Rosko (Slovakia), Mikhail Terentiev (Russia), Denis public’s Eladio Agramonte and the USA’s Mike Peters were voted Jaekan (Belarus) and Geoff Smedley (INAS). In his manifesto for election, Campo outlined the need to strengthen in as Members at Large. 10 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 PARALYMPIC NEWS PARALYMPIC NEWS THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 11

E E L L A A M M E T F S T E S 2013 Paralympic Awards BBEST MALE E BBEST FEMALE

Esther Vergeer (Netherlands) Vergeer, who retired PARALYMPIC from wheelchair tennis shortly after winning ORDER London 2012 gold in singles and doubles, dominated her sport for more than a decade, winning eight Paralympic titles, David Weir (Great Britain) 42 Grand Slam titles At London 2012, Weir was unbeatable at home, racing to four golds in eight and ending her career Bob Balk days in the 800m, 1,500m, 5,000m and marathon distances in the T54 class. on a 478-match winning Former Chairperson of the streak in singles. IPC Athletes’ Council

Michael Barredo E Marlou van Rhijn (Netherlands) L T Former President of IBSA A U The double-amputee claimed 100m silver and M B E E 200m gold in the T44 sprints at London 2012, F Duncan Campbell T D setting new T43 world records in S S Founder of wheelchair rugby E E both distances. BBESTM FEMALE A Jonquil Solt GGAMES DEBUT Former Chairperson of the IPC Equestrian Committee and FEI Para-Equestrian Technical Committee cojaeirnaoerhaop SPORT AWARDS The 2013 Paralympic Sport Award winners pose with their accolades on stage

E L T A U The 2013 Paralympic Awards, proudly partnered by The IPC also awarded four individuals with the B M E T the IPC’s International Partner Allianz, were held in Paralympic Order – the highest tribute a person S D E S BBESTE MALE November at the IPC General Assembly and Con- connected with the Paralympic Movement can M A ference in Athens, Greece. achieve. GGAMES DEBUT

Six Paralympic Sport Awards and four Paralympic All four Paralympic Order recipients have made im- Media Awards were presented to recognise the top portant contributions to the Paralympic Movement performances and coverage from the London 2012 and have illustrated the Paralympic ideals either Paralympic Games.mes. in the sporting world or via outstanding services to the cause of the Movement.

Alex Zanardi (Italy) Twenty-one years after competing at Brands Hatch as an F3000 driver, Zanardi, who also used to race in F1, was able to return to the course and successfully steal the spotlight. He picked up handcycling golds in the individual road race H4 and individual time trial H4 at London 2012, in MEDIA addition to winning silver in the mixed team relay H1-4. AWARDS L M IA A IC E F T F T O S T E S BBEST TEAM E BBEST OFFICIAL

BEST BROADCAST BEST WRITTEN (PRINT AND ONLINE) BEST RADIO BEST PHOTO Channel 4 Telegraph Media Group BBC World Service Larry Wong, Edmonton Journal The network showcased more For the third Paralympic Games in a row, the With a team of eight producers and He captured a stunning image Brazil football 5-a-side Sylvia Sekowska (Germany) than 500 hours of London 2012 group won the print coverage award. At Lon- reporters, they brought the Paralympics to of Canadian swimmer Benoit The squad won their third consecutive Paralympic gold in their sport and remain As the head table offi cial for wheelchair rugby at London 2012, in the lead-up coverage, transforming percep- don 2012, their reports covered front and back a worldwide audience of more than 40 mil- Huot celebrating victory in the the only team to ever top the football 5-a-side Paralympic podium. At London to the Paralympics she developed and delivered a comprehensive training pro- tions with their advertising cam- pages, and they gave great insight into all 20 lion listeners, many of whom were listing 200m individual medley SM10 at 2012, the Brazilians were led by top striker Jeff erson da Conceicao Goncalves, ject that enabled a pool of qualifi ed national technical offi cials from the host paigns for the Games. Paralympic sports. to Paralympic coverage for the fi rst time. London 2012. known as Jefi nho, and they did not concede a single goal in the tournament. country to be selected for the Games. 12 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 PARALYMPIC NEWS PARALYMPIC NEWS THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 13

Honorary Board meets in Brussels IPC rewards NBC London celebrates one year on with Paralympic Games TV rights

Belgium’s HRH Princess Astrid addresses the Honorary Board in Brussels

The IPC Honorary Board met in October at the Palais Royal in Brussels, Belgium, where they were updated on the growth of the Paralym- pic Movement over the last two years and received further insight into the activities that surrounded the London 2012 Paralympic Games, as well those for future Paralympics. Sitting volleyball player Katie Holloway is expected to star on American HRH Princess Astrid, Member of the Royal television screens at the Rio 2016 Paralympics Family in Belgium, hosted the meeting, as members were informed about the IPC’s vision in the The Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games will re- lead-up to the Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 Games, ceive an unprecedented 116 combined hours of cov- The most surprising thing for me is the attention as well as the Agitos Foundation, which is the erage in the USA, as NBC Olympics and the USOC “ IPC’s development arm. partnered to acquire the media rights from the I get from people I don’t know. People writing to me IPC for the next two Paralympic Games. on Twitter saying, ‘ Good luck.’ That’s quite shocking Other attendees of the IPC Honorary Board when you come from just being a table tennis player included: HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Americans will be able to watch and never getting any recognition. And then in Sweden; HRH Princess Margriet of the Neth- 50 hours of the Sochi 2014 erlands; HRH Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Para lympics across NBC and London you’re suddenly one of the biggest names Luxembourg; Hassan Ali Bin Ali, Paralympic NBC Sports Network, and 66 in sport for about two weeks. It’s quite a big thing, ambassador from Qatar; and Maria Guleghina, hours of coverage from Rio and it’s quite a shock to the system. Opera singer. 2016. In addition, there will Will Bayley, British table tennis player ” Goaltender Steve Cash hopes to lead Team USA be live online coverage of All future Paralympic Games Torch Relays will start in Stoke Mandeville, Great to another ice sledge hockey Paralympic title in all events from both Games on Britain, beginning next March with the Sochi 2014 Games Sochi – this time in front of millions of TV viewers TeamUSA.org. on NBC’s networks National Paralympic Day a hit The Paralympic Order goes to … Wheelchair racer David Weir, equestrian rider Sophie Christiansen and London Mayor Boris Johnson was presented with the Paralympic Canadians to receive unprecedented table tennis player Will Bayley were all on hand at London’s Queen Order by the IPC in September for his support and contributions to Elizabeth Olympic Park in September to attend Great Britain’s National the London 2012 Games. Paralympic coverage Paralympic Day, encouraging people to get involved in their local sport clubs. The Paralympic Order is the highest tribute a person connected The Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) announced with the Paralympic Movement can receive. It was presented to the plans for the most comprehensive coverage ever off ered in The athletes took part in sport demonstrations and autograph ses- Mayor by IPC Governing Board member Rita van Driel at National Canada for a Paralympic Games, as it will showcase more sions, and some of the athlete attendees competed in front of 5,000 Paralympic Day. than 65 hours of broadcast and up to 350 hours of digi- fans at the Copper Box. tal streaming from the Sochi 2014 Games across multi- Since becoming Mayor of London in May ple platforms. Stoke Mandeville puts itself on the map once again 2008, Boris Johnson has been a big The IPC announced that Great Britain will be involved in all future advocate of the Paralympic Movement and The CPC has secured the Canadian broadcast rights and will Paralympic Games Torch Relays starting next March, in recognition in September 2011 played the lead Paralympic broadcast consortium partners in creating that Stoke Mandeville is the birthplace of the Paralympic Movement. British Prime Minister David coverage on ﬁ ve platforms: CBC/Radio-Canada, Sportsnet (through an agreement with Cameron at wheelchair tennis CBC), Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) and Yahoo Canada Sports. The announcement came on the same day IPC President Sir Philip in Trafalgar Square as part of Craven unveiled a giant ﬁ ve-metre high Agitos – the Paralympic International Paralympic Day. In addition, SendtoNews will distribute full news access highlights to all Canadian media. symbol – at Stoke Mandeville hospital.

