There are no losers: how the Paralympic Winter Games work. The one who can't be broken

From the history of the Paralympic Games

The Paralympics - the Olympic Games for the Disabled - is considered in the world to be almost as outstanding an event as the Olympics itself.

The emergence of sports in which disabled people can participate is associated with the name of the English neurosurgeon Ludwig Guttmann, who, overcoming age-old stereotypes in relation to people with physical disabilities, introduced sports into the process of rehabilitation of patients with injuries. spinal cord. He proved in practice that sport for people with physical disabilities creates conditions for successful life, restores mental balance, and allows you to return to a full life, regardless of physical disabilities.

During World War II, Ludwig Guttmann founded the Spinal Injury Treatment Center at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, England, where the first wheelchair archery competitions were held. It happened on July 28, 1948 - a group of disabled people, which consisted of 16 paralyzed men and women, former military personnel, took up sports equipment for the first time in the history of sports.

In 1952, former Dutch military personnel joined the movement and founded the International Sports Federation for People with Musculoskeletal Disabilities. locomotive apparatus.

In 1956, Ludwig Guttmann developed an athlete's charter, formed the foundations on which the sport of the disabled developed in the future.

In 1960, under the auspices of the World Federation of Military Personnel, an International Working Group was established to study the problems of sports for the disabled.

In 1960, the first International Competition for the Disabled was held in Rome. They were attended by 400 athletes with disabilities from 23 countries.

In 1964, the International Sports Organization for the Disabled was created, to which 16 countries joined.

In 1964, in Tokyo, competitions were held in 7 sports, and it was then that the flag was officially raised for the first time, the anthem was played and the official emblem of the games was made public. The red, blue and green hemispheres, which symbolize the mind, body, unbroken spirit, have become a graphic symbol of the world Paralympic movement.

In 1972, more than a thousand disabled people from 44 countries took part in the competition in Toronto. Only disabled athletes in wheelchairs participated, and since 1976, athletes with spinal injuries have been joined by athletes of other groups of injuries - visually impaired and people who have undergone amputation of limbs.

With every next games the number of participants increased, the geography of countries expanded, the number of sports increased. And in 1982, a body appeared that contributed to the expansion of the Paralympic Games - the International Coordinating Committee World Organization sports for the disabled. Ten years later, in 1992, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) became its successor. Now the International Paralympic Committee includes 162 countries.

The sport of the disabled has gained worldwide importance. The achievements of athletes with physical disabilities are amazing. Sometimes they come close to Olympic records. In fact, there is not a single sport left, from the famous and popular ones, in which disabled athletes did not take part. The number of Paralympic disciplines is steadily expanding.

In 1988, at the Seoul Games, disabled athletes received the right to access sports facilities host city of the Olympics. It was from that time that competitions began to be held in the same arenas in which healthy Olympians compete, regularly every four years, after Olympic Games.

Paralympic sports
(According to the site http://www.paralympic.ru)

Archery. The first organized competitions were held in 1948 in England in the city of Mandeville. Today, the traditions of these games have been continued in regular competitions, in which wheelchair users also take part. Introduced women's and men's sports categories in this type of martial arts. The outstanding results achieved by athletes with disabilities in this sport indicate the significant potential of this kind of competition. The program of the International Paralympic Games includes singles, pairs and team competitions, with judging and scoring procedures identical to those used in the Olympic Games.

Athletics. The athletics program of the Paralympic Games includes the widest range of competitions. It entered the program of the International Paralympic Games in 1960. Athletes with a wide variety of health disorders take part in athletics competitions. There are competitions for wheelchair users, prosthetists, and the blind. Moreover, the latter act in conjunction with the leading one. As a rule, an athletics program includes a track, a throw, jumps, a pentathlon and a marathon. Athletes compete according to their functional classifications.

Cycling. This type sport is one of the newest in the history of Paralympism. In the early eighties, for the first time, competitions were held in which athletes with visual impairments took part. However, already in 1984, paralyzed athletes and amputees also competed at the International Games for the Disabled. Until 1992, the Paralympic cycling competitions were held for each of the listed groups separately. At the Paralympic Games in Barcelona, cyclists of all three groups competed on a special track and also on the track. Competitions of cyclists can be both individual and group (a group of three cyclists from one country). Athletes with mental disabilities compete using standard racing bikes and, in some classes, tricycles. Athletes with visual impairments compete on tandem bikes paired with a seeing teammate. They also race on the track. Finally, amputees and cyclists with motor disabilities compete in individual competitions on specially prepared bicycles.

Dressage. Equestrian competitions are open to the paralyzed, amputee, blind and visually impaired, mentally retarded. This type of competition is held at the Summer Games. Equestrian competitions are held only in the individual class. Athletes demonstrate their skills in the passage of a short segment, in which the pace and direction of movement alternate. At the Paralympic Games, athletes are grouped according to a separate classification. Within these groups, the winners with the best results are determined.

Fencing. All athletes compete in wheelchairs that are fixed to the floor. However, these chairs leave fencers with considerable freedom of movement, and their actions are as fast-paced as in traditional competitions. The founder of wheelchair fencing is Sir Ludwig Guttmann, who formulated the concept of these sports in 1953. Fencing entered the program of the Paralympic Games in 1960. Since then, the rules have been improved - they were amended to require wheelchairs to be attached to the floor.

Judo. The only difference between Paralympic judo and traditional judo is the different textures on the mats that indicate the competition area and zones. Paralympic judokas compete for the main prize - gold medal, and the rules of the game are identical to those of the International Judo Federation. Judo was included in the program of the 1988 Paralympic Games. Four years later, at the games in Barcelona, 53 athletes representing 16 countries of the world took part in this type of competition.

