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CROSS COUNTRY
SKIING
Overview
Cross Country Skiing appeared for the first time at the 1976 Winter Games in
Örnsköldsvik, Sweden.
The competition is open to athletes with a physical disability and
blindness/visual impairment. Depending on functional disability, a competitor
with little or no leg functionality uses a sit-ski, a chair equipped with a pair
of skis.
Athletes with blindness/visual impairment compete in the event with a sighted
guide. Male and female athletes compete in short distance, middle distance and
long distance (ranging from 2.5km to 20km) or participate in a team relay using
classical or free techniques.
Events
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Freestyle – 5km and 2.5km
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Classic – 5km, 10km, 15km and 20km
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Relay – 3X2.5km and 1X3.75km+2X5km
Classification
Cross Country Skiing is open to athletes with a wide variety of physical
disabilities such as amputees or athletes with limb deficiencies, athletes with
spinal cord injuries and cerebral palsy; and athletes with a vision impairment.
These athletes are classified dependant on their functionality into classes LW2
– 9 for athletes who ski standing; LW10-12 for athletes who ski sitting down;
and the classes of B1 – B3 for those athletes with a vision impairment.
A percentage system is used to determine the overall place of each competitor
relative to each of the classifications. The athlete’s actual time is multiplied
by this percentage to determine his/her adjusted finishing time. Each disability
class has different percentages for the different techniques, classic and free
technique.
Links
»
Snow Sports New Zealand
»
IPC Nordic
Skiing
»
International
Paralympic Committee
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