The Paralympian 01|2014 1 Official Magazine of the Paralympic Movement Issue No

THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 1 OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE PARALYMPIC MOVEMENT ISSUE NO. 1 | 2014

Celebrating 25 years of the International Paralympic Committee • 1989-2014 www.paralympic.org

Paralympic Winter Games Special Edition

RZ_Paralympian_01_2014_title_final.indd 1 09.02.14 20:34 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 3

“We must ensure that the athletes remain at the heart of the Movement and that everything we do contributes toward the IPC vision.”

Welcome to the fi rst edition of The Paralympian of ■ World and regional events – increase the stand- 2014, a signifi cant year for the Paralympic Move- ard of sporting events between Games. ment for, on 22 September, the IPC will celebrate its silver jubilee. Before October’s event, we have a busy sporting calendar ahead of us which includes March’s When you look at the size and scale of the Paralym- Paralympic Winter Games and 11 World Champion- pic Movement today, it is hard to believe what has ships in summer sports. been achieved in the last 25 years. The Sochi 2014 Games, which are previewed in this The IPC now boasts over 200 proud members, acts edition, are set to be the biggest ever in terms of ath- as the international federation for nine sports and letes and sporting disciplines. Thanks to a number is responsible for the world’s third-largest sport- of new and enhanced broadcast agreements, they ing event, selling millions of tickets and attracting are also set to break all viewing records, exceeding billions of TV viewers. the fi gures set by Vancouver 2010.

A lot has been achieved in a limited timeframe, and The stars of the show in Sochi will be the ath- every single IPC member should be proud of their letes and, as we embark on a busy year, we must contribution to this fantastic success. ensure that athletes remain at the heart of the Movement and that everything we do contributes We should not sit back on our laurels, however. toward the IPC vision: ‘To enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and inspire and That is why this October I have invited the whole excite the world.’ IPC membership to Berlin for a three-day confer- ence. Although we will rightly celebrate the achieve- I hope you enjoy this copy of the magazine, which ments of the last 25 years whilst there, the main aim also includes the regular mixture of news and of the event is to share, discuss and debate ideas features. about how the IPC and Paralympic Movement can enjoy even greater success over the next quarter Enjoy the Games. of a century.

To achieve this, I believe three key areas are funda- mental to future growth: ■ Athlete development – increase the number of athletes and countries practicing para-sport ■ Paralympic Games – maintaining the momen- Sir Philip Craven, MBE tum generated by London 2012 IPC President 4 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 CONTENTS CONTENTS THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 5

0066 3366

30 1122 2244

06 PARALYMPIC NEWS 10 #ASKANATHLETE 12 SOCHI 2014 SPECIAL

The latest news in the Paralympic Movement Canada’s Sonja Gaudet and Sweden’s Jalle A complete preview of the Sochi 2014 covers the NHK Paralympic broadcast deal Jungnell weigh in on the Sochi 2014 wheel- Paralympic Winter Games, including a day- in Japan, Iran’s National Paralympic Week chair curling competition. by-day viewer’s guide and an insight into each and BP’s support of the African Wheelchair of the sports on the Paralympic programme. Basketball Championships.

24 FEATURE: RECIPE 32 ISSUE OF THE SEASON 34 UPCOMING EVENTS FOR GOLD

Take a journey with some of the world’s top What are the best ways for National Para- The IPC Athletics season kicks off with the visually impaired athletes to see how they lympic Committees in the Americas region second year of the Grand Prix, while several adapt to their sports by using guides on a to experience growth in the lead-up to the other summer sports are set to stage World daily basis for training and competition. Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games and Championships. Rio 2016 Paralympics?

30 WORLD SPORT 36 FUTURE GAMES 38 GUEST COLUMN ROUNDUP

Take a look back at the IPC Nordic Skiing Brazil marked 1,000 days to go until the Rio IPC Athletes’ Council member and Dutch sit- World Cup and IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport 2016 Paralympics and IPC staff held a Para- ting volleyball player Elvira Stinissen shares World Championships lympic Orientation Seminar for the Tokyo why athletes deserve a voice in the Paralym- 2020 Games. pic Movement’s decisions. Russia’s Roman Petushkov celebrates winning both the biathlon and cross-country skiing portions of the 2013-14 IPC Nordic Skiing World Cup

THE PARALYMPIAN CONTACT IMAGES

Editor Craig Spence International Paralympic Committee © Photo Credits: Assistant Editor Stuart Lieberman Adenauerallee 212-214 Sochi 2014 (p. 1/10/13/14/15/17/19/21/22/23/40), Luc Percival D-53113 Bonn, Germany Photography (p. 1/4/5/6/7/15/16/18/20/22/24/25/26/31/34), Art Editors Yosof Rohesh and Hockey Canada (p. 1/11/17/22/30), IPC (p. 3/33/37/38), Natalia Dannenberg-Spreier Tel. +49 228 2097-200 Fax +49 228 2097-209 NPC Iran (p. 5/6), AECOM (p. 5/36), Getty Images (p. 7/8/17/28/31/ Graphic Design designfee Bianca Werninghaus 34/35/37), ITTF (p.8), BP (p. 9), istockphoto (p. 9/13/32), [email protected] Edo Jungerius (p. 17), Joe Kusumoto (p. 19), Pam Doyle (p. 21), Printing welzel + hardt GmbH www.paralympic.org Richard Gray (p. 23), Allianz (p. 27), x-1 (p. 30/31), All rights reserved PRINT NPC Equador (p. 32), Alex Ferro (p. 36), PHOTO KISHIMOTO (p. 37), The views expressed in The Paralympian are not necessarily those of the IPC. In case of republication of any part of The Paralympian, please © 2013 International Paralympic Committee send a copy to the IPC. The publisher reserves the right to edit submitted articles. The International Paralympic Committee endeavours to Silke Schwarz (p. 38) be as current and accurate as possible with this publication, aiming to treat all readers with courtesy and respect. We can not guarantee ISSN 1609-1329 however that the information contained in this publication is complete and accurate in all respects and readers are taken to understand Print compensated and agree to this disclaimer upon reading any part of The Paralympian. No infringe-ments upon any law, including sport regulations, from Id-No. 1435608 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: Japan’s Takeshi Suzuki, Russia’s Mikhalina Lysova, Great Britain’s guide Charlotte Evans, Canada’s Greg Westlake and Russia’s Roman Petushkov are all athletes to keep your eyes on at Sochi 2014 6 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 PARALYMPIC NEWS PARALYMPIC NEWS THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 7

IPC launches ‘All About Ability’ video NHK to show Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 Tasker replaces Hartung as APC President

At 19, Japan’s Yui Kamiji is Prior to his adminstrative carerr, Greg Hartung worked a rising star as a journalist in wheelchair tennis After serving for 16 years, Greg Hartung retired from his post as the President of the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) and Glenn Tasker was elected to ﬁ ll the role.

Hartung guided the APC through a period of The IPC awarded the exclusive broadcast rapid growth which saw it become one of the rights in Japan for the Sochi 2014 and Rio leading National Paralympic Committees in Athletes such as French rowers Perle Boughe and Stephane Tardieu, left, and Russian football 7-a-side player Viacheslav Larionov, right, 2016 Paralympics to the country’s only pub- the world. During Hartung’s leadership, Aus- are helping to break barriers and open doors for people with an impairment, which is showcased in the IPC’s new video lic broadcaster, NHK. tralia competed at eight Paralympic Games, fi nishing fi fth or higher at each of the summer To mark the UN Day of Persons with Disabilities sport development, and increased commer- arm, is doing to create sport opportunities This is part of Japan’s commitment to push Games. He was elected as an IPC Govern- on 7 December, the IPC launched a new video cial support and media coverage. for all. The theme of the day, “Break Barriers, the Paralympic Movement forward in the ing Board Member in 2001 and became Vice called “All About Ability,” which celebrates Open Doors,” provided developing nations lead-up to hosting the Tokyo 2020 Games. the Sochi Games. For Rio 2016, the high- President in 2009, a position he held until para-athletes’ contributions as agents of It ends with the call to action that “Together a chance in the spotlight, as they do not lights shows will be extended to one hour retiring from the role last November. change in the communities they live. we are spreading a message of respect and always get the chance to showcase their work NHK plans to broadcast more than 29 hours each day of competition. equal opportunity for all individuals.” because of a lack of resources and low aware- of coverage from Sochi and 46 hours from Tasker, an APC Board Member since 2008, The fi lm looks back on the history of the Para- ness of para-sport locally. Rio on two free-to-air terrestrial TV chan- NHK also has the option to broadcast World has more than 23 years of experience in lympic Movement and celebrates the mile- The video also highlights the work that the nels. Championships staged by IPC sports be- sports administration and served as the stones achieved in athlete participation, Agitos Foundation, the IPC’s development wwebeb >> www.bit.ly/AllAboutAbility tween now and the end of 2016, including Swimming Competition Manager at the In addition, NHK will show live coverage of athletics, swimming, alpine skiing, Nordic Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games the Opening Ceremony and will screen daily skiing and ice sledge hockey. before acting as the Chief Executive Offi cer of Iran celebrate National Paralympic Week 30-minute highlights programmes during Swimming Australia from 2001-2008.

