While perusing the Paralympics Games website the other day I came across a few sports that I didn’t really know. It encouraged me to look into other popular Paralympic sports so that’s exactly what I did…I knuckled down and got on with some research. The findings were rather interesting. Do you know your Paralympic sports past and present? If not take a look at these:
Boccia
Boccia is a demanding but exciting sport that is a tough test of extreme skill, nerves and tactics. It requires strong muscle control, accuracy and concentration. It can be played by individuals, pairs or teams.
Boccia is played on a rectangular court and the aim is to throw leather balls and land them as close as possible to a white target ball, or jack. In this sense it is very similar to the well-known games of boules or petanque. The jack is thrown first and then the two opposing sides will play one ball each. The side who is furthest away from the jack will throw their remaining balls in an effort to get closer to it or to knock the opposition’s balls out of the way. Once they have thrown all their balls the opposing side will throw theirs. At the end of the round the referee measures the distance of the balls to the jack and awards points to the team or player who is closest. The team or player with the highest amount of points at the end of the game is the winner.
The balls can be moved with hands, feet, or, if the competitor’s disability is severe, with an assistive device such as a ramp. This year Great Britain are the defending Paralympic champions in this sport. Hooray for Team GB!
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| Photo: tetraplegicos.blogspot.co.uk |
Goalball
Goalball is one of the most popular Paralympic sports and is played competitively in more than 100 countries. It is played by blind and visually impaired athletes. Blindfolds are used by those athletes who have partial sight so as to compete on an equal footing with the blind players. The game was originally developed as a rehabilitation activity for injured soldiers returning from the Second World War.
In goalball participants compete in teams of three and try to throw the ball into their opponent’s goal. The teams take it in turns to throw or roll the ball from one end of the court to the other. The ball has a bell in it so that players can judge the ball’s position and movement. The teams remain in the area of their own goal in both defence and attack and whoever gets the most goals wins the game.
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| Photo: buryssp.co.uk |
This is the Paralympic version of Olympic Ice Hockey and is played by athletes with a lower limb impairment. It is a very popular Paralympic sport and was invented in the early 1960s in Stockholm, Sweden at a rehabilitation centre. The game uses sledges, which are adapted to each player, to allow participants to move about the rink at high speeds, hitting a puck travelling at speeds of up to 100kph. Players propel themselves with sticks.
The majority of the rules are the same as regular ice hockey, but there are a handful of differences. The main differences are those necessitated by the ice sledge and the athlete. The equipment used is also similar.
Sledge Hockey was first introduced into Great Britain in 1981 and the British Sledge Hockey Association (BSHA) was formed in 1995 in order to promote and develop the sport.
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| Photo: nowpublic.com |
Dartchery
It’s quite self-explanatory but Dartchery is a combination of darts and archery. It is played with two players or two teams and the distant from the archer to the target is 20 yards (18.3 metres), Each player shoots three arrows and the points received depend on where the arrow hits the target. The sport was actually part of the Paralympic games between 1960 and 1980.
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| Photo: enlightenedmind.co.uk |
Showdown
This sport is a bit like air hockey or table tennis and is played by blind and visually impaired people. It is played by two players on a table that has goal pockets on each end. In the middle of the table there is a net like divider. The participants play the game with racquets and an audible ball. The aim of the game is to keep the ball out of the goal but to try and get it into the opponent’s net. It must pass under the net.
The game was invented in the 1960s by Joe Lewis, a totally blind Canadian man. The sport has been played in the Paralympic Games in the past but it is no longer part of the event.
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| Photo: showdownsweden.se |
So there we have it, five sports that until today I’d never really heard of. Every day’s a school day and all that! If you know of any other popular Paralympic sports please do let us know. It’d be great to hear about them.
Peace, love and pizza.
What On Earth
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