This is the medal table so far, but it could all change in the remaining 4 days….
| Place | Countries | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 8 | 7 | 6 | 21 |
| 2 | Neutral Paralympic Athletes | 6 | 7 | 4 | 17 |
| 3 | Slovakia | 6 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| 4 | France | 5 | 5 | 3 | 13 |
| 5 | Ukraine | 5 | 4 | 7 | 16 |
| 6 | Canada | 5 | 1 | 10 | 16 |
| 7 | Germany | 4 | 7 | 1 | 12 |
| 8 | Belarus | 3 | 4 | 2 | 9 |
| 9 | Switzerland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | Netherlands | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
Great Britain is currently in 17th place, with 5 medals. We’ve still got time to move up the medal table though, as the Winter Paralympics don’t end until Sunday.
But what sports have we competed in? Alpine skiing, Biathlon, Cross-country skiing, Para ice hockey, Snowboarding and Wheelchair curling.
Cross-country skiing is for the physically impaired (athletes with limited movement) and for athletes who are visually impaired. Depending on how bad the competitor’s disability is they might be able to use a sit-ski – a chair on skis. In the Cross-country event, competitors with very limited vision have a sighted guide wearing a bluetooth headset who goes off ahead of them and tells them when to move right, left or speed up. It’s a sport that is very dependent on your guide and your instincts… One of our athletes has been very successful though – Menna Fitzpatrick and her guide, Jen Kehoe got a silver in the Giant Slalom!
Wheelchair curling is very similar to curling in the winter olympics. Two teams of 4 players take turns in sliding stones across the ice sheet towards the target area called the ‘house’. The team scores by getting the stone as close to the centre of the house and the team with the most points wins! The head of the team is called a ‘skip’. He or she gives visual and verbal instruction and tris to predict where the player’s shot will end. Traditional curling has been adapted, so the sport is more able for wheelchair users. There is no sweeping, as it’s difficult for the athletes to move across the ice; and a delivery stick allowed, so it is easier to aim the stone.
The biathlon was brought into the Paralympics Winter Games in 1988 for athletes with physical impairment. Visually impaired athletes were allowed to take part in 1990. The biathlon consists of a 2km or a 2.5km course which is skied 3-5 times making a total distance of 6-15 km. Each race is split into 2 or 4 shooting rounds in which athletes must hit 2 targets that are 10m away from the competitors. Every time they miss they are penalised with an increase in the route time. Male and female athletes are divided into 3 groups (sitting, standing and visually impaired) according to their disability; and they compete across three events:
- Sprint
- Middle distance
- Long distance
In conclusion, the winter paralympics is an amazing event that is definitely overlooked. This year, 25 countries are participating. The Russian athletes are competing as individuals and not for their country under the title: ‘Neutral Paralympic Athletes’.
Para athletes are amazing to watch and we hope that you all manage to catch some events before it finishes this Sunday!
By Katie and Alice (Y8)