Iran held their country’s ﬁ rst National Paralympic Week in December, During the week, athletes intro- which involved thousands of children with an impairment in cultural, duced para-sports in schools, MAKING A DAY OF IT social and sport events across seven days. The aim of the festival was universities and to the media, Starting in 2014, every 16 to encourage more people to take part in para-sport, particularly at and a series of events focusing October will officially be the grassroots level. on women in sport were run to “National Paralympic Day” increase female participation in Iran, which will motivate Alpine skier Takeshi Suzuki Funding for the festival came from the Agitos Foundation’s Grant numbers. The ﬁ rst Asian Women people with an impairment to is hoping to medal for Japan at Support Programme, which gave EUR 630,000 to development in Sport Committee was held, get involved in para-sport and the Sochi 2014 Paralympics projects around the world in 2013. with members meeting politi- raise awareness for the Para- cians to see how they could pro- lympic Movement in Iran. vide women with more para-sport opportunities in the region.

The week culminated at Tehran’s Azadi Sport Complex, where more than 8,000 children and their families celebrated para- sport with presidents of national federations, football players, Olympians and ﬁ lm stars. The event was shown live on national Glenn Tasker also serves on the IPC Swimming Sport television. Technical Committee 8 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 PARALYMPIC NEWS PARALYMPIC NEWS THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 9

Croatia take interest in ice sledge hockey

NPC Croatia held a presentation for all its sport organisations in 1 Austria 6 Germany 12 Poland November to offi cially introduce ice sledge hockey to the country. 2 Canada 7 Great Britain 13 Russia The NPC is now working to pick out potential players and will begin 3 Czech 8 Italy 14 Slovakia Republic on-ice training for the ﬁ rst time in early 2014. 9 Japan 15 South Korea 4 Estonia 10 Netherlands 16 Sweden wwebeb >> www.ipc-icesledgehockey.org 5 Finland 11 Norway 17 USA

Dutch S14 swimmer Marc Evers hopes to wow his home crowds in Eindhoven Countries practicing ice sledge hockey:

Mexico to stage Para- Swimmers to return to Eindhoven 16

Cycling Track Worlds for European Championships 11 5 13

2 4 The UCI announced that the 2014 Para- The 2014 IPC Swimming European Championships will be held from 4-10 August in Cycling Track World Championships will take Eindhoven, the Netherlands, at Pieter van den Hoggenband stadium, the same venue 7 12 place from 10-13 April at the Bicentenary that hosted the 2010 World Championships. 10 14 Velodrome in Aguascalientes, Mexico. 6 1 3 Five hundred athletes from 40 countries are expected to compete, including Great 17 8 With two velodromes, the city has a long- Britain’s three-time world champion Ellie Simmonds, Russia’s fi ve-time Paralym- 15 9 standing history in staging track events and pic champion Oxana Savchenko and the Netherlands’ three-time world champion is located at an altitude of 1,887 metres in Marc Evers. Sponsored feature central Mexico. The Championships will be the fi rst major ITTF holds fi rst Star Awards para-cycling track event since the London BP supports African Wheelchair Basketball Championships 2012 Paralympics. China’s Ma Lin and Sweden’s Anna- New Zealand’s Phillipa Carin Ahlquist were presented as BP Angola reaffi rmed its commitment to para-sports by providing African and Angolan Para- Gray and Laura Thompson 2013 Para-Male and Para-Female fi nancial support so that the IWBF African Wheelchair Basketball lympic Committee Presi- are rising in the para- cycling rankings in the Table Tennis Stars, respectively, Championships could take place in Luanda. Cairo was the intended dent Leonel de Rocha visually impaired class at January’s inaugural ITTF Star host city of the event, but due to unrest in Egypt, an alternative Pinto said: “It is an honour Awards at the Raffl es Hotel in Dubai, location was sought at short notice. for us to once again have United Arab Emirates. the support of BP Angola, The well-attended event was organised by the Angolan Paralympic which opens a new page Organised in co-operation with the Committee, and the popularity of wheelchair basketball in Angola in our successful partner- Dubai Sports Council, the awards has grown since a national league was formed last year. This was ship history, and is also a attracted the who’s who of the table enabled by BP Angola’s donation of 100 wheelchairs. very important moment tennis world, and was an event of in the lives of the athletes Sweden’sSweden Anna-Carin Ahlquist, right, has been unbeaten glitz and glamour. themselves.” inin table tennist singles since the London 2012 Paralympics Lin wowonn gold in the singles Class 9 event at the 2013 Asian Championships, in addition BP has been an offi cial partner of the Angolan Paralympic Commit- to winwinningn team gold and singles silver earlier in the year at the Korean Open. tee since 2011, and the co-operation will continue beyond the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. BP also sup- Ahlquist,Ahlquis unbeaten since she won the London 2012 Paralympics, is world No. 1 in ports a number of local Paralympic women’swomen singles Class 3. In 2013, she won singles golds at the European Champion- athletes, including Jose Armando ships, CopaC Tango Open, Slovenia Open and German Open, and both singles and team Sayovo, who won two medals for goldgold at the Italian Open. Angola at the London 2012 Paralympics – gold in the The SStarst were nominated by the ITTF Para-Division, and the ITTF Star Awards 400m T11 and bronze SelectionSelecti Commission then chose the deserving winners. in the 200m T11 – to add to his already In addadditioni to awarding the world’s best players for their achievements in 2013, the three gold and AwardsAwards also raised US $246,000 for ITTF’s corporate social responsibility program, With a fi rst-place fi nish at the IWBF African Men’s three silvers from Dream Building, which will be used for para-table tennis, development and junior table Wheelchair Basketball Championships, Algeria qualifi ed Athens 2004 and for the 2014 World Championships tennistennis initiatives. Beijing 2008. 10 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 ASK AN ATHLETE DIGITAL BONUS THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 11

The IPC actively encourages Sochi 2014 athletes, staff and With the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games upon us, defending Paralympic Get social at attendees to embrace social media to share their life-changing gold medallist Sonja Gaudet and silver medallist Jalle Jungnell hype up the wheelchair experiences with the world. Social media is an incredible tool curling competition. Sochi 2014 for the Paralympic Movement, as #ProudParalympians can act as ambassadors to inspire and excite the world through their MEDALS TABLE sporting achievements and spread a message of inclusion.

World Paralympics Championships Here is a taste of what you can expect on social media at Sonja Gaudet Sochi 2014:

Jalle Jungnell Google Hangouts The IPC will allow fans to get closer to their Samsung Paralympic Bloggers Paralympic heroes with Google Hangouts, Sonja Gaudet Jalle Jungnell Following on from its success at London 2012, which are live video calls that allow athletes vs. the Samsung Paralympic Bloggers project will to be interviewed by a moderator. Fans can continue in Sochi, as 30 Paralympians will be interact by posting their questions, which ath- given a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to share their letes will attempt to answer live. challenges and victories from behind the scenes. Get social! Watch live on the IPC’s Google+ In London, 50 Paralympians recorded almost rst or YouTube page. Use the Q&A app to ask the 700 behind-the-scenes video blogs for the ﬁ athletes questions. time at a major sporting event.