Boris Johnson 14 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 PARALYMPIC NEWS PARALYMPIC NEWS THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 15

Say #No2Doping The World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) published the 2014 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods, which will come into force on 1 January 2014.

In an eff ort to provide stake- Colombia’s Angelica Bernal holders with tools to support is quickly growing from a anti-doping activities, the wheelchair tennis player at Prohibited List will again be the grassroots level to one available on mobile devices. at the elite level

‘Raise The Bar’ IPC signs on BP as Agitos Foundation’s Grant Support Programme gets underway International Partner IPC Powerlifting’s new “Raise The Bar – Say No! to Doping” campaign More than 30 projects from ITF to enhance female, quad participation was launched at the 2013 IPC Powerlifting Asian Open Powerlifting around the world have re- The International Tennis Federation (ITF) will host a range of develop- Championships in November in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Following BP’s successful sponsorship of the London 2012 Games, ceived over EUR 630,000 mental activities in Central and South America to increase the num- it became the IPC’s second International Partner in December and of funding through the IPC’s ber of women and quad athletes in wheelchair tennis. The programme, funded by the Agitos Foundation, not only aims to will remain so until at least 2016. development arm, the Agitos target approximately 500 lifters, but their coaches and the support Foundation, to help boost ITF experts, along with former No. 2 quads female player Sarah Hunter networks which surround them throughout training and competition. BP’s London 2012 vision was to use the power of the Games to para-sport participation. of Canada, will hold introductory clinics, media interviews, and coach inspire change and to provide real solutions for a lower-carbon education and meetings in Brazil, Chile and Guatemala. In the lead-up to the 2014 World Championships, all groups will at- future. BP fuelled the Games in ways that inspired millions of peo- The money, made available through the fi rst ever Grant Support Pro- tend one-on-one education sessions, at which they will be trained and ple to think about the mobility choices they make every day. gramme is going to 34 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs), Inter- In 2014, quad classifi cation will be held in the region for players look- tested for their learnings. national Federations (IFs) and International Organisations of Sports ing to take up the game on a more elite level. WADA will support them BP also has local or national partnerships with National Paralym- for the Disabled (IOSDs). in their training regimes, pic Committees in Angola, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Trinidad and will off er a variety of and Tobago, Great Britain and the USA. In each of the countries, branded merchandise to BP also supports several individual para-athletes on their jour- Classifi cation in Cape Verde show their commitment neys to the Games. Cape Verde’s Paralympic Committee has begun to hold capacity- to anti-doping. building courses for potential classifi ers in Portugese-speaking African countries, focusing on functional classifi cation in athletics, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball.

Participants thus far have come from Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe and Mozambique.

At Cape Verde’s para-sport national championships in September, they received an introductory course to sport-specifi c classifi cation and had the chance to observe a classifi cation process with the athletes. International Partner Cape Verde’s National Paralympic Committee has been one of the fi rst to get wwebeb >> www.AgitosFoundation.org involved with the Agitos Foundation 16 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 ASK AN ATHLETE DIGITAL BONUS THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 17

Prior to the 2013-14 IPC Nordic Skiing World Cup, Status update: Paralympic champions Andrea Eskau of Germany Injured and Olena Iurkovska of Ukraine talk about their careers in the women’s sitting class. Having been sidelined from their sports due to injury, IPC Ones to Watch athletes have taken to social media during their break from competition to interact with their fans.

Andrea Eskau Olena Iurkovska World Championships: World Championships:

Paralympics: vs. Paralympics:

Sophie Christiansen Jon Santacana Maiztegui (Great Britain, equestrian) (Spain, alpine skiing) Following her triple gold-medal perfor- During a training run in September’s IPC Alpine Ski- What’s the most important mance at August’s JYSK FEI European Para- ing World Cup in Australia, he tore his Achilles tendon. The most important thing is to stay There is no time to relax. healthy and to be focused on your goals. thing to remember as an athlete Dressage Championships, she fell off her horse The injury has taken one of the world’s top visually impaired ski- on the road to Sochi 2014? and broke her collarbone. She hopes to be back on her ers off the slopes until at least February, when he hopes to re- horse, Janiero 6 (known as Rio), soon to train for the 2014 Alltech turn to the mountain for the World Cup Finals in Tarvisio, Italy. Olena is really on a top level, especially in FEI World Equestrian Games. biathlon. She is very fast in shooting and What do you make of your rival? She is a very strong and very accurate. Outside the competition goal-oriented person. Follow Sophie: Follow Jon: she is very friendly. @SChristiansen87 /SophieChristiansenOBE @JonSantacana /JonSantacana My biggest achievement is My biggest achievements so far are my not a medal or making the podium. What’s your biggest 15 medals at three Paralympic Games – My biggest achievement is powering fi ve golds, fi ve silvers and fi ve bronze. myself against nature. sporting achievement to date?