Weightlifting (powerlifting). The starting point for the development of this Paralympic sport is the 1992 Paralympic Games in Barcelona. Then 25 countries presented their sports delegations to weightlifting competitions. Their number more than doubled in 1996 at the Atlanta Games. 58 participating countries were registered. Since 1996, the number of participating countries has steadily increased, today 109 countries on five continents take part in the Paralympic weightlifting program. Today, the Paralympic weightlifting program includes the participation of all groups of disabled people who compete in 10 weight categories both male and female. For the first time, women took part in these competitions in 2000 at the Paralympic Games in Sydney. Then women represented 48 countries of the world.

Shooting. Shooting competitions are divided into rifle and pistol classes. Rules, competitions for the disabled are established International Committee disabled shooting. These rules take into account the differences that exist between the capabilities of a healthy person and a disabled person at the level of using a functional classification system that allows athletes with different health conditions to compete in team and individual competitions.

Football. The main prize of these competitions is a gold medal, and only men's teams take part in them. FIFA rules apply with some restrictions, taking into account the health of athletes. For example, the offside rule does not apply, the field itself and the goal are smaller than in traditional football, and a throw-in from the touchline can be done with one hand. Teams must have a minimum of 11 players.

Swimming. This sport program comes from the tradition of physiotherapy and rehabilitation of the disabled. Swimming is available to people with disabilities of all groups of functional limitations, the only condition is a ban on the use of prostheses and other assistive devices.

Table tennis. In this sport, the players, first of all, require a proven technique and fast reaction. Therefore, athletes use generally accepted methods of play, despite their physical limitations. Table tennis competitions at the Paralympic Games are held in two types - in wheelchair competitions and in traditional form. The program includes both individual and team competitions for men and women. The classification for this sport consists of 10 functional groups, which include athletes with various limitations. Paralympic table tennis competitions are governed by rules from the International Table Tennis Federation, with minor changes.

Wheelchair basketball. The main governing body in this sport is the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF), which develops classifications for players of various degrees of disability. The IWBF rules govern the judging and basket heights, which are similar to the traditional game. Although wheelchair basketball has much in common with traditional basketball, it has its own unique style of play: defense and offense must be played in accordance with the principles of support and mutual assistance. Unique dribbling rules that allow you to organize the movement of wheelchairs across the field give the attack a special unique style. So two attackers and three defenders can participate in it at once, which gives it great speed. Unlike the traditional game, where the main style of play is "back to the basket", in wheelchair basketball, the forwards play "facing the basket", constantly moving forward.

Wheelchair rugby. Wheelchair rugby combines elements of basketball, football and ice hockey, and is played on a basketball court. Teams consist of 4 players, plus up to eight substitutes are allowed. The classification of players is based on their physical abilities, on the basis of which, each is assigned a certain amount of points from 0.5 to 3.5. The total number of points in a team must not exceed 8.0. The game uses volleyball, which can be carried, handed over. The ball must not be held for more than 10 seconds. Points are scored after hitting the opponent's goal line. The game consists of four periods, each 8 minutes long.

Wheelchair tennis. Wheelchair tennis first appeared on the Paralympic program in 1992. The sport itself originated in the United States in the early 1970s and continues to improve today. The rules of the game are essentially the same as those of traditional tennis and naturally require similar skills from the players. The only difference is that the players are allowed two outs, the first being within the boundaries of the court. In order to access the game, the athlete must be medically diagnosed with mobility restrictions. The program of the Paralympic Games includes singles and doubles events. In addition to the Paralympic Games, tennis players compete in numerous national tournaments. At the end of each calendar year, the International Tennis Federation reviews NEC quotes, national quotes and other pertinent information to identify contenders for the championship title.

Volleyball. Paralympic championships in volleyball are held in two categories: sitting and standing. Thus, athletes with all functional limitations can take part in the Paralympic Games. The high level of teamwork, skill, strategy and intensity is undeniably evident in both competition categories. The main difference between traditional volleyball and the Paralympic version of the game is the smaller court size and lower net position.

Ski cross. Skiers compete in classic or freestyle riding, as well as in individual and team competitions at distances from 2.5 to 20 km. Depending on their functional limitations, competitors use either traditional skis or a chair equipped with a pair of skis. Blind athletes ride in conjunction with a sighted guide.

Hockey. The Paralympic version of ice hockey made its debut in the program of the Games in 1994 and has since become one of the most spectacular sports events in their program. As in traditional ice hockey, six players (including the goalkeeper) from each team are on the field at a time. The sledges are equipped with skate blades and the players move around the field using iron-tipped sticks. The game consists of three periods of 15 minutes each.

Englishman Tim Reddish from Nottingham, 55-year-old chairman of the British Paralympic Association, for his unusual sports career won over 50 medals, 23 of which are gold. He is a swimmer. Reddish began to go blind at the age of 31 due to an incurable hereditary eye disease, and 17 years ago he lost his sight completely, but did not lose heart.

The famous athlete took part in a clinical trial of a bionic eye prosthesis and is now able to distinguish the outlines of objects, for example, his medals, and find out the time from a dial clock in good light.

The artificial implantation operation lasted eight hours and was carried out at King's College London Hospital. In addition to Reddish, 8 more people took part in testing the expensive prosthesis. Such an artificial eye costs about 100 thousand pounds, but the German manufacturer provided samples for the experiment for free.