For team Sweden, this is the fi rst time +paralympics Each Paralympics is unique to itself, What will make Sochi 2014 that we don’t have our preparations Once again, the campaign will have an accompa- and I am looking forward to living in an destroyed by health problems. I expect nying fi lm, which Samsung hopes will trump the incredible athletes’ Village and diff erent from the other the Games to be extraordinary, special lm “Sport Doesn’t Care,” competing in the great venue that they virality of the London fi and diff erent, as they always are and ve million peo- have prepared for us. Paralympics you have competed in? have been since my fi rst ones. which was viewed by more the fi ple on YouTube. How much the ice conditions eff ect the level of the game. Without sweeping, it That there’s no sweeping in our sport, #Paralympics and #Proud Paralympian What is something people becomes so much more obvious when you Get social! Share the blogs on social media or embed them on your because as soon as you mention curling, are short, or a little bit off direction on they automatically think about the do not normally know about website. All blogs will be uploaded to the IPC’s YouTube channel. In 2012, #Paralympics was the top trending hashtag on delivery. An able-bodied player can save sweeping and the yelling. Twitter for any sport event in Great Britain, outranking the wheelchair curling? many stones by sweeping and adjust for an imperfect delivery. ParalympicSport.TV #Olympics. In order for it to have similar success in 2014, all fans are encouraged to get behind the hashtag. I am focused on the broom, and I only As little as possible. I try to never think have a couple of thoughts going through What goes through your mind Opening CeremonCeremony Th Thunderclap about the importance of making the Athletes are encouraged to use #ProudParalympian to raise aware- my mind – the weight of the shot I need as you are delivering a stone stone, rather just focus on direction, to deliver and the area where I need my Get social! ness for the Games and Movement, establish themselves as am- weight and rotation. At exactly 20:14 (MSK) on 7 March stone to end up in. on the ice? there will be an IPC Thunderclap on social media bassadors for change and stimulate discussions about people when the Games offi with an impairment. The stipulated ice is what we like, and cially open. This is a group that is four-foot curl and 14-second draw social post, that when posted together will have It is 13.5-second draw weight What are the perfect

#AskAnAthlete weight. But, as a skip, I don’t mind a and 2.5 feet of curl. a greater impact. View the website to obtain a Get social! Use #Paralympics in all of your tweets related to ice conditions? little tricky ice that makes it more of a social media post suggested for you. the Games, and if you are an athlete use #ProudParalympian. challenge. You can also add a #Paralympics Twibbon to your proﬁ le picture. During a tournament you don’t celebrate. wwebeb With my teammates, good food, How do you celebrate You talk about the game and discuss it >> www.bit.ly/SochiThunderclap good wine and music. so that you can get the game out of your after a win? system and focus on the next game. /Paralympic Games +=

Wheelchair curling at Sochi 2014 @Paralympic Dates: 7-16 March Location: Ice Cube Curling Centre in Sochi, Russia Paralympics wwebeb >> Twibbon.com/support/love-paralympics

wwebeb >> www.WorldCurling.org

Want to follow the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee? @Sochi2014 #ProudParalympian /Sochi2014 12 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 SOCHI 2014 SPECIAL SOCHI 2014 SPECIALTHE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 13 Road to Sochi The Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games are expected to be the biggest Winter Games in history and will be broadcast on more televisions around the world than any to date. From 7-16 March, many of the winter Paralympians 72 mentioned in the forthcoming pages will aim to become household names. medal events 1,500 20 5 Russian states venues involved in 550 barrier-free members of the projects press attending 5 sports Torchbearers will carry the Sochi 2014 300 ﬂ ame through hours of live HD 46 Russian regions coverage on Paralympic.org 25,000 volunteers 585 athletes

9 44 days of competition countries

Paralympic Winter Games history

OOrnskoldsvikrnskoldsvik GGeiloeilo IInnsbrucknnsbruck InnsbruckInnsbruck TiTignes-Albertvillegnes-Albertville LillLillehammerehammer NNaganoagano SSaltalt LLakeake CiCityty TTorinoorino VVancouverancouver SochiSochi 19197676 19198080 19198484 19881988 19199292 19199494 19199898 20200202 20200606 20201010 2014 16 ccountriesountries 18 ccountriesountries 22 ccountriesountries 22 countriescountries 24 ccountriesountries 31 ccountriesountries 31 ccountriesountries 36 ccountriesountries 38 ccountriesountries 44 ccountriesountries 44 coucountriesntries 53 athletesathletes 222299 atathleteshletes 414199 atathleteshletes 377377 athletesathletes 365 atathleteshletes 474711 atathleteshletes 565611 atathleteshletes 414166 atathleteshletes 474744 atathleteshletes 505022 atathleteshletes 585585 atathletesthlettes 14 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 SOCHI 2014 SPECIAL SOCHI 2014 SPECIAL THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 15

take part in the relay across 46 Russian cities, with at least 20 per cent of these participants being people with an impairment. Paralympic Winter Games planner For the ﬁ rst time, there will be an international component of the relay, as a Flame Lighting Ceremony will take place on 1 March at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Great Britain, which was Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 the birthplace of the Paralympic Movement. It will then travel to several local landmarks before a Flame Celebration is held to Sport Fr Sa Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Su send it on its way to Sochi. 7 Mar 8 Mar 9 Mar 10 Mar 11 Mar 12 Mar 13 Mar 14 Mar 15 Mar 16 Mar

Each day, the fl ame will be lit simultaneously in several Russian Ceremonies Beginning on 26 February, the Paralympic Torch Relay will pass cities, and on 5 March a Paralympic Flame Unifi cation Ceremony through all eight of Russia’s federal districts prior to the Sochi will take place to create the offi cial Paralympic Flame that will be 2014 Opening Ceremony. More than 1,500 torchbearers will used in a fi nal relay before the Opening Ceremony on 7 March. Alpine skiing

Biathlon

Cross-country skiing

How much Ice sledge hockey does the Torch weigh? When was Wheelchair curling the ﬁ rst time 1.8kg Torch triviathe Paralympic Games did not share the same Flame as the When did the Olympic Games? ﬁ rst Paralympic Torch Relay take place? Opening Ceremony Friday, 7 March Day 1 Saturday, 8 March Atlanta 1996 Seoul 1998 Paralympic Paralympic Games Games

How many editions of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Torch are being produced? e Sochi 2014 Paralympics will begin with the Opening Must-see! Alpine skiing: Men’s downhill visually impaired Ceremony at the Fisht Olympic Stadium at 20:14 local time. 1,000 Spectators and viewers will enjoy a night of Russian culture Competition begins in four of the fi ve sports. On the slopes, and entertainment. alpine skiers in all classes will take part in the downhill discipline, including defending Paralympic champions Jon Santacana Maiztegui of Spain and Alana Nichols of the USA. e Nordic skiing trails will feature the men’s 7.5km and women’s 6km biathlon distances in all classes, and eight wheelchair curling round-robin matches will play out, beginning with China against Russia. All eight ice sledge hockey teams will play their fi rst preliminary round games, with the Russia- South Korea late game expected to highlight the fi rst day. 16 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 SOCHI 2014 SPECIAL SOCHI 2014 SPECIAL THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 17

Day 2 Sunday, 9 March Day 3 Monday, 10 March Day 6 Thursday, 13 March Day 7Friday, 14 March

Must-see! Wheelchair curling: Canada vs. Sweden Must-see! Alpine skiing: Women’s super-G sitting Must-see! Ice sledge hockey: Semi-ﬁ nals Must-see! Snowboard: Men’s and women’s snowboard cross medal events

Cross-country skiing begins with the men’s 15km and women’s Slovakia’s Henrieta Farkasova and Austria’s Claudia Loesch e top four teams from the preliminary round will face off Snowboard will make its Paralympic debut in the morning at 10km sitting events, as Russia’s Irek Zaripov, the defending will aim to defend their Paralympic titles in the women’s in the ice sledge hockey semi-fi nals, which, if matchups go Rosa Khutor, as the USA’s Evan Strong and the Netherlands’ Paralympic champion in the former, goes against compatriot and visually impaired and sitting super-G alpine skiing events, according to seeding would pit Canada against Russia and Bibian Mentel-Spee head out to the slopes as the ones to world champion Roman Petushkov. In wheelchair curling, Para- with France’s six-time world champion Marie Bochet the USA against the Czech Republic. But as we know, any- beat. e sport is expected to draw a lot of attention as one lympic and world champions Canada will face world silver medal- tipped for gold in the standing class. Rivalries will play out thing can happen. Alpine skiers across all men’s classes will of the highlights of the Games in Sochi. Alpine skiers across lists Sweden in arguably the most highly anticipated round-robin in wheelchair curling with matches that pit China against perform two slalom runs, with Slovakia’s Jakub Krako and all women’s classes will compete in the slalom, and any po- match. Norway’s game against Canada will highlight the ice sledge South Korea, Canada against USA and Finland against New Zealand’s Adam Hall hoping to defend their titles in the tential wheelchair curling tie-breaker matches needed will take hockey schedule for the day, while on the slopes, the men’s super-G Norway. Cross-country skiing continues with the men’s and men’s visually impaired and standing classes. e fi nal day of place at the Ice Cube Curling Centre. Ice sledge hockey’s fi fth alpine skiing races will be contested across all classes. women’s classic standing and visually impaired events. wheelchair curling round-robin matches will see a tough test and seventh-place games will also be played. for the host nation against Slovakia, while the Sweden-South Korea matchup could also turn into battle.

