Paralympics

Athletes feel bullied by classification process to compete in Paralympics

Posted on April 1, 2019
A collage of para athletes competing in swimming, track, basketball, and archery events. Image: paralympic.org
A collage of para athletes competing in different swimming, track, basketball, and archery events. Image: paralympic.org

Before competing in the Paralympics, para athletes must undergo a controversial disability classification process to determine which sport classes (categories based on disability type) they are eligible for. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) governs this classification process and each country that competes at the Paralympic Games is required to abide by its code.

The classification process is intense, in part because of widespread accusations that some athletes fake or exaggerate their disabilities during classification to improve their chances of competition success. The process can also be degrading, according to many Paralympic athletes.

Read more about the controversy surrounding the Paralympics classification process.

Winter Paralympic Games airing on NBC channels and apps March 9-18

Posted on March 9, 2018

The competition in PyeongChang isn’t over! NBC will air the Winter Paralympic Games on NBCSN, Olympic Channel, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app from March 9-18. Coverage begins with the opening ceremony tonight at 6 a.m. ET on NBCSN. If you’d like an early preview check out Ben Shpigel’s report and Chang W. Lee’s glossy photos for the New York Times.

Click here to see the schedule of events and broadcast times on NBCSN.

Team USA in the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang.
Team USA in the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Paralympics in PyeongChang.

Paralympic Committee adds mixed gender relays and likely more sports for Tokyo 2020

Posted on January 31, 2018

The International Paralympic Committee announced some interesting changes for the Tokyo 2020 Games. They’ve added two mixed gender relays and are considering adding four new sports: CP Football, Golf, Powerchair Football and Sailing. Click HERE to read more details in the full story from Swimmers World Magazine.

Henrietta Post (Henrietta, N.Y.)

Posted on March 1, 2011

Henrietta woman brings competitive canoeing to people with disabilities

A marathon canoe racer since 1971, Jan Whitaker, of Henrietta, was teaching outrigger canoe lessons at the Genesee Waterways Center in Rochester in 1997 when she met a 9-year-old girl who had mobility impairment in her legs, requiring her to use leg braces. Whitaker, who had never before taught the sport to a person with disabilities, began showing her the ropes of outrigger canoeing, a type of canoeing that uses a canoe with a stabilizing pontoon, usually affixed to the left side of the canoe, to provide additional stability.