I like fast conditions, What are your preferred When the snow is well-groomed but I am better in bad conditions. snow conditions? and it is a little frosty. #AskAnAthlete

I eat almost anything, What’s your typical Before the race I usually but I prefer eggs or yoghurt. pre-race meal? only have a cup of tea.

2013-14 Nordic Skiing World Cup Dates/location: 9-17 December (Canmore, Canada) 8-12 January (Vuokatti, Finland) 16-26 January (Oberstdorf/Oberried, Germany)

wwebeb >> www.ipc- nordicskiing.org @Paralympic ParalympicSport.TV Paralympic Games

Paralympics +paralympics THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 FUTURE GAMES FUTURE GAMESTHE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 19 Russian Paralympic perception in numbers A sociological survey was recently conducted in 22 cities across Russia regarding the upcoming Sochi 2014 Winter Games. Sochi 2014

of respondents recognised Sochi 2014 99% Games emblem

strongly support idea of holding Games in 46% Russia

have positive attitude Russian media get taste of ice sledge hockey 83% toward Sochi Games Prior to the Sochi 2014 Test Event for ice sledge hockey at the end of population plans to of August, the Russian team’s head coach Sergey Samoylov and follow Games progress on top players Dmitry Lisov and Vadim Selyukin held a master class 25% mobile applications for media at Shayba Arena.

Reporters had a unique opportunity to not only try on equipment of population will and learn the specifi cs of the sport, but also to practice with the follow Games on television Buy your team and assess the quality of the ice at the arena, which will host 81% or online the sport’s tournament at the Sochi 2014 Paralympics. Sochi 2014 tickets “Ice sledge hockey is still a new kind of sport in Russia, and thanks Tickets have gone on sale for the Sochi 2014 Games, for which the competition schedules have been released for to mass media coverage, more and more people are learning about ice sledge hockey, wheelchair curling, biathlon and cross- it,” Lisov said. country skiing, alpine skiing and snowboarding. Nearly 700 athletes from 45 countries will take part in the Games. “I hope that such attention is another step in the development of Seventy-two sets of medals will be contested in fi ve sports, sledge hockey in particular, as well as Paralympic sport in general with snowboard making its Paralympic Winter Games debut as a discipline under IPC Alpine Skiing. in Russia. And, hopefully it will lead to more disabled people having the chance to be involved in sport.” Ticket prices Sport events: 350-1,500 rubles Reigning world champions Canada won the Test Event with a 4-0 Opening Ceremony: 700-5,000 rubles victory against Norway in the fi nal, and fi nished the tournament un- Closing Ceremony 400-2,000 rubles defeated, outscoring their opponents 19-6 in fi ve games. Lisov and Where can I buy mine? host nation Russia claimed bronze with a 7-2 victory over the Czech wwebeb >> www.Tickets.Sochi2014.com Republic in the third-place game. wwebeb >> www.Sochi2014.com 20 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 21

Rio 2016 Tokyo 2020 Tokyo 1964

More than 5,000 people attended the Open- ing Ceremony the last time Tokyo hosted the Paralympic Games in 1964, including the Games’ patrons his Imperial Highness Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko. The USA topped the medals table, picking up 123 medals, including 50 golds. 144

M AL

#3YearsToGo Paralympic pictograms launched Three candidate cities – Istanbul, Madrid “These Games off er huge potential as well 375 The Rio 2016 Organising Committee marked three years to go until and Tokyo – bid to host the 2020 Olym- both commercially and in terms of televi- their Games on 7 September, which is also Brazil’s National Inde- pic and Paralympic Games, and after a sion. We are sure athletes will not only be S pendence Day. secret ballot in Buenos Aires, Argentina, delighted with having all venues close by, in September, IOC members chose Tokyo but also by Tokyo’s desire to sell out every Brazilian Paralympic champion sprinter Yohansson Nascimento as the host city. single venue and sport.” marked the milestone by competing in a race on the track with 100 children, many of whom had an impairment. IPC President Sir Philip Craven said: “The Meanwhile, the IPC has already started a 21 Twenty-three Rio 2016 Paralympic pictograms have been created for 2020 Paralympics will send a strong mes- process to potentially add more summer UN I Nascimento, born with no hands, spoke to the children about his each sport that will be a part of the Games. sage of inclusion not just to Japan but to sports onto the Paralympic programme career, and the event also included presentations about the the rest of Asia, building on previous suc- for Tokyo 2020. The IPC currently recog- Paralympic Games. Rio 2016’s design team have portrayed athletes’ diff erent impair- cessful Games in the continent. nises the following International Federa- ments, along with their sport, in a balanced, natural way, depicting tions (IFs) that are not part of the summer 9 The Organising Committee will also develop a programme to help prostheses, blindfolds and other elements. “The bid’s ‘Discover Tomorrow’ vision aims Games programme: Badminton World SPO S promote para-sports in South America with the guidance of the to put Tokyo’s power for innovation and in- Federation (BWF), International Federation Agitos Foundation. After researching each sport, the ﬁ rst strokes were made by hand. spiration at the heart of the Games, and of Powerchair Football (FIPFA), Interna- These strokes were then reconstructed on a computer, ﬁ tting the con- in terms of the Paralympics this means tional Handball Federation (IHF), Interna- In Rio, there are already 1,800 students with an impairment being tours of the letters. The athlete bodies and sports equipment were further accessibility improvements and tional Hockey Federation (FIH) and World taught sports by more than 40 specially trained coaches at the built from the characters, or part of them, in a continuous stroke, a strong focus on sport for a better and Taekwondo Federation (WTF). municipal government’s community sports centres, such as in the with variations in thickness in order to give the impression of depth. healthier city. Mato Alto village, where the three years to go event took place. The pebble shapes, which are a characteristic of Rio 2016’s visual language, support the designs and alter their shape according to the Vergeer crosses Atlantic athletes’ diff erent movements. Japan’s para-stars to watch Even after retiring from the game, wheelchair tennis star Esther Vergeer is staying involved in the Paralympic Movement, recently Facebook cover photos for all the Rio 2016 sports can be downloaded ■ Shingo Kunieda Wheelchair tennis visiting the Rio 2016 headquarters to share her extensive experience from the Rio 2016 Facebook app. ■ Daisuke Ikezaki Wheelchair rugby with the Paralympic Games organisers. ■ Mami Sato Athletics wwebeb >> www.Rio2016.com