Day 4 Tuesday, 11 March Day 5 Wednesday, 12 March Day 8 Saturday, 15 March Day 9 Sunday, 16 March

Must-see! Biathlon: Women’s 10km standing Must-see! Cross-country skiing: Men’s and women’s Must-see! Ice sledge hockey: Gold-medal match Must-see! Closing Ceremony Ice sledge hockey: Russia vs. USA 1k sprint (all classes) Wheelchair curling: Gold-medal match

A much-anticipated showdown is expected at the Shayba With alpine skiers having their only day off during the Games, All the hype will surround the Costal Cluster of venues, as the Competition concludes with women’s alpine skiers racing Arena on the fi nal day of ice sledge hockey preliminary play, action continues on the Nordic trails, as the men’s and team sports culminate with the medal matches in ice sledge for giant slalom medals across all classes, as France’s world with Paralympic champions and world silver medallists USA women’s 1km sprint races take place across all three classes. hockey and wheelchair curling. Canada head into both sports champion Marie Bochet and Germany’s Andrea Rothfuss go facing world bronze medallists and host nation Russia. On In a busy day, athletes will compete in the qualifi cation as the No. 1 seed, and if everything falls into place, they could head-to-head in the standing class and Great Britain’s Kelly the second day of biathlon, Russians Nikolay Polukhin and rounds for the event, followed by the semi-fi nals and fi nals. potentially sweep the team events. Earlier in the day, Russia Gallagher challenges Russia’s world champion Aleksandra Grigory Murygin hope to wow the home crowds in the men’s Paralympic champions Brian McKeever and Oleksandra will aim to ramp up the home crowds in the 4x2.5km mixed Frantceva in the visually impaired class. Cross-country ski- 12km races, while on the women’s side Ukrainians Iuliia Kononova will look to defend their titles in the event. In and open cross-country skiing relays. ing will fi nish with the men’s 10km and women’s 5km races Batenkova and Oleksandra Kononova could complete a ice sledge hockey, there will be classifi cation games for across all classes, and then the Games will culminate with the one-two fi nish in the standing class. Alpine skiing will feature fi fth through eighth-place teams and the wheelchair curling Closing Ceremony at the Fisht Olympic Stadium. all super combined events, with wheelchair curling showcas- schedule includes seven more round-robin matches. ing seven more round-robin matches.

18 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 SOCHI 2014 SPECIAL SOCHI 2014 SPECIALTHE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 19

VANCOUVER 2010 Total

Germany 744 15 Canada 643 13 Alpine skiingSlovakia 623 11 Snowboard

as well as Kelly Gallagher, who will attempt to snowboard cross and on her way to qualify- AT A GLANCE win Great Britain’s fi rst-ever gold at a Winter AT A GLANCE ing for the 2002 Olympics before losing her Venue: Rosa Khutor Alpine Centre Paralympics. Slovakians Jakub Krako and Venue: Rosa Khutor Alpine Centre lower right leg to cancer. Medal events: 30 Henrieta Farkasova could be the toughest Medal events: 2 Athletes: 200 challengers for them, with the host nation’s Athletes: 50 The USA’s Amy Purdy – a former Amazing Classifi cation: Aleksandra Frantceva also one to watch. Classifi cation: Race contestant – and Heidi Jo Duce will Sitting: Athletes with a leg impairment and Only athletes with leg impairments, such as am- challenge the Dutch favourite for the top spot decreased or no trunk function In sit-skiing, Japanese duo Taiki Morii and putations above the ankle, stiff ness of the ankle on the podium. or knee joint or muscle weakness, can compete Standing: Athletes with a leg, arm or com- Takeshi Suzuki have four Paralympic and 15 bined leg and arm impairments in Sochi in the one sport class off ered. World Championship medals between them, Visually impaired: Athletes who are blind or Paralympic Games debut: Sochi 2014 OONESNES TOTO WATCHWATCH have a restricted visual fi eld while on the women’s side the rivalry between Great Britain’s Charlotte Evans, left, guides Kelly Bibian Mentel-Spee, Netherlands Paralympic Games debut: Ornskoldsvik 1976 Germany’s Anna Schaff elhuber and Austria’s Gallagher Claudia Loesch is expected to play out in full. Snowboard is fi nally set to make its Paralym- Amy Purdy, USA pic Games debut in Sochi, with one medal Evan Strong, USA Alpine skiing will draw more participants than will be challenged by Germany’s four-time event being contested for men and one for With Taiki Morii and Takeshi Suzuki, any other sport at Sochi 2014, as athletes Paralympic medallist Andrea Rothfuss, who Japan expect to dominate the men’s women in the snowboard cross discipline. The Netherlands’ Bibian Mentel-Spee won the across the three sport classes compete in fi nished second to Bochet in all fi ve events sit-ski events women’s snowboard Test Event fi ve disciplines: downhill, super-G, super com- at last year’s World Championships. The sport features some of the most out- Strong, who won the Test Event and 2012 bined, giant slalom and slalom. going and adventurous athletes, including World Championships, grew up in Hawaii Germany’s 16-time Paralympic champion the USA’s Evan Strong and the Netherlands’ where the only ice is shaved and served in Athletes are grouped according to their func- Gerd Schoenfelder retired after Vancouver Bibian Mentel-Spee, who are expected to be cones or pina coladas. The X-Games gold tional ability, with factored timing allowing 2010, leaving the men’s standing competi- the ones to beat. medallist will receive the stiff est competition those with diff erent impairments to compete tion wide open, with France’s Vincent Gauth- in Sochi from fellow American Mike Shea, against each other. ier-Manuel, Austria’s Markus Salcher and along with New Zealand’s Carl Murphy and Switzerland’s Michael Bruegger the front- Canada’s Tyler Mosher. France’s 20-year-old Marie Bochet may be runners. the most dominant individual on the slopes The women’s competition is Mentel-Spee’s when she competes in the women’s standing The visually impaired races will feature to lose after winning the Test Event in a time events. She won fi ve golds at the 2013 IPC Spain’s triple-world champion Jon Sant- that would have earned her a silver medal in Alpine Skiing World Championships and one acana Maiztegui, who is trying to return the men’s race. The 41-year-old was actually at the 2011 edition of the event. In Sochi, she to form after tearing his Achilles tendon, a six-time Dutch champion in half-pipe and In Sochi, snowboard will be a discipline managed by IPC Alpine Skiing OONESNES TOTO WATCHWATCH Marie Bochet, France Michael Bruegger, Swizterland Andrea Rothfuss, Germany Henrieta Farkasova, Slovakia Aleksandra Frantceva, Russia DID YOU KNOW? Marie Bochet is Vincent Gauthier-Manuel, France Alpine skiing for people a six-time world Kelly Gallagher, Great Britain with an impairment began champion to develop after World War II, American Evan Strong’s Jakub Krako, Slovakia when wounded soldiers toughest challenger on the Sochi slopes may very well Claudia Loesch, Austria returning from the front wanted to be able to continue their be his own teammate, Mike DID YOU KNOW? Taiki Morii, Japan favourite sport. Shea Many of the snowboarders who Jon Santacana Maiztegui, Spain will be making their Paralympic debuts in Sochi Markus Salcher, Austria are former X-Games Anna Schaff elhuber, Germany medallists. Takeshi Suzuki, Japan 20 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 SOCHI 2014 SPECIAL

VANCOUVER 2010 Total VANCOUVER 2010 Total

Russia 796 22 Russia 574 16 Canada 311 5 Ukraine 334 10 Germany 310 4 Biathlon Germany 302 5 The biathlon results may look quite AT A GLANCE similar to those of cross-country skiing, as the Venue: Rosa Khutor Alpine Centre Russians are expected to repeat – and poten- Medal events: 18 tially better – their Vancouver 2010 success Teams: 170 in the sport, which will include sprint, middle Classifi cation: and long-distance events. Sitting: Athletes with a leg impairment and decreased or no trunk function In Sochi, they will be led by men’s visually Standing: Athletes with a leg, arm or com- impaired star Nikolay Polukhin, whose six Paralympic medals at Vancouver 2010 were DID YOU KNOW? bined leg and arm impairments Visually impaired: Athletes who are blind or the most of any athlete, as well as 19-year- Norway lead the all-time have a restricted visual fi eld old men’s sitting world champion Grigory Paralympic cross-country skiing medal count with Paralympic Games debut: Lillehammer 1994 Murygin. Polukhin, in particular, has 77 golds. dominated the IPC Nordic Skiing World Cup circuit the last four years and is at the prime of his career. Japan’s Kozo Kubo is climbing up the biathlon world rankings Both Canada’s Mark Arendz and Japan’s Kozo Kubo are in search of their fi rst Paralym- OONESNES TOTO WATCHWATCH pic medals after steadily rising in the men’s Mark Arendz, Canada standing and sitting ranks, respectively, the Olena Iurkovska, Ukraine last four years. Kozo Kubo, Japan Russia’s Roman Petushkov is the defending cross-country skiing world champion in three events but has yet to win a Entering her fourth Paralympics, Ukraine’s Grigory Murygin, Russia Paralympic gold Olena Iurkovska will look to dominate the Nikolay Polukhin, Russia women’s sitting events and add to her Ihor Reptyukh, Ukraine collection of three Paralympic biathlon golds. Cross-country skiing Russia’s Grigory Murygin will be just 19 when he makes his Paralympic debut