An electronic retina - a light-sensitive chip - is a square with a side length of 3 mm, similar to a digital camera matrix, consisting of 1500 microscopic sensors. It is implanted under the non-working retina, in the case of our champion - his right.

The image from the sensor is transmitted to a magnetic signal amplifier implanted inside the skull, behind the ear, and then to the optic nerve. Each pixel of the artificial retina imitates the cells of the photoreceptor layer, called cones in ophthalmology. They convert light signals into electrical signals. The patient carries the battery to power the system in his pocket, a wire sticks out of his head, but compared to complete blindness, this is tolerable nonsense.

If such bionic prostheses become cheaper, then with their help it will be possible to restore sight to 15 million earthlings who have suffered due to irreversible retinal degeneration.

"The war for a ticket to the national team is not for life, but for death."

Irina Bobrova

My interlocutor, Alexei Shipilov, is the head coach of the Moscow Region goalball team. Goalball is a sport for the blind. The essence of the game - a team of three people must throw the ball with a built-in bell into the opponent's goal. Shipilov could probably represent his goalball athletes at the Paralympics. But he is not even close to being allowed to the prestigious competitions. Why?

The same athletes have been sent to the Paralympics for many years. The same coaches have been involved in national teams for years. There is no place for strangers at the sports festival, - says Alexey. - For example, there is one person who is the coach of six national teams. This is nonsense. He is the head coach of the men's and women's goalball teams, and also heads the men's and women's team according to torball - varieties of goalball. In addition, he also coaches the Russian football team for the blind. Among other things, this man is the world football champion among the visually impaired. Performs in class b2.

- Class b2 - what is it?

A person performing in this category sees up to 6 percent. An athlete with such vision is not considered totally blind. Such vision is called - "with the remainder."

- What does such an athlete see?

He can only make out silhouettes. At a distance of one and a half to two meters, he is not even able to see the face of the interlocutor. Can't read the twentieth font on a computer screen, even at close range. But nevertheless, among our athletes in the b2 category, there are those who drive easily. The same coach in six disciplines feels great behind the wheel ...

- As far as I understand, fraud in wheelchair sports has been around for a long time?

This appeared when decent prize money began to be paid for medals. This situation is typical not only for Russia. Ukraine does not disdain similar scams. Their athletes are paid decent prize money, and the financial conditions in the country are much worse than ours. Therefore, it is much more important for a healthy person to get to the Paralympics there: one must think that for a ticket to the Paralympic team there is a war of life and death.

- How are things in other countries?

There are no prize money in other countries. Therefore, it makes no sense for a healthy person to pretend to be disabled. For what? And when our pseudo-Paralympic athletes come to the international start, the classifier doctors who allow athletes to the games cannot think that a healthy person will impersonate a disabled person.

- Do they require medical certificates from athletes before the start of the games?

Nobody shows the help.

- Doctors-classifiers check vision?

Understand that there are many different diagnoses in terms of vision. This is such an area where even a good specialist sometimes finds it difficult to determine whether a person sees or not. An athlete may have an external defect of the eye itself, or there may be a defect at the level of nerve conduction - the eye itself looks absolutely healthy. The latter often occurs as a result of injury - the conduction of the optic nerve to the brain is disrupted. And with an absolutely healthy eye, a person “at the exit” will not have vision at all. The doctor cannot quickly determine these subtleties. Doctors at competitions only state the fact - whether there is a diagnosis or not. But even in the absence of a diagnosis, there can be many reasons why a person will not see. Athletes come to the Paralympic Games with diagnoses prescribed by Russian doctors.

- Is it even easier to pretend to be deaf?

It's harder there. The deaf are checked on special equipment, which does not depend on the person. An audiogram is made that shows whether sound is coming in or not.

In Europe, there are devices with which you can figure out a deceiver by sight. Before the Paralympic Games in Vancouver, our strongest skier was filmed in this way. Just there for an eye test. French doctor used a unique technique. There were flickers in front of the eye, and a sensor was fixed on the athlete’s head, which read whether the pupil perceives information or not. With a flash, the pupil changed, there were fluctuations. After that check, our skier, who was considered the favorite in the relay, was removed. The reason was not stated. They said, "I didn't qualify." But this is an isolated case. No more such checks were made.

- It turns out that now athletes are tested only for doping?

Certainly. But it seems to me that the situation with doping of our Paralympic athletes is far-fetched. Paralympic athletes don't have to dope. This is not a sport highest achievements. Besides, what's the point for a healthy person who replaces a disabled person to take doping if he is physically stronger than a blind person anyway?..

- Poor vision significantly affects physical fitness?

In order to more or less prepare a blind athlete for competitions, we need to train with early childhood, from 7–8 years. Coordination of movements can be developed in a blind person if such a task is set. But in our country there are no opportunities to bring up a goalball team from scratch.

During the game, goalball players pull dark blindfolds over their eyes. It turns out that the chances of the blind and the sighted on the court are equalized?

In any case, coordination and orientation in space are better in the sighted, even if they cover their eyes with a bandage. Moreover, healthy athletes receive a salary for cheating, they have the motivation to learn how to run in complete darkness. By the way, sighted people also train in bandages. A healthy athlete only needs a couple of months to learn how to navigate in the dark. But in swimming and athletics there are no bandages. Although about athletics I can’t say anything, there are worthy coaches. In swimming, this problem has been standing for a very long time.

- What is the percentage of healthy people at the Paralympics?

Hard to tell. Some names we know, some we don't. There are also new people. This year, the composition of the national team was kept secret until the last. As a coach, I couldn't get it either.

- Do you think the members of the IOC are aware of these machinations?