PyeongChang 2018

The offi cial emblem of the PyeongChang 2018 gether mean a grand festival for the athletes, Paralympic Winter Games was launched at the audience and everyone around the globe. the National Museum of Korea in Seoul in Oc- The paralleled letters also signify equality tober. The ceremony was attended by 400 while Korea’s ﬁ ve cardinal colours are used guests and dignitaries from home and abroad. to represent the uniqueness of each Para- lympian. The main design motif of the emblem comes from a Korean letter symbolising snow, ice and the Paralympic athletes. The letters to- wwebeb >> www.PyeongChang2018.org 22 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 WORLD SPORT ROUNDUP WORLD SPORT ROUNDUP THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 23

LLYONYON 2013:2013: WHEELCHAIRWHEELCHAIR WONDERSWONDERS IPC Swimming World Championships wwebeb >>www.ipcswimmingworlds2013.org

With 43 world records broken at the event in Montreal, Canada, the Ukrainians dominated TOP MEDAL WINNERS the medals table with 33 golds, followed by Country Total Russia with 19 and Great Britain with 18. 1Ukraine 33 22 29 84 2 Russia 19 22 13 54 Thirty-nine countries – more than half of 3Great Britain 18 22 15 55 those competing – won at least one medal. The top individual winners were Ukraine’s Dmytro Vynohradets and Olga Sviderska, who each won seven golds in the men’s and wom- Gustavo Sanchez, Eskender Mustfaiev and David en’s S3 events, respectively. Smetanine

Brazil’s Daniel Dias showed he is on pace for Canada’s Valerie Grand’ Tatyana McFadden (USA, women’s T54): Rio 2016, capturing six golds and two silvers, Maison fulﬁ lled the role Marcel Hug (Switzerland, men’s T54): while New Zealand’s Sophie Pascoe won of host nation hero, add- ﬁ ve golds and went on to be voted the IPC’s ing three more golds to her Raymond Martin (USA, men’s T52): Athlete of the Month for August. already six world titles. Brent Lakatos (Canada, men’s T53): Sophie Pascoe Walid Ktila (Tunisia, men’s T34):

“I didn’t think I would be able to beat Lyon 2013 was the best World Championships (Jessica Long) until Rio, but “in my career so far. Not only because of my to do it at World Champs was big successes, but also because of the great unbelieveable. I really look atmosphere, good conditions and very good up to Jess, and to beat organisation. Although some top athletes were your idol at my age was missing, we had high-level competitions and a dream come true. I am very happy that I won ﬁ ve gold and a silver medal in six events. It was nearly a perfect ” Championships for me, but I can still top that … Marcel Hug ”

IPC Athletics World Championships wwebeb >> www.ipcathleticsworlds.org

In scorching July heat in Lyon, 19, became the fi rst man to win France, 52 world records were fi ve individual world titles. broken and three more were equaled, as athletes picked up France’s Mandy Francois-Elie lit Five faces for the future where they left off at London up her home crowd by winning 2012. the 100m and 200m T37 sprints, Maddison Elliott and the Jonnie Peacock-Rich- (Australia): One of the Championships’ most Tatyana McFaddenard Browne 100m T44 rivalry Mandy Francois-Elie At 14, she won two golds and unique moments was when played out in style, with the USA’s a silver, beating top swimmer Germany’s Heinrich ia’s Scott Reardon shared gold in Browne setting a new world re- Germany’s Markus Rehm won Jessica Long to the wall in the 100m butterfl y S8. Popow and Austral- the 100m T42 after both clocked cord in the heats, but Great Brit- long jump F44 gold with a leap of 12.68 seconds in the fi nal. ain’s Peacock taking the gold in 7.95m – a mark which would have the fi nal. been good enough for a top-10 Two American athletes made fi nish at the IAAF World Champi- Mary Fisher Gustavo Sanchez Ihar Boki Nelson Crispin history, as Tatyana McFad- TOP MEDAL WINNERS onships – and Morocco’s El Amin (New Zealand): (Mexico): (Belarus): (Colombia): den became the only ath- Chentouf made a name for him- Country Total The 20-year-old won five He shined in the pool, racking up The 19-year-old did one bet- In his World Championship lete to win six world titles at self in the men’s T12 class, tak- golds and a silver in her World a gold, a silver and three bronze ter than his last World Cham- debut, the 21-year-old won a 1 Russia 26 16 11 53 one Championships and ing gold in the 5,000m, 10,000m Championship debut. medals at just 19 years old. pionship appearance, this time gold, a silver and three bronze 2USA 17 18 17 52 Raymond Martin, at just and marathon distances. winning fi ve titles. medals. 3Brazil 16 10 14 40

Heinrich Popow, Scott Reardon and Clavel Kayitare 24 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 WORLD SPORT ROUNDUP WORLD SPORT ROUNDUP THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 25

World Championships Winning my fourth Para-Tri World “ Championships is a massive relief and conﬁ rmation my continued eff orts are on water and … … on land paying off . Eff orts I’m sure will only increase as I aim to stay at the top for the next the years and through the Rio 2016 Paralympics. Bill Chaff ey ” Repeating my world champion title was more “ rewarding this year than the year before. The ﬁ eld comes closer together and there was a total newcomer from Russia in second place. It gets more exciting for the spectators and myself. I’m looking forward to my sport being in the Paralympic Games. Mendy Swoboda ”

UCI Para-Cycling IWAS Wheelchair ICF Sprint Canoe World Rowing IFDS Sailing ITU Para-Triathlon Road World Fencing World World Championships Championships World Championships World Championships Championships Championships

Top names in para-canoe emerged in Duis- Great Britain dominated the event on their burg, Germany, as the sport held its ﬁ rst major home course in London, winning 15 medals, event on the road to Rio 2016 – where it will including six golds. But several individuals be included in the Paralympic Games pro- from other nations starred, repeating their gramme for the ﬁ rst time. world titles for the third or fourth time.