AT A GLANCE Venue: Laura Cross-Country Ski and Biathlon Centre Medal events: 20 Athletes: 170 Classifi cation: Sitting: Athletes with a leg impairment and decreased or no trunk function Standing: Athletes with a leg, arm or combined leg and arm impairments DID YOU KNOW? Visually impaired: Athletes who are blind or Russia’s Mikhalina Lysova is Russia’s top visually Canada’s Brian McKeever nearly qualifi ed for the Visually impaired biathletes have a restricted visual fi eld impaired athlete Olympics and Paralympics are assisted by acoustic signals Paralympic Games debut: Ornskoldsvik 1976 which, depending on signal two of the biggest individual medal winners. Brian McKeever, who just missed out on intensity, indicate when Double-world champion Lysova, guided by qualifying for the Olympics with Canada, is they are on target. After winning 56 medals, including 22 Alexey Ivanov, won a gold and two silvers in a seven-time Paralympic champion in the golds, at the 2013 IPC Nordic Skiing World Vancouver, while Petushkov dominated all visually impaired class and will be racing with Championships, the Sochi 2014 host distances at last year’s World Champion- his relatively new guide Erik Carleton for the nation is expected to shine the brightest in the ships. Lysova’s teammate, fi ve-time world fi rst time at the Paralympics. cross-country skiing events, which are champion Elena Remizova, might just be her being contested across three sport classes. biggest competition. OONESNES TOTO WATCHWATCH Racers will compete in sprint, middle and long- Iuliia Batenkova, Ukraine distance events as well as team relays. The Ukrainians will try to challenge the Russians with a contingent led by two strong Iryna Bui, Ukraine Russia dominated the sport at Vancou- women – Iryna Bui, who is a 17-year-old world Mikhalina Lysova, Russia ver 2010, and heading into Sochi, sit-skier champion, and Iuliia Batenkova, who is a nine- Brian McKeever, Canada Roman Petushkov and visually impaired skier time Paralympic medallist but still in search Roman Petushkov, Russia Norway’s Mariann Marthinsen won the Mikhalina Lysova have the potential to be of her fi rst gold. Elena Remizova, Russia IPC Nordic Skiing Test Event in 2013 22 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 SOCHI 2014 SPECIAL

VANCOUVER 2010 VANCOUVER 2010

USA Japan Norway Wheelchair curling Canada South Korea Sweden

In a fi eld of 10 mixed gender teams, Canada AT A GLANCE enter the competition as the defending Para- Venue: Ice Cube Curling Centre lympic and world champions. In fact, they DID YOU KNOW? Medal events: 1 are the only country to have won wheelchair Teams: 10 curling Paralympic gold since it was added Sochi 2014 will mark the 20th anniversary of Classifi cation: to the Games programme in 2006. Playing ice sledge hockey’s There is only one sport class, which is for in the lead position, Sonja Gaudet has been inclusion at the athletes with an impairment in their legs but not an integral part of those titles and is hoping Paralympic Games. their arms. to star again on the Sochi ice. Paralympic Games debut: Torino 2006 Paralympic bronze medallists Sweden, led by Jale Jungnell, hope to knock Canada off their pedestal after losing to them by a single point Canada celebrate after winning the 2013 world title in the fi nal at the 2013 World Wheelchair Curling Championships, which also served as the Sochi 2014 Test Event. The Chinese, OONESNES TOTO WATCHWATCH South Korean and Russian teams also have Sonja Gaudet, Canada the talent to be in the medal mix. Jalle Jungnell, Sweden Svetlana Pakhomova, Russia Great Britain, Finland, Norway, Slovakia and the USA make up the rest of the teams, who

South Korea’s Seung-Hwan Jung will play six days of round-robin matches prior is entering his second Paralympics to the semi-fi nals and medal matches. as the fastest player in the world South Korea won a shocking silver at Ice sledge hockey on ice Vancouver 2010 DID YOU KNOW? AT A GLANCE A wheelchair curling stone weighs Venue: Shayba Arena 19.96 kg. Medal events: 1 Teams: 8 Classifi cation: There is only one sport class, which is for athletes with an impairment in the lower part of their body that would prevent them from playing able-bodied ice hockey. Paralympic Games debut: Lillehammer 1994 Russia are ranked No. 3 in the world Canada’s Greg Westlake is arguably the top forward on ice The Sochi 2014 ice sledge hockey compe- his Paralympic debut behind the glass. No. 6 South Korea, anchored by Seung-Hwan tition is expected to showcase the deepest Norway and Sweden have participated at every Jung’s speed, and No. 7 Italy, led by Florian fi eld of teams yet, including reigning world Paralympics in the sport, and the Norwegians Planker’s powershot, round out the group. champions Canada, defending Paralympic have medalled at each of them. If veteran Neither team has medalled at the Paralym- champions USA and a much-improved squad defenceman Rolf Pedersen is still at the pics. from host nation Russia. top of his game, Norway may just reach the podium once again. OONESNES TOTO WATCHWATCH Top-seeded Canada, led by veteran forwards Brad Bowden, Canada Greg Westlake and Brad Bowden, will be Second-seeded USA, the current world Steve Cash, USA favoured in Group A, which also includes silver medallists, are eager to repeat their Seung-Hwan Jung, South Korea No. 4 Czech Republic, No. 5 Norway and Vancouver 2010 success and will lean on for- Dmitry Lisov, Russia No. 8 Sweden. Canada are out for revenge ward Josh Pauls, goaltender Steve Cash and after failing to make the podium at their home a contingent of war veterans in Group B. But Josh Pauls, USA Games four years ago. Dmitry Lisov and host nation No. 3 Russia Rolf Pedersen, Norway will not go down without a fi ght on their home Florian Planker, Italy

The Czechs will search for their ﬁ rst Para- ice, and look promising to medal after taking Greg Westlake, Canada Russia won the World Wheelchair lympic medal as head coach Jiri Briza makes bronze on the world stage in 2013. Curling Championships last in 2012

24 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 FEATURE: RECIPE FOR GOLD FEATURE:FEATURE:E: RECIPERREECCIPE FORFORR GOLDGOLD THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 25

Everything around me “will not be clear. The white snow and green trees will just be a blur of colours. Jakub Krako ”

ave you ever stuck your head out the window of a moving vehicle with your Heyes closed? Well, you should not try it, but that is what Slovakia’s Jakub Krako said he will be doing at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.

Not literally – just what the visually impaired alpine skier said it will feel like as he cruises down the slopes at 100km/hour behind his guide, former able-bodied skier Martin Motyka.

“I will only see my guide and one gate ahead of me,” Krako said. “Everything around me will not be clear. The white snow and green trees will just be a blur of colours.”

The three-time Paralympic champion is one of around 80 visually impaired athletes expected to take part in the Sochi 2014 Paralympics, and one of thousands around the world who take part in para-sport. 26 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 FEATURE: RECIPE FOR GOLD FEATURE: RECIPE FOR GOLD THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 27

The IPC’s International Partner Allianz has produced a series of infographics illustrating how visually impaired athletes take part in Paralympic sports.