I think it's known. And when our Paralympic athletes were suspended from the Games in Brazil, this moment was also discussed for sure.

- Why is this problem silent?

The IOC does not know how to deal with this. The situation is hopeless also because the entire leadership of the Blind Sports Federation is aware of what is happening, but does nothing. I can responsibly declare that the president of the federation, Lidia Abramova, was informed by me, and not only that we have many figureheads among the disabled. But things are still there.

If all pseudo-disabled people were removed from the Russian team, would we not win so many medals at the Paralympics, would we not break into the lead?

Such a number of medals our real disabled will definitely never receive.

It is strange that the same figureheads from year to year become participants in the Games. Is there no age limit for the Paralympics?

There is an age limit. And some falsely disabled people after some time are replaced by others. But those who have been performing for a long time will fight to the last. Do you have any idea what kind of money we are talking about? Paralympic athletes receive the same prize money as regular Olympians. For the "gold" they are paid 4 million rubles, for the second place - 2.5 million, for the "bronze" they receive more than a million. "Above" athletes are paid extra regional prize money. Muscovites receive another 4 million for "gold", the administration of the Moscow Region allocates apartments to its own. Plus, they give them cars ...

Why do people with disabilities, such as the blind, need a car?

Apparently, it is assumed that someone will carry them. But some people are good at driving themselves. When a swimmer, Paralympic champion Alexander Nevolin-Svetov, a visually impaired person of the first group, got into an accident, even a doctor who made false diagnoses to the athlete was held accountable. But nevertheless, Nevolin-Svetov is again in the composition of our team. World Blind Football Champion and Russian Champion Ilkam Nabiev is also visually impaired and played football in the b2 category. However, he calmly drives a car, drives to meetings. Or Oksana Savchenko, also a Paralympic champion, was seen driving a car… The situation is so unpunished that people even stopped being ashamed and hiding anything.

- Have you tried to get into the national team with your athletes?

I can assume that there are corruption schemes in the national team. After all, coaches also receive prize money, so only their own get to the Paralympics. Who is in the circle. Perhaps, at the end of the competition, everyone shares with whomever they need. I don't belong in this company.

- Are there total blind people in the Russian team?

Their minimum number. I know a total athlete, judoka Victoria Potapova, who miraculously got into the national team. I think it was turned on to cover up. Basically, all Russian athletes are in category b2. Although other countries, without exception, bring totally blind children to the Games. And do you know why? Because their totals are competitive. For example, the Turkish goalball team, where most of the athletes are total players, became European champions. Abroad, they deal with such disabled people from childhood. We don't need disabled people. The Ministry of Sports allocates crazy money for fees only to a certain circle of people. And ordinary disabled people cannot find funds to pay for a trip to the Russian Championship. Nobody needs the blind in the regions.

- Have you tried to fight it?

I tried to expose a coach who has been deceiving people both domestically and internationally for 10 years. Reported the information to the President of the Federation of the Blind. No measures were taken against the coach, but punitive sanctions began against me. As a result, they generally want to remove me from coaching and threaten to cancel my applications for participation in the Russian championships.

You say that in Europe this is unimaginable. But a few years ago, the entire Spanish team was suspended from the Games, where supposedly mentally retarded people took part. In fact, it turned out that there were no disabled people in the team.

I remember. Then happened big scandal with the Spaniards, after which disabled people with a diagnosis of "mental retardation" were generally excluded from the Paralympics program. Only in Last year they seem to have again decided to admit to the Games. But these are isolated cases.

- Be that as it may, are there enough real disabled people in our team?

Certainly. We have a lot of worthy supporters, wheelchair users. But the majority of honest visually impaired people who trained and wanted to participate in the Paralympics ended up in flight.

- Really our sighted athletes who pretend to be blind have never been pierced?

They don't seem to care. When there has been complete impunity for so many years, everyone is aware of what is happening, the leadership is covering up fraud, what kind of fear can we talk about? At the Paralympics itself, these guys behave competently - they go everywhere with escorts.

- Can the current system be defeated?

The only thing that can break this system is a big international scandal. I don't see any other way.

The reverse side of the Paralympic medal.

Following the success of the London Olympics, the opening of the Paralympic Games is also accompanied by unprecedented enthusiasm. But what is the difference between these two large-scale competitions?

without olympic rings

Instead of the Olympic rings - "agito"

The iconic five connected rings have no place at the Paralympics. They are replaced by "agito" - three curls: red, green and blue, symbolizing the motto of the Paralympians "Spirit in motion". Agito means "I move" in Latin.

New emblem, which was intended to emphasize the idea of competitive spirit among Paralympic athletes, appeared in 2003.

Since 1996, the anthem of the Paralympic Games has been a composition by Thierry Darnis called "Anthem of the Future".

IOC and IPC - different authorities

The hosts of the competitions are the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) - different authorities.

The first Paralympic Games were held in Rome, a week after the Summer Olympics 1960. Four years later, the Paralympics were held in Tokyo, also immediately after the end of the Olympic Games.

British team at the 1964 Tokyo Paralympics

However, in 1968, Mexico City, which hosted the Olympics, categorically refused to host Paralympic competitions. Instead, they were held in Tel Aviv, and for 20 years the Paralympics and the Olympics were held in completely different cities.

In 1988, Seoul, which hosted Summer Games hosted the Paralympics. After that, they again began to pass simultaneously. In 2001, all the formalities were settled, and now the city submitting the Olympic application must proceed from the fact that, if it wins, it will also have to accept competitions for people with disabilities.