Great Britain topped the medals table with Australia’s Bill Chaff ey won his fourth TRI-1 fi ve golds, followed by Brazil’s pair of world title and Great Britain’s Faye McClelland won titles from Fernando Fernandes, who is al- her fourth TRI-4 title. Winning their third titles ready expected to star at the next Paralym- were France’s Stephane Bahier in the TRI-2, pics. Austria, Canada, Germany, Spain and Canada’s Jennifer Hopkins in the TRI-3 and Ukraine also made their way onto the top of In temperatures that reached 30 degrees Three new world champions were crowned USA’s Megan Fisher in the TRI-5. In August, spectators in Baie-Comeau, Can- China took home much of the glory from the podium. Celsius, Russia’s Natalia Bolshakova and in Kinsale, Ireland, with France winning the ada, witnessed the American contingent Budapest, Hungary, winning 10 gold med- Australia’s Erik Horrie knocked 12 and 10 three-person sonar class, Great Britain claim- win 19 medals, with Germany grabbing 14 als – fi ve on the men’s side and fi ve on the Spotlight on seconds off the women’s and men’s world- ing gold in the two-man SKUD 18 fl eet and the and Italy taking 13. The Americans and Ger- women’s side. Mendy best times in the single sculls AS events, re- Dutch winning the one-person 2.4mR class. Spotlight on mans dominated many of the individual road Bill Chaff ey Swoboda spectively, en route to gold. Australia’s Gavin races, aside from the handcycling events, The dominating nation won three team events, (Australia) (Austria) Bellis and Kathryn Ross nosed in front to win Spotlight on The racing powerhouse which were owned by the Italians. including the men’s epee and foil team dis- The 23-year-old the mixed double sculls TA and Great Brit- engineered an incredible come- ciplines and the women’s epee team com- successfully defended Guus Bijlard ain’s crew won the mixed coxed four LTA. back to win his fourth world petition. his world title in a (Netherlands) title in the men’s TRI-1 event. competitive K1 men’s He won his fi rst gold at With 300m to go, he passed 200m TA fi nal. Spotlight on For the fi rst time, a mixed double a World Championships the Netherlands’ Jetze Plat – Spotlight on Spotlight on Natalia after going neck-and- who had led the race all day – sculls LTA event was held at the Megan Fisher Yijun Chen Bolshakova neck to the fi nish with to win gold. Championships, with Ukraine’s Germany’s Heiko Kroger (USA) (China) (Russia) and France’s Damien Kateryna Morozova and Dmytro The American won gold in both The IPC’s One to Watch In her fi rst year row- Seguin in the 2.4mR the road race and time trial C4 athlete Yijun Chen, a two-time ing at the elite level, Aleksieiev taking the title. event. events – her fi rst para-cycling Paralympic champion, certainly she has now beaten world titles – and then a month did not disappoint in Budapest. Ukrainian Paralympic’ later won her third TRI-5 title He clinched the title in the men’s champion Alla Lysenko in London at the ITU Para- sabre category A, just ahead of in both races they had Triathlon World Championships. compatriot Jianquan Tian. together this year. 26 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 WORLD SPORT ROUNDUP WORLD SPORT ROUNDUP THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 27

ASIA So Yeong-Jeong (South Korea, Regional rundown boccia): She claimed gold at the 2013 BISFed Asia Oceania Boccia Championships in Sydney, Asian Youth EUROPE Australia, upsetting Thailand’s Youth Parapan Neslihan Kavas (Turkey, table top-ranked Watcharaphon Vongsa Para-Games tennis): She won gold in both in the semi-ﬁ nals and beating American Games the women’s singles Class 9 and No. 2 Hiu Lam-Yeung of Hong women’s team Class 9-10 events Kong in the ﬁ nal. at October’s ITTF Para-Table Tennis European Championships in Lignano, Italy.

A total of 1,274 young athletes and offi cials from 28 countries took part in the fi ve-day AMERICAS event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hosted by Jeff erson da Conceicao the Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) Goncalves (Brazil, football and the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) 5-a-side): Jefi nho, as they call in October. him in Brazil, led his team to the football 5-a-side Copa America More than 600 young athletes from 16 coun- Fourteen sports were contested at 14 title, which was won on a pen- tries participated in the Games in Buenos diff erent venues, as Japan fi nished atop the alty shootout against arch rivals Aires, Argentina, in October. The third edition medal standings with 39 golds, showcasing a Argentina in the fi nal in Sep- of these Games featured 10 sports in three potential future wave of talent for the Tokyo tember. He was the top scorer diff erent locations, as Brazil, who will host the 2020 Paralympic Games. at the tournament, scoring 12 2017 Games, topped the medals table with of Brazil’s 31 goals. 102 golds. All but one of the participating na- In the standings, they were followed by Iran tions won at least one medal. with 27 golds and China with 25 golds.

39 14 SPORTS 27 25 14 For a medal-winner’s VENUES viewpoint

see page 38

OCEANIA Ryley Batt (Australia, wheelchair rugby): Despite Australia’s second- AFRICA place fi nish to the USA at the Lucas Sithole (South Africa, wheelchair tennis): Tri-Nations Tournament out- He became the fi rst African player to ever win a doors in Sydney, Ryley Batt was Grand Slam singles fi nal, clinching a three-set still named MVP of the event victory (3-6, 6-4, 6-4) over American David after crossing for 40 goals in Wagner in the US Open quads fi nal. the fi nal. 28 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 FEATURE: CRACKING CLASSIFICATION FEATURE: CRACKING CLASSIFICATION THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 29 Cracking classification Understanding the Paralympic Movement’s sport-specifi c classifi cation system allows fans to better comprehend how athletes are grouped for competition. 30 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 FEATURE: CRACKING CLASSIFICATION FEATURE: CRACKING CLASSIFICATION THE PARALYMPIAN 03|20132013 31

Tunisia’s Neda Bahi is n most able-bodied sports, fans who are tive International Federation, which is based classiﬁ ed as a T37 sprinter not familiar with the game seek out a stat on how a speciﬁ c impairment impacts the ac- CLASSIFICATIONCLASSIFICATION HHASAS sheet to identify the top players or teams. tivities of its sport. TWTWOO ROROLES:LES:

IThey rely on numbers to tell them the story. “It’s just another part of the (sport) rules,” ■ ToT ddetermineete errmmiinene eeligibilityliigig bibililityt said Dr. Anne Hart, Chairperson of the IPC to ccompeteommpepete But that should not necessarily always be the Classifi cation Committee. ■ ToT ggrouproup athletesathletetes forfoor case when it comes to para-sports. competitioncompep titit on “If you’re more than just a casual observer, Just ask Belgium’s Peter Genyn, a 1.5 wheel- and you want to learn about the sport and you There is only one sport class in wheelchair curling All powerlifters compete in the same sport class but chair rugby player recently named to the want to understand about Paralympic sport, are divided into diff erent weight categories IPC’s Ones to Watch list. then it’s helpful to know a little bit about the “For example, level of rules, and for the consumer that means clas- trunk control can have Athletes are grouped for competition based letes accepting their medals standing up, and “If you have somebody who doesn’t know sifi cation. signifi cant infl uence on how their impairment aff ects their sport, others sitting down. anything about the game, they always think on the performances in not necessarily their impairment type. Ryley Batt is the best player ever and the low- “They don’t need to know all the details, but it wheelchair basketball, But again, the key is that these sitting vol- pointers are just water carriers,” Genyn said. needs to make sense and be logical to some- but much less in wheel- That is why, for instance, a standing leg-am- leyball players, as well as all other athletes, one who’s watching it. chair curling.” putee and an athlete with a spinal-cord injury have been grouped together because their im- “But the truth is, you need four good players in a wheelchair can compete against each pairment has the same impact on the sport on the court, and it’s important that people “To understand para-sport is more than just other in powerlifting. Once they reach the they play. know that the low-pointer isn’t some loser ‘My team wins’ or ‘My athlete wins.’” bench, both are strapped down with a belt, who’s slow and doesn’t get the ball. leaving them with similar functional abilities Additionally, within some sports, there are to lift the bar. several sport classes for varying degrees of a “He trains just as hard as the high-pointers. Grouping athletes for competition single impairment type to create a level play- He just doesn’t have as much function and This also explains a certain sitting volleyball ing fi eld. isn’t as fast, but it’s not his fault. Understanding classifi cation helps fans com- scene Hart watched unfold before she ever prehend how athletes are grouped together became involved in classifi cation. Tunisia’s 400m T37 reigning Paralympic “He’s not a worse athlete because of it.” for competition and explains why they see champion, Neda Bahi, for example, has certain images on their television screens. “I had never seen it, but I knew a little bit been classifi ed in one of the four IPC Athlet- Genyn is referencing sport-specifi c classifi - about it,” Hart said of sitting volleyball. ics standing classes for athletes with a co-or- cation – a system unique to para-sport that Young-Hee Lee, Head of Classifi cation for dination impairment. ensures an athlete’s impairment has a mini- the Wheelchair Curling Federation, explains: “It was really exciting, but one of the teams, mal eff ect on the outcome of a competition. every time they scored they all jumped up and “The existence of several diff erent classes “Although players have the same impairment, hopped around. And on the other team, only for athletes with cerebral palsy is logical be- Because each sport requires diff erent abili- there can be a very diff erent impact on sport one person hopped around. cause not all athletes with CP have the same ties, each sport also requires a sport-specifi c performance depending on the type of sport. degree of disability,” Bahi said. classifi cation system governed by its respec- “I thought, ‘Woah …’” “If you put them all in the same class, you This is a common reaction, especially during will penalise those with a more severe disa- Breaking down wheelchair rugby’s sport classes While not all sitting volleyball players have the victory ceremonies when you see some ath- bility. The diff erent classes give athletes an same impairment, their impairments have the equal opportunity.” Athletes are allocated to one of seven diff erent sport classes: 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 or 3.5. same impact on the sport The total number of points on court at one time for four players may not exceed 8. 0.5 1.5 2.5 3.5

Jason Reiger, USA Peter Genyn, Belgium Thomas Hjert, Sweden Ryley Batt, Australia Players in this class show signifi cant shoulder instability and limitations in Players in this class have better shoulder stability and arm and wrist function Players in this sport class have good shoulder stability and arm function. They This sport class describes athletes with the least severe eligible impairment their upper arm and hand functions. Most have no trunk or leg control. Play- than players in sport class 0.5. They can do chest passes, but the instability of might have some trunk control. Due to their ability to fl ex their fi ngers, they can in wheelchair rugby. Due to a less signifi cant impairment of their shoulders, ers typically catch the ball by tapping it into the lap and throw the ball with a their wrist makes ball handling diffi cult. Some players might have one side of perform overhead passes, catch the ball with two hands and manoeuvre the trunk, arms and hands, they are good ball handlers and can move quickly on scoop pass. their body more strongly aff ected than the other side. wheelchair better than their team mates in the lower sport classes. the court. 32 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 FEATURE: CRACKING CLASSIFICATION FEATURE: CRACKING CLASSIFICATION THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 33