Athletes with the most severe visual impairment wear blindfolds and use guides in biathlon

Eleven of the 27 Paralympic sports include IPC Classifi cation Committee member Scott Field said, noting that a blind person can still visually impaired athletes, yet have you ever Field, who is visually impaired and a seven- work out where the doors or walls are in a new stopped to think how these visually impaired time Paralympic swimming medallist from building they enter. athletes fi rst learned and experienced their South Africa, explained: sports? But in training, Field explained the most com- “If you’re blind from birth, not only are you mon way for athletes to develop is to observe starting off new in a particular sport, but others and imitate them. Visually impaired Adapting to their environment you’re also not 100 per cent sure about the athletes thus need a one-on-one coach or mechanics of the human body when doing guide when they fi rst start who can tell them The IPC classifi cation system everyday stuff . Thus, sometimes you might exactly how they should be moving. includes three sport classes fi nd completely blind people having bad for athletes with a visual im- mannerisms in just the way they walk or do “As a visually impaired person, you’re start- pairment: B1, B2 and B3. B1 physical activity at fi rst.” ing off at a slight disadvantage compared to is for athletes who are either where you would be as a fully sighted per- blind or have very low visual acuity, while From birth, a person with a visual impair- son,” Field said. “Depending on the sport, the B3 is for those with the least severe visual ment must familiarise themselves with sen- disadvantage can be bigger or smaller.” impairments. sory cues to adapt to everyday life. Despite their inability to see, they are still able to light That is where athlete guides come into play, An athlete’s natural athletic ability when up the visual cortex of their brain because assisting Paralympians such as Krako in he or she fi rst takes up sport may depend they have the capacity to focus more on their alpine and cross-country skiing, biathlon, on whether the impairment was innate or other sensory inputs. athletics and cycling. Other sports, such as acquired after birth. swimming, judo and football 5-a-side, include “They are seeing with their ears essentially,” visually impaired athletes but no guides. wwebeb >> www.sponsoring.allianz.com/en/paralympics/paralympics 28 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 FEATURE: RECIPE FOR GOLD FEATURE: RECIPE FOR GOLD THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 29

“I told him that he had to go as fast as I can, HOW DO YOU SKI VISUALLY not as he can. They are our races not his, and IMPAIRED? he learned that very quickly.” Find out through a video produced Much of that same trust between an athlete by Allianz, which features Slovakia’s and guide is seen in summer sports. Henrieta Farkasova and Spain’s Jon Santacana Maiztegui. Brazil’s three-time Paralympic champion wwebeb >> www.bit.ly/ sprinter Terezinha Guilhermina refers to her SkiVisuallyImpaired guide Guilherme Soares de Santana as an “automatic pilot” on the track because he is always in good shape and never seems to Krako parted ways with Juraj Medera – his get tired. guide of 10 years – following the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics, at which point he met But Soares de Santana, who has served as Motyka through a friend and tested out their Guilhermina’s guide since 2010, said she partnership on the slopes. wears him out, she just cannot see it.

The pair began by free skiing without gates “It’s a big responsibility,” Soares de Santana on smaller slopes, but after just three days said. “Whether or not she ends up being a Learning to trust their guide moved onto intermediate slopes to perfect champion, the responsibility is big because their co-ordination. I need to help her always to try to fi nish fi rst. Athlete guides are a criti- cal part of sport for visually “There is no time for learning,” Krako said. “My training is just as hard as Terezinha’s impaired athletes and are “You have to trust your guide. If you do not training. I need to be in such a good physical entitled to the same benefi ts trust him, then you have to change your conditioning to not interfere with her on the as the athlete, including a guide. It is dangerous to have an untrust- track.” medal of their own when they make it onto worthy guide. the podium. Recovering from crashes “You’ve got to have a dedicated one-on-one person showing you exactly what to do,” Field Even if an athlete trusts his or said. “You’re not just going to trust them that her guide 100 per cent, there they’re going to assist you, but that they’re is always room for human going to ensure you don’t get hurt. error, and in alpine skiing if an athlete crashes, the guide “It takes some confi dence, because you don’t is not allowed to help. know what you look like to the other people. Imagine going to a dance, and you have a In Krako’s second race with Motyka as his glass wall around you while you’re dancing guide, Motyka went silent over the radio just around the fl oor. You cannot see anyone else, before the fi nal gate on the slope, forgetting but they can all see you.” the word he was trying to think of.

In Krako’s case, he can see just a little bit Krako crashed. on the slopes, but locks his eyes onto the back of his guide, who instructs The accident is now a dis- him through a radio headset. Motyka tant and amusing memory Terezinha Guilhermina and guide Guilherme Soares de Santana have said they plan to compete at the Rio 2016 Games directs Krako on everything from for Krako, he said, in the upcoming gate sequence, in- addition to a learn- cluding where and when to turn, ing experience That incident made Motyka realise he could especially in the 400m event, as there are two me alone on the track because of an injury. to changes speed and terrain. Jakub Krako and former for the pair. potentially have Krako’s life in his hands at bends during the course of the race. It was the ﬁ rst time that I ran without a guide guide Juraj Medra won any time on the slopes, and that even Kra- by my side.” three golds at the Van- couver 2010 Paralympics ko’s family and friends must trust him entirely. That certainly proved to be the case at London 2012, where she became known Soares de Santana does not need to be “I hope they trust me. There is not any other for the multi-coloured blindfolds she wore frightened, though, as Guilhermina, just like choice,” Motyka said. “I try to not think about during competition. all visually impaired Paralympians, takes it that fact during the race, but rather concen- all in stride. trate on having a good performance.” “I think I now have the fear of Guilherme leaving me alone on the track in London,” “When I run, I’m free and there are no Guilhermina, meanwhile, said the most chal- Guilhermina said. “We never had an accident obstacles ahead. Despite that, I really can’t lenging thing as a visually impaired sprinter because of a miscommunication. But dur- see those obstacles anyway,” Guilhermina is to know exactly where she is on the track, ing the 400m event at London 2012, he left chuckled. 30 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 WORLD SPORT ROUNDUP WORLD SPORT ROUNDUP THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 31

IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport Australian Open

World Championships Japan’s Shingo Kunieda wrapped up his seventh Australian Open men’s singles title in Melbourne in January, as Germany’s Sabine More than 160 athletes from Ellerbrock clinched the women’s title to return to world No. 1 nearly 20 countries competed in and the USA’s David Wagner won his third quad singles crown. six medal events at December’s IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport Kunieda defeated Argentina’s World Championships in Tokyo, rising star Gustavo Fernandez Japan. 6-0, 6-1, while Ellerbrock beat Japan’s Yui Kamiji, 3-6, 6-4, The event was the ﬁ rst major 6-2. Wagner reigned victori- international para-sport compe- ous over South Africa’s Lucas tition to be held in Tokyo since it Sithole in a rematch of the was announced as the host city IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport held its 2013 US Open, winning 3-6, for the 2020 Paralympic Games. ﬁ rst World Championships since 2010 7-5, 6-3.

Russia topped the fi nal standings with eight overall medals, includ- In the doubles competition, ing three golds, followed closely by Ukraine who fi nished with six Kunieda paired with Houdet medals, including two golds. to win a fi fth title and Kamiji partnered with Great Britain’s The Ukrainian pair of Nadiia and Ivan Sivak won both of their Jordanne Whiley to win their country’s world titles, taking the top spot on the podium in the duo fi rst. Great Britain’s Andy Lapthorne and Wagner won the quad standard class 2 and duo Latin class 1 events. doubles title in straight sets.

wwebeb >> ipc-wheelchairdancesport.org

IPC ALPINE AND IPCAS SNOWBOARD “We put our heart into every dance. All dances have their own character and speciﬁ c features. WORLD CUPS They can be compared to a family with 10 children, when every child is his or her own character. You need Both the IPC Alpine Skiing and IPCAS Snowboard World Cups are to ﬁ nd an approach to each of them, but more importantly, you need to love them all. nearing their conclusions. For current updates from the slopes, please visit www.ipc-alpineskiing.org. Nadiia and Ivan Sivak ”

Canada and Russia win ice sledge hockey tournaments IPC Nordic Skiing World Cup

Canada captured gold with a 3-1 defeat of the USA The 2013-14 IPC Nordic Ski- at the 2013 World Sledge Hockey Challenge in front ing World Cup wrapped up in of a nearly sold-out crowd on their home ice in January with cross-country skiing Toronto. The defending world champions beat the and biathlon ﬁ nals in Oberstdorf reigning Paralympic champions to assert them- and Oberried, Germany, respec- selves as the No. 1 seed heading into the Sochi tively. Russia won all three men’s 2014 Paralympics. classes across both sports and all but one of the women’s classes. In the bronze-medal game, Russia defeated South Korea 4-2 in dramatic fashion with both teams tied with less than two minutes remaining. Cross-country skiing Biathlon MEN’S WOMEN’S MEN’S WOMEN’S Russia dominated January’s International Sledge 123123 123123 Sitting Sitting Hockey Tournament on their home ice in Podolsk, Roman Irek Maksym Mariann Andrea Marta Roman Grigory Aleksandr Svetlana Marta Nadezda winning all three of their games against Norway, Petushkov Zaripov Yarovyi Marthinsen Eskau Zaynullina Petushkov Murygin Davidovich Konovalova Zaynullina Andreeva Sweden and the Czech Republic and outscoring Russia Russia Ukraine Norway Germany Russia Russia Russia Russia Russia Russia Russia them 21-1 in the process. Norway took two wins Standing Standing from the tournament, with the Czech Republic also Rushan Vladislav Vladimir Alena Oleksandra Natalia Azat Nils-Erik Aleksandr Alena Natalia Oleksandra Minnegulov Lekomtcev Kononov Kaufman Kononova Bratiuk Karachurin Ulset Pronkov Kaufman Bratiuk Kononova picking up a victory. Russia Russia Russia Russia Ukraine Russia Russia Norway Russia Russia Russia Ukraine Visually impaired Visually impaired wwebeb >> www.ipc-icelsledgehockey.org After taking second at the 2012 World Sledge Hockey Challenge, Canada won the event in 2013 Stanislav Nikolay Brian Elena Iuliia Mikhalina Nikolay Stanislav Anatolii Mikhalina Iuliia Elena Chokhlaev Polukhin McKeever Remizova Budaleeva Lysova Polukhin Chokhlaev Kovalevskyi Lysova Budaleeva Remizova Russia Russia Canada Russia Russia Russia Russia Russia Ukraine Russia Russia Russia 32 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 ISSUE OF THE SEASON ISSUE OF THE SEASONTHE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 33