Classification

Athletes of approximately equal ability compete

Sports can only be competitive if athletes of roughly equal ability compete. At the Paralympics, a blind runner is unlikely to compete with a paralyzed one, but an athlete with cerebral palsy can compete, for example, with a dwarf, although, at first glance, this does not fit very well.

Athletes undergo a special medical examination to determine the category of disability.

In Paralympic swimming, for example, there are 14 categories. The first ten refer to people with physical disabilities, from people with amputated legs or arms to people with spinal cord injuries and dwarfs. The 11th, 12th and 13th categories are reserved for the blind, and the 14th for the mentally retarded.

Athletes can belong to different categories, depending on the type of swimming. For example, a Category 9 freestyle athlete may be classified as a Category 10 butterfly, as backstroke can be more difficult for people with certain disabilities.

The classification also depends on whether the athlete can jump into the pool or must start the race already in the water.

The classification of athletes sometimes causes controversy. According to Paralympic champion Baroness Tunni Gray-Thompson, some athletes are trying to change their category.

"When it's done on purpose, it's tantamount to doping, but there are people who can fall into two different categories," says Gray-Thompson.

Football players in the field playing with blindfolds

Most of the events in the Paralympic program are similar to those competed in at the Olympic Games.

Swimming, cycling and Athletics are held in much the same way as at the Olympics, however they are divided into different categories, and athletes use wheelchairs and prostheses. They may have helpers.

Blind football and seated volleyball bear little resemblance to their Olympic equivalents. The ball in football for the blind is less resilient, and there are ball bearings inside the ball so that blind athletes can hear where the ball is flying.

Blind matches are played by teams of five. They do not play on the grass, but on a hard surface. The field surrounded by shields is smaller than a regular football field.

The backboards not only prevent the ball from flying out of the field, but also reflect the sounds of both the ball itself and the running players, which allows them to better navigate the field.

Since the players may be blind or partially sighted, they all have blindfolds on to create a level playing field. The goalkeeper is sighted, but he is not allowed to leave the goal. The game also involves a "guide", who, standing outside the gate, suggests in which direction the gate is.

The players themselves give each other certain tips. For example, "howl" - which in Spanish means "I'm coming", "I'm here" - on the field means that one of the players will now try to take the ball from the other.

Since the players depend on such shouts, the fans in the stands must sit silently.

Purely Paralympic sports

Boccia is a sport only played by Paralympic athletes.

There are two sports that compete exclusively at the Paralympic Games - goalball and boccia.

Goalball is played by two teams of three blind and half-blind people. The game takes place on a rectangular field with markings.

The goal of the game is to throw a heavy ball, inside of which there are bells, into the net of the opponent's goal. The defenders protect the gate with their own bodies.

Boccia is played by people of the most severe degree of disability. The game is somewhat similar to curling. Athletes must roll, throw or push the ball as close to the target as possible.

Initially, the sport was invented for people suffering from cerebral palsy, but over time, people with various diseases of the sensory-motor function joined it.

Boccia is divided into four categories. The third category includes people who are not able to push the ball themselves. For them, at one end of the field, a special inclined plane is installed, along which they lower their balls towards the target.

All Olympic venues have been modified for the Paralympics

Olimpic village was converted to Paralympic in five days.

Wheelchair spaces have been increased at stadiums and other Olympic venues. There are now 568 at the main stadium. Blind fans are given audio guides, and deaf fans have seats in front of large screens.

London 2012 Integration Director Chris Holmes says toilets, bathrooms, sidewalks and signage have been designed with Paralympians in mind from the start.

Assistant tapers

Assistant tapers are on duty at the sides of the pool

Blind swimmers are assisted by so-called tapers. At each end of the pool stands a man with a long pole, like a fishing rod, with a soft ball at the end. As the swimmer approaches the rail, the pianist touches it with the ball to alert the athlete.

"We're letting the swimmers know they're approaching the edge, two to four meters from the end of the pool," says Marcelo Sugimori, one of the two tapers for the Brazilian Paralympic team.

Sugimori worked as a pianist for his sister, who won the gold medal in the 50m freestyle at the 2004 Athens Paralympics.

Guides for runners

Blind runners on the track are accompanied by a guide

Blind and partially blind runners can use the services of guides. A sighted guide, tied to the paralympic athlete's hand with a rope, runs with him and serves as the "eyes" of the athlete.

In the words of British Paralympic athlete Libby Clegg, "It's like running in pairs, but you're not tied by the leg, but by the arm." Clegg runs the 100 meters in 12.41 seconds.

Throughout the distance, the guide guide tells the athlete where they are on the treadmill, when to turn, and when to slow down or speed up. Each of them runs on his own path.

Completely blind athletes always run with a guide. The partially blind decide for themselves whether they need a guide or not. Most women athletes choose men as guides, as the guide must be able to run faster than the runners themselves.

At the same time, guides are prohibited from crossing the finish line before the athlete, for which the Paralympic athlete is threatened with disqualification.

Age

Paralympic spectators may notice that many Paralympic champions are much older than Olympic winners.

During the last Wimbledon tennis tournament many have wondered how long the Swiss Roger Federer, now 30 years old, will be able to play at such high level. British tennis champion wheelchairs Peter Norfolk is 51 years old and has won gold at the Paralympics in Athens and Beijing.

Yes, 71-year-old rider from Japan Hiroshi Hoketsu took part in the London Olympics, and 39-year-old gymnast Yordan Yovchev from Bulgaria finished seventh in the rings. However, there are more older athletes among Paralympic athletes.

British blind football team captain David Clarke is 41 years old. Boccia team captain Nigel Murray is 48. British archery competitor Kate Murray is 63 years old.