The Code review process is imperative, says Wheelchair rugby’s process CLASSIFICATION CODE Genyn, as it aff ects the rules of every sport. REVIEW In wheelchair rugby and wheelchair basket- “If the players evolve, you need to evolve the How to contribute: The second round How was Peter Genyn classifi ed? ball, after athletes are deemed eligible to classifi cation system,” Genyn said. “There are of consultation will run from 1 June - 30 compete, they are then allocated to diff er- always new players coming along with diff er- Each of Peter Genyn’s arms was assigned a September 2014. Athletes, IPC mem- Left arm ent sport classes that are assigned a point ent impairments, so you can’t always judge total point value on a scale of 0 to 5. The sum ber organisations, classifi ers and other function: value, and coaches are only allowed to put them by the same rules.” of the arms was added up and divided in half, interested stakeholders are encouraged a certain number of total points on the court and then the trunk function value was added to suggest changes to the current Code. at one time. Bahi agreed full heartedly. to it to get his sport class. Feedback is welcomed on: 2 points Typical procedure is for wheelchair rugby ■ Processes for evaluation of athletes “It is important that the IPC Classifi cation athletes to be classifi ed three times inter- ■ Responsibilities of the IPC, NPCs Code is updated and changed every few nationally. and IFs years, because over the years performances change, and you should modify the Code to Right arm Genyn has undergone classifi cation seven conform to the development of the sports,” function: times in his career because he lost some of Bahi said. his functional ability – moving him from a 2.0 to a 1.5 – and also because another team And the result of the process is more than Both Bahi and Genyn will eagerly be awaiting 1 protested him for his classifi cation in 2011. just a number. the fi nal results of the Code review process point in 2015, as the pair know from fi rst-hand ex- During the classification process, they “Classifi cation is really important for us,” perience how important classifi cation rules checked every functioning muscle of Genyn’s Genyn said. “If somebody goes down half a and processes are to an athlete’s success. Trunk body with a series of manual muscle tests, point, that can create entire new lineups.” function: in which he had to resist the force classifi - In team sports, lineups based on classifi caton ers put on him. Evolving the Classifi cation Code can even be instrumental to a team’s success. 0 Genyn was also asked to do sport technical “Look at Australia,” Genyn said. “I’m not say- points assessments, such as pushing his wheelchair Due to the increased awareness of para- ing they have bad low-pointers, but they’re and throwing and catching a ball. sports the last couple of years, classifi cation not the best. has received more attention than ever before. He was then watched by classifi ers during a “They have Ryley Batt, who’s the best player match to confi rm their decision. The IPC recently initiated its Classifi cation ever, and they still cannot beat USA. I’m sure Code Review process, which will determine if they would have low-pointers of world class, “When they test you, they know whether future developments in classifi cation sys- they would beat USA easily. But that’s just my you’re putting your full strength on it or not,” tems. humble opinion …” Genyn said. The Code, adopted in 2007, is the set of rules “They really know what they’re doing. If they for Paralympic classifi cation that is common FUELING THE FUTURE throw a ball right at you, you’re always going to to all sports and to the Paralympic Games. It Three IPC Classifi cation Research and catch it. You’re not going to be able to fake it.” identifi es the need for sport-specifi c classi- Development Centres are currently fi cation systems and states that classifi ca- launching around the world to enhance the Undergoing the process seven times has action decisions must be based on scientifi c development of evidence-based, sport- tually taught Genyn a lot about what his own evidence of how an impairment aff ects sport specifi c classifi cation systems: biggest strengths are on the court. performance. ■ Research and Development Centre “One of the classifi ers looked at me on court Following this year’s fi rst consultation round, for Physical Impairment: and afterwards was telling me ‘You’re com- a fi rst draft of the modifi ed Code will be cir- Launched in September 2013 pensating for this in that way’ – something I culated for a second consultation round in at the University of Queensland in didn’t even know I was doing myself. mid-2014, and the fi nal version of the Code Brisbane, Australia ■ will be presented at the 2015 IPC General As- Research and Development Centre “Because you just push the most effi cient sembly and will take eff ect within one year for Visual Impairment: way, but you don’t think about what muscles of approval. Launched in July 2013 at you’re using. Apparently, I compensate in a Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, lot of diff erent ways. I push with the back of A revised Code will lead the future of classi- the Netherlands ■ my hand to get a longer stroke. But I do it diffi cation until at least 2020, ensuring athletes Research and Development Centre ferently with both arms, because on the left can focus on their training instead of worrying for Intellectual Impairment: I have really good triceps, and so one hand I about potential disadvantages due to their im- To launch in 2014 have to twist more than the other.” pairment or fl awed classifi cation procedures. 34 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 ISSUE OF THE SEASON ISSUE OF THE SEASONTHE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 35 Issue of the season Rickard Ekman Reporter at SVT Sport in Sweden ISSUEISSUE What questions and reporting Not many years ago, my view on disabled sports was the ordinary “It’s good methods are considered ap- that ‘they’ do their thing, but still, ‘they’ propriate for broadcasters and are quite few and don’t really measure journalists when interviewing up to the the standards of other sports- athletes with an impairment? men and women. Niklas Ingvarsson Then, coincidentally, I was assigned Background Four-time Paralympian on Sweden’s ice sledge hockey team to go cover the Paralympics in 2004, Broadcasters and journalists in the past and after that in both 2008 and 2010. have sometimes been hesitant about the competition, how we prepare ourselves or my how to discuss athletes with an impair- I’ve noticed a big change dur- thoughts about the sport. After witnessing the skills of the ment at the elite level. They have often ing the years in how the atti- Paralympians, and the growth of the wondered what questions, language and tude toward disabled athletes It’s actually quite simple – you just ask the ques- Para lympc Movement toward a tougher terms are considered appropriate, and has made a turn in a positive tions you would ask any top athlete. attitude and more media coverage, my how much they should focus on the ath- direction. views have changed. lete’s impairment compared to his or Of course, maybe you need to ask a little more her ability. The focus has gradually about how the sport is done or how the sledges In particular, my views on ice sledge hockey changed changed from reporting about after trying myself in Malmo, Sweden, about 10 years are built or what material the sticks are made of. The second angle is that of a journalist or reporter. our disability to reporting about ago. I came to the ice thinking I had balance and would This is OK and shows that a reporter’s interested, When I work as a reporter I am looking for good be fi ne because I was a good skater, but I found myself the coolest sport on ice – sledge hockey. but they shouldn’t overdo this part. stories, and this is where the Paralympians really totally helpless. stand out. Apart from their sporting skills, many of Also, the total amount of media reporting has in- Those are questions necessary to ask that you them have amazing backgrounds which are con- Since then, ice sledge hockey has developed even fur- creased dramatically. Para-sport has gone from don’t have to ask to an able-bodied hockey player. nected to their disability. What the ther. The players are fi the backyard to being seen as really interesting tter and the game is faster, and de- Paralympians have gone through, serves to attract more space in broadcasts. news, and people’s tone towards me as a player When it comes to questions about disabilities, I re- by birth or accident, is nothing to has changed in the same way. ally don’t mind, as long as you remember that the be ashamed of. NEXT STOP: SOCHI 2014 disability and the sad or heroic story about my life But how should the journalists address the athletes? What is not the big story. terms are appropriate? As an athlete who just has performed in a com- On the contrary, Paralympians Italy, South Korea and Sweden swept up petition, I want to be recognised as an athlete. If I should be proud of who they are. the last three Sochi 2014 spots at the IPC It can be a smaller part of a background portrait, I would prefer to look at it from two angles. have done well, that’s great. If I have done badly, I Ice Sledge Hockey Qualifi cation Tourna- want to have to answer why, and what didn’t work but the big news is always the performance on To say it bluntly, their disabilities are First, live broadcasters. When commentators follow a ment in Torino, Italy, in October. Rickard out well. the ice. their brand, they are not fake. There game, there are very few reasons to discuss who has Ekman and his SVT crew gave the Swed- is no reason to try to hide their re- this or that disability, unless it makes a diff ish success story national coverage back It’s all about the performance. Good questions ality. the ice. When we follow sledge hockey, the players home on TV and online. are those about how my team or I practice before erence on should be treated by broadcasters like any other top So, they should be proud of it, and athletes. the ice sledge hockey players headed to Sochi next year should arrive with their genuine smile.