Carolin Rickers Issue of the season Agitos Foundation Development Manager IPC’S SIX STRATEGIC GOALS ISSUE From an Agitos Foundation perspective, it is vitally ISSUE important for NPCs in the Americas region to receive 1 Ensure successful Paralympic Games several impairment groups. balanced national and regional assistance in terms of for all participants What are the best methods and Then, build a network be- available workshops, training programmes and other 2 Promote opportunities to engage in practices to further develop the tween those sport clubs support mechanisms. and grow Paralympic sports or federations, connecting Paralympic Movement in the 3 Build greater understanding of the them with rehabilitation cen- While there may not be one clear-cut solution or Paralympic brand Americas region on the road to tres, schools, universities and method, there is one thing for certain – athletes are 4 Ensure appropriate funding and iden- Toronto 2015 and Rio 2016? other stakeholder institutions. the centre of the Paralympic Movement and the most tify revenue opportunities visible element of the work we do. NPCs in the Ameri- 5 Enhance effi cient structures to ensure Background Bayron Lopez Everything begins at the na- cas region must ensure to put their athletes’ needs at the ability to deliver With the Paralympic Movement becom- tional level, where NPCs must President of Ecuador’s National Paralympic Committee the focal point of their work to ensure good governance 6 Leverage partnerships to use syner- ing less Euro-centric and increasing its approach the highest sport and help the Movement grow from its original source. gies and broaden the reach resources around the world, the Ameri- It is important to also build partnerships with stake- authorities in their countries cas region has now grown to 28 National When we started working on the holders, which for us includes the Americas Paralym- to ensure they are the properly Why not implement the IPC’s six strategic goals at a Paralympic Committees (NPCs). Toronto Paralympic Movement in Ecua- pic Committee, the Ministry of Sport and Ecuadorian registered sport governing body for people with an im- national level by modifying them according to the coun- 2015 and Rio 2016 are a great opportu- dor in 2012, we weren’t aware of Sport Federations for Disability, in addition to local pairment. Being pro-active and attracting governmen- try’s needs and society? This would help the NPCs nity for many of these NPCs still in their what progress had been made in schools, institutions and hospitals. tal interest always proves to be extremely benefi develop a goal-oriented operational plan to acquire infancy and that often fi nd it challeng- the country before. NPCs in the long-run. cial for the fi nancial resources and support to establish strong ing to lay the foundation for the Move- We are working – and encourage other NPCs in the and worthwhile partnerships. It would also help them ment in their respective nations. Although 12 per cent of the gen- Americas to work – with experienced leaders from the These NPCs must also take advantage at all regional identify and address knowledge gaps, spread the Para- eral population in the country has so we programmes off more established NPCs of the region to help build ca- ered to acquire the knowledge and ex- an impairment, we had previously lympic values and strengthen the Paralympic brand. pacity and develop athletes and technicalered to us staff by the IPC pertise they need to advance athletes, coaches, offi can pursue the opportunities off cials, administrators and science and medical experts only heard about para-sport referenced with travel and But before this, I would encourage NPCs to use a SWOT - and the Agitos Foundation. in their own country. Simultaneously, they would be participation rather than competition and improving analysis to identify their organisations’ strengths, weak- networking with other NPCs, allowing them to grow the performance of athletes. nesses, opportunities and threats, while always keep- Every time a member of an NPC travels, they must use together and benefi ing in mind their objectives and the best methods to t from each other. the opportunity to soak up as much knowledge as pos- Athletes from various para-sports in Ecuador com- achieve them. plained constantly that they didn’t have an opportunity sible from other members of the Paralympic Movement. Down the road, when new para-athletes start coming This information must then be shared with everyone to the NPC asking for advice, and when able-bodied to develop, and we realised that 80 per cent of the ath- Start by integrating para-sport federations or clubs else at the NPC because the leaders we speak to won’t organisations ask for mutual collaboration, that is when letes at that time were over 40 years old with no goals into everyday society and allow the participation of or plans for the future. be there forever, so we must do the best to instill their the NPC will know they have made a name for them- legacy in our own countries. selves in the Americas region. Nobody was concerned about involving the youth, which is a large target group in Ecuador. We, as NPCs, must be the ones supporting our coaches and classifi ers if we expect our region to recognise them As leaders for the Paralympic Movement in the coun- on a professional level in the future. try, ouro fi rst step was to comply with the Law on Sport, PhysicalPh Education and We, as NPCs, must be the ones supporting our ath- RecreationRe that applies in letes if we want the international media to eventually Ecuador.Ec Paralympic sport talk about them as the world’s best. clubscl were then created to- getherge with three National We, as NPCs, must be the ones to spread the Paralym- FederationsFe (NFs) for ath- pic values in our own countries if we expect our popu- letesle with a physical, visual lation to embrace the Movement. anda intellectual impairment.

WeW believe to strengthen thet foundation of the Movement in the Amer- CHECK OUT NPC ECUADOR ONLINE! icas region, NPCs like In February, NPC Ecuador, with the rst-ever help and web- re- ourselves must organise sources of the IPC, launched the fi sport fairs throughout the site for the Paralympic Movement in their country. country, gather equipment, create para-sport schools to wwebeb >> www.EcuadorParalimpico.org and m fifind nd future athletes and motivate the current para-stars to become role models and inspire the next generation. 34 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 UPCOMING EVENTS UPCOMING EVENTS THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 35

IPC Athletics Grand Prix FIVE BURNING QUESTIONS IPC Powerlifting World Championships FOR THE 2014 IPC The second year of the IPC Athletics Grand Prix will feature events in four regions, ATHLETICS SEASON The 2014 IPC Powerlifting World Championships will be held in including new events in Nottwil, Switzerland, and Tunis, Tunisia, as the sport Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 5-11 April. The Championships are expands into Africa. The season will culminate with August’s IPC Athletics Grand expected to attract around 300 athletes from 50 countries and will Prix Final in Birmingham, Great Britain. In the ﬁ rst Grand Prix series last year, 1,037 be the latest stop for powerlifters on the road to Rio 2016. athletes from 69 countries took part, setting 10 world records throughout the season. IPC Powerlifting’s “Raise the Bar – Say No! to Doping” campaign – Stops on the 2014 Grand Prix aiming to educate athletes and teams about anti-doping – will climax at the World Championships. Dates Event Location Egypt’s Fatma Omar 22-25 February 6th Fazza International Athletics Competition Dubai, UAE celebrates a world-record lift at the London 2012 14-16 April 2nd China Open Athletics Championships Beijing, China Paralympics 24-26 April II Caixa Loterias Athletics Open Championships Sao Paulo, Brazil 9-11 May Desert Challenge Games Arizona, USA Increased participation at IPC Powerlifting World Championships 16-18 May ParAthletics Nottwil, Switzerland 30 May - 1 June Italian Open Championships 2014 Grosseto, Italy 0 1 0 1 9 2 0 2 4 16-18 June 8th Tunis International Meeting Tunis, Tunisia 19 8 0 0 6 0 0 2 2 20-22 June Berlin Open Berlin, Germany 2

25 August IPC Athletics Grand Prix Final Birmingham, Great Britain 9 9 4 2 2 2 s 3 s 1 s 2 6 s 5 s 9 e 0 e 1 e 3 e e 2 t 0 t 3 s 9 t 4 t 5 t e le e e athl ath 7 t athl a le athle Russia were the biggest medal winners in the athle th 2013 IPC Athletics season

1 Following their dominating performance last season that included 26 world titles in July, how much stronger Team sports can the Russian team still get on the road to Rio 2016? World ParaVolley Sitting Volleyball IWBF Wheelchair Basketball IBSA Goalball World Championships World Championships World Championships 2 Will Australia’s Scott Reardon or Germany’s Heinrich Popow ﬁ nally break the 12-second barrier in the 100m T42 sprint?