Russian Press Paralympics champion in discus throw and shot put Alexei Ashapatov turns 39 in October, but he intends to travel to Rio for the 2016 Games.

Many Paralympic athletes entered the sport as part of medical rehabilitation after becoming disabled. There are many veterans of the war in Afghanistan and other conflicts among the participants of the Games.

There are not so many potential Paralympic athletes, because many disabled people simply do not have the opportunity to play sports - due to the lack of stadiums adapted for training, for example, or low self-esteem. Many people with disabilities do not even think about playing sports.

There are also young athletes in the British Paralympic team. Wheelchair fencer Gaby Down is 14, volleyball player Julie Rogers is 13, and swimmers Chloe Davis and Amy Marren are 13 and 14, respectively.

doping control

The list of prohibited drugs is the same for Paralympians and Olympians. Any athlete requiring medication must request a special authorization, which will be reviewed by the medical committee.

director of british anti-doping agency Nicole Sapstead says not all Paralympic athletes take prescription drugs.

"Of course, athletes with back injuries need painkillers, but in general it's like the Olympics - mostly asthma and diabetes," says Sapstead.

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State budget educational institution

Higher professional education

"Samara State medical University Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation"

department physical education and health

Abstract on the topic:

"Paralympic Games. Sports related to visual impairment"

Completed:

2nd year student, 202 gr.

Mikhalev Roman Vsevolodovich

Checked:

Senior Lecturer,

Akhmetov R.V.

Samara, 2015

Table of contents

Introduction
Conclusion

Introduction

Paralympic Games are the largest sport competitions among people with disabilities. Every year the number of people wishing to participate in the Paralympic Games is increasing. If in 1960 400 athletes from 23 countries took part in the Games, then 4200 athletes from 160 countries took part in the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. Over the years, the number of disciplines in Paralympic sports has grown from 57 to 471. There are no age restrictions for Paralympic participants.

The idea of creating the Paralympic Games belongs to the German neurologist Ludwig Guttmann. In 1948, at the Center for the Rehabilitation of Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries in Stoke Mandeville (UK), he organized sports competitions for World War II veterans. By 1953, the number of competitors in Stoke Mandeville had grown to 130, which attracted the attention of representatives Olympic Movement. The term " paralympic" - derived from the Greek preposition " para" - "near, outside, besides" and "near, parallel", and the words " Olympics" , those. Along with the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games are held in parallel, usually they are held immediately after each other.

The first Paralympic Games were held in Rome in 1960. Then the delegation of athletes from Italy was the largest. The program of the Roman Games included eight sports, including athletics, swimming, fencing, basketball, archery, and table tennis. Athletes with spinal cord injury participated in the competition.

The official name "Paralympic Games" appeared during the 1964 II Paralympic Games in Tokyo. It was attended by 390 athletes from 22 countries. New sports were included in the program of the Games, in particular, wheelchair riding, weightlifting and discus throwing. Paralympic paraphernalia was used for the first time at these competitions: the flag, anthem and symbol of the Games.

There are six categories of disability in the Paralympic Movement: athletes with amputated limbs, with cerebral palsy, with intellectual disabilities, Withviolationsvision, with spinal cord injury, as well as a group that includes other types of disabilities.

The Winter Paralympic Games have been held since 1976. For the first time they took place in the city of Örnsköldsvik (Sweden). Competitions for athletes with amputated limbs and visual impairments were organized on the track and in the field. For the first time, sled racing competitions were held there. Russia first took part in the Paralympic Games in 1988 in Seoul.

Sports existing in the Paralympic Games

Summer sports

· rowing;

Wheelchair basketball

· Bocce;

· Cycling;

· Dressage;

· Goalball;

· Kayaking (this game for the disabled will be included in the program of games from 2016);

· Judo;

· Athletics;

· Table tennis;

· Paratriathlon;

· Sailing;

· Swimming;

· Bullet shooting;

wheelchair rugby

· Sitting volleyball;

· Archery;

· Wheelchair tennis;

· Weightlifting;

wheelchair fencing;

Football 5x5;

Football 7x7.

Winter sports

· Alpine skiing (includes slalom, giant slalom, super combined, downhill, para-snowboard);

wheelchair curling

· Ski race;

· Biathlon;

Sledge hockey.

Of the presented, only 9 summer and 2 winter sports are suitable for the participation of people with visual impairments.

Summer sports in the Paralympic Games that can be played by visually impaired people

1) Adaptive rowing

Rowing is the youngest sport in the Paralympic Games. Rowing was introduced to the Paralympic program in 2005 and will be held for the first time at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. Adaptive rowing, or simply rowing, is a sport for athletes whose physical abilities meet the criteria set by the rules. The term "adaptive" implies that the appropriate equipment is "adapted" for the athletes, not the sport itself is "adapted" for the athletes. The International Rowing Federation (FISA) is the main regulatory body.

Both men and women take part in the competition. The classification includes four classes of boats: LTA4+, TA2x, AW1x and AM1x. Classes LTA4+ and TA2x are mixed (men and women) boats. Races are held over 1000 meters for all four classes (despite the fact that the LTA4+ class competed over 2000 meters prior to the 2005 World Rowing Championships).

Rowers with visual impairments may compete in the LTA4+ class. In this case, the commands with flags will have to be voiced (note "Red Flag"). At the same time, the control commission is instructed to give Special attention safety of rowers with visual impairments.