CONCLUSION There is no doubt a para-athlete’s impairment is part of his or her story, and should be included in media coverage, but it’s his or her achievements and performances that should steal the headlines. 36 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 UPCOMING EVENTS UPCOMING EVENTS THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 37 Hitting the slopes With the IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup and IPCAS Snowboard World Cup both underway for the 2013-14 season, see what equipment some of the Ones to Watch athletes are bringing with them on the slopes. Evan Strong Both Henrieta Farkasova and Evan Strong share, in their own words, what will be packed in their bags. Snowboard, USA The World Cup champion and X-Games gogoldld memedallistdallist hashas beenbeen HELMETHELMEET consistentlytly ranked No. 1 inin the To mmakeake ssusureree yyourouo r brbrainsainss sstaysttaysy inn yyouroour sksskull.ull.l SKIS Henrieta Farkasova world on thehe road to SSochiochi 2014.2014. Alpine skiing, Slovakia An oobviousbvioousu necessitynece essity forfor thetheh sport.sporo tt.. TheThe three-time visually impaired HELMETHELMET ParalympicParalympic championchampion isis expected NoticeNoN ticec tthehee mmicrophoneiccrorophhone on mmyy to gogo head-to-head on the slopes speciallysppecially dedesignedesignede helmethele memet sos I SNOWBOARDSSNOWBOARD this season with her Russian rivalrival,, cancan communicatecommunicata e withwith mymy guguide.uide. My quiverquiver of ccustomustom rrace boards, AlexandraAlexandra FFrantseva.rantseva. so I ccanan bbee prppreparedeppara ede to ﬂ y in any GOGGLESGOGGLES snowsnoww cconditions.onnditiono s.s Yes,Yes, eevenven visuallyvisually impairedimppaia red skiers s kiers needneed tthese,heesee, as theythey hehelplp rreduceeduce theththe gglare.larre.e GOGGLESLES A good pairair of ggogglesogglese aarere aann essential, becauseuse iiff yoyyouu cacannotnnnot see, you’re not gogoinginng to bbee abaablele to ride fast.st.

MY GUIDEGUIDE NataliaNatataliia SubrtovaSuSSubrtobrrtova hashass beenbeeen withwith me tthroughhrough itit allall andand willwiw ll bebe nextnen xtt to mmee on tthehe ppodiumodium in Sochi.Soco hi. BINDINGSDINGSS Since I havehaveve a prostheticprooststheetit c leg,leegg, I wedge my hheeleeeel off mmyy bindingbiinndini g so I can get thee lleverageeve errage to railraaiil turns.

BOOTSBOOTS BOOTSOOTS TheseThese flashyfllashyy pinkpink andanand whitewhwhite bootsbooto s willwiw lll dodo justjjuust thethehe tricktrick fforor mmee You neednen edd toto havehah ve somesomo e stiffststiffff andannd as I sspeedpeed ppastast yoyou.u. supportiveorrtive bootsboots toto beb ableablb e to drive yoyourur ssnowboard.nowboard.

IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup IPCAS SnowboardSnowboard WorldWorld CCupup 17-20 January: Copper Mountain, USA 3-6 February: St. Moritz, Switzerland 17-19 January: Copper Mountain, USA 2 February: Rogla, Slovenia 27-31 January: Tignes, France 24-27 February: Tarvisio, Italy (World Cup Finals) 25-26 January: Big White, Canada 6 February: Maribor, Slovenia 10-12 February: La Molina, Spain (World Cup Finals) www.ipc-alpineskiing.org /IPCAlpineSkiing @IPCAlpine 38 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 GUEST COLUMN: ALEKSY KANIUKA THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 39 Aleksy Kaniuka Nationality: Argentinian Title: Table tennis player Most-well known for: Winning a silver and a bronze at the 2013 Youth Parapan American Games

y name is Aleksy Kaniuka. I training with the adapted table tennis na- am 16 years old and I live in tional team. Buenos Aires, Argentina, and I was born with myelomenin- In October, I ﬁ nally participated in the Youth gocele and hydrocephalus, a Parapan Games with incredible results, as Mtype of spina biﬁ da. Since I was very young I won a bronze medal in the singles Class 7 I’ve loved sports and my parents always took event and a silver medal in the team event. me to practice. Aleksy Kaniuka’s view Taking part in the Games was an excellent experience for me, because in a tournament of Why the this magnitude, I acquired a lot of experience due to the quality and quantity of players that Youth Games are were present in my category. a segway to the I would also like to mention how exciting it was to wear the shirt of my country along with Paralympics the pressure to know that I was responsible to represent it well.

In 2009, I started my career in table tennis in From my point of view, it is good to intro- Cedima, and stayed there exclusively train- duce us teenagers to Paralympic sport from ing until September 2010, when I was called a young age, as this will inﬂ ict upon us the to start training at the CENARD’s school of importance of the Paralympic Movement development with the goal to participate in early on. this year’s Youth Parapan American Games in Buenos Aires. The Paralympic Games require a strong commitment from the athletes, so it is necessary Last year, I played my ﬁ rst international tour- to pass through the Youth Parapan Games to nament, the Copa Tango, and got a bronze test us, as it’s like a version of the Paralym- medal in the team event. This year I started pics for developing athletes. WORLDWIDE PARALYMPIC PARTNERS

INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS

There were 220 sets of medals awarded at the 2013 Parapan American Youth Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina 40 THE PARALYMPIAN 03|2013 OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE PARALYMPIC MOVEMENT ISSUE NO. 3 | 2013

“ To enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and inspire and excite the world.”

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