3 After getting seriously injured from crashing into Canada’s Michelle Stillwell at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships, will Belgian wheelchair racer Marieke Vervoort be able to get back on the track in 2014? Venezula’s Williams Barreto competes in the men’s long jump F20 MEN’S WOMEN’S MEN’S WOMEN’S MEN’S WOMEN’S

4 With sensational performances from World Paralympic World Paralympic World Paralympic World Paralympic World Paralympic World Paralympic Swiss and American wheelchair champions champions champions champions champions champions champions champions champions champions champions champions racers Marcel Hug and Tatyana Bosnia and Iran China China Australia Canada USA Germany Lithuania Finland China Japan IPC Athletics Marathon World Cup McFadden last season, will they see Herzegovina new rivals emerge in their respec- The IPC Athletics Marathon tive sport classes or will they take the The USA’s Tatyana World Cup will take place as part McFadden completed podium themselves once again after Sixteen men’s and 12 women’s teams will For the ﬁ rst time in history, the IWBF has There will be 16 men’s and 12 women’s teams of the 2014 Virgin Money London a marathon Grand every event? battle to become the best in the world at the split the Men’s and Women’s Wheelchair competing for gold at the IBSA Goalball World Slam in 2013 Marathon on 13 April. WOVD Sitting Volleyball World Champion- Basketball World Championships into two Championships, which take place from 26 5 How much fuel does Brazilian ships, which take place from 15-22 June in separate events. The women’s tournament June - 6 July in Espoo, Finland. In addition to the annual wheel- visually impaired sprinter Terezinha Elblag, Poland. will take place ﬁ rst from 20-28 June in chair race featuring T53-T54 ath- Guilhermina have left in her as she ap- Toronto, Canada, followed by the men’s event letes, it will feature T42-46 class proaches Rio 2016? And who will be from 1-12 July in Incheon, South Korea. The (leg and arm amputees) and T11- her biggest challengers for medals – women’s event will also give Toronto an T13 classes (visually impaired) will most of them be her own team- organisational test prior to hosting the 2015 for both men and women. A T51- mates from Brazil? Parapan American Games. T52 event will also be included. 36 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 FUTURE GAMES FUTURE GAMES THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 37

Tokyo 2020

IPC Academy to administer Excellence Programme The IPC will carry out the third edition of the IPC Academy Excellence Programme, which I’ve had some good moments in sport so far, but I We’re starting a cycle of super eff ort aiming at the Rio means it will roll out a range of knowledge workshops over the next ﬁ ve years geared “have to prepare to the maximum so I can perform at “ Games. I’m totally focused. It’s 1,000 days of training toward enhancing the planning and deliv- home even better than in previous Games. without a holiday for my goal: a gold medal in Rio. ery of the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Daniel Dias ” Susana Schnarndorf ” Winter Games.

PyeongChang 2018 staff will hear from in- ‘Road to Rio’ dustry experts in regards to past experiences The Rio 2016 Organising Committee launched the “Road to Rio” and best practices. Closer to Games time, section of its website, which was a project that resulted from an the IPC Academy will host a Simulation and Japan hold Paralympic Orientation Seminar IPC Academy Excellence Workshop and features the world’s best Readiness Programme allowing organisers to In January, an IPC delegation, led Representatives came from the na- Paralympic athletes expected to star at the 2016 Games. The section undertake specifi c Paralympic Games exer- by Vice President Andrew Parsons tional government and national sport shares content about these top athletes, including their achievements, cise. At that point, Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 and Chief Executive Offi cer Xavier federations. hobbies and motivations, with all of the Paralympians having been Games organisers will share their learnings Gonzalez, gave 220 members of the chosen from the IPC’s Ones to Watch list. with the PyeongChang staff . Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee an Attendees also learned more about the introduction to the background of Paralympic brand and were given an in- the Paralympic Movement and the troduction to the strategic approach to Brazilian athletes mark 1,000 days to go evolution of the Paralympic Games, Paralympic communications. IPC President Sir Philip Craven and top Brazilian athletes marked beginning the transfer of Paralympic 1,000 days to go until the Rio 2016 Paralympics in December by knowledge. An overview of Paralympic sports, an attending the Brazilian Paralympic Awards at Rio’s Museum of introduction to inclusion and legacy Modern Art. Sir Philip also took part in a range of interviews with The seminar served as the offi cial opportunities and information about various Brazilian media outlets. kickoff for preparations for the 2020 key requirements and timelines was Paralympics, which will be held from given over the course of the two days. Daniel Dias was recognised as Brazil’s Best Male athlete in 2013 25 August - 6 September six years from for winning six golds at the IPC Swimming World Championships in now. The IPC delegation received an ex- Montreal, Canada, and Susana Schnarndorf took Best Female after tended venue tour of many sites that claiming a gold and a bronze in the pool at those same Championships. Those who attended the seminar will host the Paralympics. included representatives from the fol- Qualifi cation criteria announced lowing organisations: Japanese Para- In 2020, Tokyo will become the fi rst The IPC published the Qualifi cation Guide for Rio 2016, which Taking in a Games atmosphere lympic Committee, Japanese Olympic city to stage the Paralympic Games for describes in detail how athletes and teams can qualify for each of the Members of the PyeongChang 2018 staff will Committee, Tokyo Metropolitan Gov- a second time. 22 sports on the Games programme. take part in the IPC’s Observers Programme ernment, Japan Sport Association and at the Sochi 2014 Paralympics in order to the Japan Sport Council. wwebeb >> www.Tokyo2020.jp The Rio 2016 Paralympics take place from 7-18 September 2016, gain valuable expertise and experiences for with 4,350 athletes from more than 160 countries expected to delivering a Winter Games. They will hear From left: contest 528 medal events. from Sochi 2014 Organising Committee IPC CEO Xavier Gonzalez, IPC Vice President function area managers and have the chance Andrew Parsons, Triathlon and canoe will make their Paralympic Games debuts in Rio, to physically experience a Games environ- Japanese Paralympic Committee President with each sport staging six medal events. ment fi rst-hand. Mitsunori Torihara and IPC Governing wwebeb >> www.PyeongChang2018.org Board member The Rio 2016 qualifi cation period began on 1 January 2014 and sport Yasushi Yamawaki entries must be submitted for the Games by 15 August 2016. wwebeb >> www.Rio2016.com 38 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 GUEST COLUMN: ELVIRA STINISSEN THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 39 Elvira Stinissen Nationality: Dutch Title: Sitting volleyball player Most-well known for: Helping the Netherlands to have served on the IPC Athletes’ Council a fourth-place fi nish at the London 2012 Paralympics since I was elected by my athlete peers at The athlete’s voice Ithe London 2012 Paralympic Games. in any sporting movement must be By the way, how great were those? The strong and consist- atmosphere at all of the sport competitions ent. While not all was electric. sports face the same issues or challenges, the athlete’s voice must In the Netherlands I had already been serving be a collective one in order to push recom- on the Athletes’ Commission for our National mendations in the face of decision-makers. Paralympic Committee, which is integrated with the National Olympic Committee. Having Without the IPC Athletes’ Council – which has the chance to be on the IPC Athlete’s Coun- a balance of regions, genders and sports – cil and help improve the Movement for para- Elvira Stinissen’s view each International Federation (IF) would be athletes was and is a real honour for me. working in silos. I have always believed that as an ath- Why athletes For us on the Council, it is really impor- lete, instead of complaining and not doing tant that other athletes come to us with the anything, we can help improve the quality of deserve a voice issues they are facing. sports by being vocal and letting the decision- makers know what we think and how we feel in the Paralympic If we know the challenges they are facing in about the important issues. their sports, then we can really try to make Movement’s a diff erence. If athletes remain silent about The role of the IPC Athletes’ Council is to these challenges, then nothing will ever provide the IPC Governing Board with direct decisions change. access to the athletes and vice versa. The Council also has a close relationship with WANT TO RAISE YOUR VOICE the IOC’s Athletes’ Commission, the World To improve the quality of the Paralympic AS AN ATHLETE? Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and classi- Movement, we need all kinds of perspectives: fi cation experts. In the future, we also hope the federation, the coach, the scientist, the Send your questions or concerns to to create Athletes’ Councils or focus groups medical personnel, the media and the fans. [email protected]. within all IFs. But most importantly, that of the athlete.

WORLDWIDE PARALYMPIC PARTNERS

INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS

The IPC Athletes’ Council serves as the liaison between para-athletes and decision-makers in the Paralympic Movement 40 THE PARALYMPIAN 01|2014 OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE PARALYMPIC MOVEMENT ISSUE NO. 1 | 2014

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

RZ_Paralympian_01_2014_title_final.indd 1 09.02.14 20:34