2) Cycling

Cycling is one of the newest competitions in the history of Paralympism. The first competitions were held in the early eighties. Athletes with visual impairments took part in these cycling competitions. This type of competition fell in love with the Paralympic Games. Already in 1984, at the International Games for the Disabled, this type of competition was held among amputee athletes. And already in Barcelona, at the games in cycling competitions, cyclists of all three groups competed on a special track and also on the track.

Usually such competitions are held both in individual and group competitions. Three cyclists from one country take part in the group classification. For visually impaired athletes, special bicycles are used, paired with a seeing teammate. They can also race on the track. But amputees and cyclists with motor impairments take part in individual competitions. For this, specially equipped bicycles are also used.

Cycling is characterized as movement on the ground for which vehicles are used, driven by the muscular strength of a person. This sport includes racing on the track, highway, cross-country, mountain biking. There are also competitions in figure riding and ball games on bicycles - cycling and cycling. The main goal in this competition is the fastest overcoming the distance. cycling view sport is managed International Union cyclists. This cycling watchdog is based in Switzerland. But in Russia, exactly the same functions are performed by such an organization as the Federation cycling Russia.

3) Dressage

Disabled people can take part in equestrian competitions various groups: paraplegics, amputees, blind and visually impaired, mentally retarded and many others, the main desire. Equestrian competitions are held in the individual competition, as well as group competitions. In this event, the players must demonstrate their skills to the judges in passing a short section, on which the pace and direction of movement alternate. At the Paralympic Games, athletes are grouped according to a separate classification, and already within the selected groups, winners are determined who were able to demonstrate the best results.

In these individual competitions, athletes demonstrate their skills in two types of riding - this is a mandatory program and kur. The mandatory program includes tests that have been specially selected and approved by the rules. Kur is a free style, it is an individually prepared choreographic performance to music, including movements prescribed by the rules.

During the team classification, teams of three or four people demonstrate their abilities, in addition, one of the team members must have a qualification level of 1 or 2. The result in the team classification is determined by the sum of three best performances in the test. If the team consists of four people, then the performance with the lowest number of points is not taken into account.

The main thing in this competition is individuality. This event brings a sense of fullness of life to people who are limited in the physical sense. The most important thing is that the horse and the person subtly feel each other, be a single whole. That's when the performance is excellent. Russian athletes for the first time they were able to take part in this competition in 1999 at the World Championships in Denmark.

4) Goalball

Goalball is a sports game in which two teams compete. The main task of both teams is to throw the ball with a built-in bell into the opponent's goal.

This sport was opened in 1946, and the main purpose of its creation was humane motives to help the rehabilitation of veterans of the Second World War, namely, the visually impaired. Goalball is part of the program of the Paralympic Games. This sport made its debut in 1976 in the city of Toronto, and it appeared in the official program only in 1980. In 1978, the world's first official world championship was organized.

At its core, Goalball is an adaptive team game that in some ways resembles football. The goal of creating the game was indeed achieved, as the players could quickly adapt to their not so joyful situation. A new game gradually began to win more and more fans, it acquired the status of an interesting and gambling game and soon almost completely lost its purely therapeutic significance. Now, goalball is a real passion for thousands of visually impaired and blind people around the world.

This sport came to Russia only in the 60s of the last century. Then the first sections began to open in boarding schools for the blind or visually impaired. The game fell in love with our compatriots, and already at the beginning of the 70s, enthusiasts began to spend friendly matches between teams.

5) Paralympic Judo

The Paralympic Games can boast of the presence in the program of such a sport as judo. True, it is slightly different from judo, which is included in the program of the Olympic Games. The main difference is the textures on the mats, they are made in order to indicate the area of \u200b\u200bthe competition and the areas where it is held. Athletes - Paralympic athletes fight among themselves for the main prize, which is a gold medal. The texture of the mats is the only difference between traditional and Paralympic ones, but the rules of the game are identical to the rules of the International Judo Federation. Judo entered the Paralympic Games in 1988. And four years later, 53 disabled athletes, representing 16 countries of the world, took part in the games in Barcelona.

Judo means "gentle way" in Japanese. This sport combines both spiritual and physical principles. It is he who reflects the "soft" attitude of the judoka to the opponent and to life. With a bow, the competition begins and also ends. During the competition, the athlete must demonstrate his respect to the opponent 7 times, in addition, the duration of each bow is about 4 seconds. When bowing, the waist is bent at 30 degrees.

Women began to take part in judo competitions in the Paralympic Games only from 2004. Now this sport is practiced at the international level in 30 countries. Paralympic judo is a sport for blind and visually impaired athletes. The main feature of an athlete is the ability to balance, to feel the opponent well physically and on an intuitive level. The athlete must have the qualities that belong to the blind. There are 13 weight categories. Judo in the Paralympic Games is administered by the International Federation for the Sports of the Blind.

6) Athletics

Athletics entered the program of the Paralympic Games in 1960. Athletics includes a very wide range of various kinds competitions. Disabled people of almost all groups with various health disorders can take part in these competitions. Wheelchair users, prosthetists, the blind, etc. can act as athletes. Interestingly, blind athletes participate together with the suggestive one. Competitions in the athletics category include track, throw, jumping, pentathlon and marathon. Competitions between athletes are held in accordance with the functional classifications of the participants.

Athletics is characterized as a set of sports that include: running, walking, jumping and throwing. It can combine running sports, race walking, technical types sports, that is, jumping and throwing, as well as all-around, highway running and cross-country running. Athletics is recognized as one of the main and most popular sports.

Usually, the exercises related to athletics are carried out with the aim of physical training. In addition, it was they who were used for competitions in the distant past by our ancestors. It is generally accepted that the history of athletics began with the track competitions at the Olympic Games. Ancient Greece. These competitions were held in 776 BC. Even in ancient times they knew a lot about competitions, even then many exercises were very common. Ancient people knew a lot about exercise, their usefulness and necessity.

Modern athletics began its journey with separate attempts in different countries to hold competitions in running, jumping and throwing. A little later, the program began to include running on short distances, hurdles, weight throwing, and even later - long jumps and high jumps with a run. So gradually the arsenal of sports included in athletics grew and strengthened.

7) Swimming

Initially, swimming was included in the program of physiotherapy and rehabilitation of the disabled. And now it is a very popular sport. Today, swimming competitions between the disabled are one of the most interesting and popular events of the Paralympic Games. Disabled people of any group of functional limitations can take part in this competition. There is only one condition, and that is that prostheses and other assistive devices may not be used in the competition.

Swimming is a sport that consists in overcoming various distances in the shortest possible time. There are limits to this sport. For example, in a submerged position, it is allowed to swim no more than 15 m after the start or turn. However, in the breaststroke competition, the bathing restriction is reformulated differently. But high-speed types of scuba diving are no longer swimming, but underwater sports.

Swimming is also an integral part of the modern pentathlon - a 200-meter swim, a triathlon, that is various distances in open water and part of some applied all-around. Our ancestors in ancient Egypt, Assyria, Phoenicia and other countries knew how to swim, and all the methods of swimming known to them are very reminiscent of modern crawl and breaststroke. At that time, smooth had only an applied character. It was used during fishing, in the hunt for waterfowl, underwater fishing, as well as in military affairs. It was only in ancient Greece that swimming began to be used as a means of physical education.

In 1896, swimming added to the list of competitions in the Olympic Games, after which this competition is held constantly and is very popular. Despite their physical handicaps, disabled athletes have achieved great success in this area of competition.

8) Weightlifting

In the Paralympic Games, this type of competition was first included in the program in 1992, competitions were held in Barcelona. Then, for the first time, 25 different countries demonstrated their sports delegations for weightlifting competitions. After this event, weightlifting became widespread in the Paralympic Games, it began to be included in the program of each competition. Even more representatives of the countries took part in the competition of this type in 1996 at the Games in Atlanta. 58 participants from various countries arrived here. However, 68 participating countries were declared, but ten of them were let down by funding.

Since this year - 1996, the number of applications for participation in weightlifting competitions has grown exponentially. This sport has aroused great interest in itself. Everyone wanted to show off. Approximately 109 countries on five continents are now permanently participating in the Paralympic weightlifting program.

On this moment All groups of disabled people can participate in these competitions. They compete with each other in ten weight categories. Moreover, both men and women take part. For the first time, a weightlifting competition among the weaker sex was held only in 2000 at the Paralympic Games in Sydney. The ships brought 48 women from various countries of the world. After this event, women became regular participants in the Paralympic weightlifting competitions.

At the moment, the weightlifting competition is divided into two exercises - a snatch and a push. Snatch is an exercise in which the athlete lifts the barbell overhead with one continuous movement from the platform to fully extended arms. The push is an exercise that consists of two separate movements. One thing is that at the moment of taking on the chest, the athlete tears the barbell off the platform and raises it to the chest. The second - with a sharp movement sends the bar up to straight arms.

9) Football 5x5

Football 5x5 is an adapted version of traditional mini-football, which is played by blind or visually impaired athletes (people with cerebral palsy or other neurological diseases take part in 7x7 football). The International Sports Federation for the Blind (IBSA) supervises and administers the matches. The competitions themselves provide for the use of adapted FIFA rules.

The playground is slightly smaller than the standard one, it has small fences one meter high. This factor removes the offside position, and, accordingly, throwing the ball out from behind the sideline, which makes the game more dynamic.

The team consists of four visually impaired outfield players and a sighted goalkeeper. Five people (spare) may be present in the reserve.

In order to ensure balance in the game itself, all field players put on special armbands in order to equalize the level of visibility of all those present on the field. You can remove these masks only during a break in the game. In addition, each team may have its own guide, who is usually located outside the opposing team's goal. With the help of his voice, he directs the attacker to the opponent's goal. The ball has sound effects that it emits during its movement, the diameter of the ball is 20 cm. The goalkeeper is allowed to give commands to his players, but only when the game is taking place in his goal area. Only the goalkeeper is allowed to handle the ball.

Free kicks have three possible violations:

Violations of the location of the dressing;

Goalkeeper going out of his zone;

Excessive physical contact of one player with another.

The match consists of two halves of 25 minutes each, and has one 10-minute break. The team that scores more goals wins. In case of an equal number of goals, the winner, as in the traditional version of football, is determined by a penalty kick.

Winter sports in the Paralympic Games in which visually impaired people can participate

1) Alpine skiing

Alpine skiing first entered the Winter Paralympic Games in 1976 in Sweden. At the moment, disabled people from more than 35 countries compete in this sport. This sport is similar to traditional alpine skiing. There is also a competition in four disciplines - downhill, super giant, giant slalom and slalom. Athletes are divided into classes depending on their physical limitations. IN skiing amputees, visually impaired, with cerebral palsy and POD can take part. Depending on the class of physical disability, they are given special equipment: mono-skis, ski or orthopedic aids. Visually impaired participants are guided by the voice commands of the leaders.

The beginning of the development of skiing among the disabled is considered the end of the Second World War. At that time, the soldiers who returned with injuries did not leave the desire to do what they loved. In 1948, the first courses were held to teach the technique of skiing for these very disabled people.

For a relatively long time, only two groups of disabled people could engage in this sport - these are athletes with a violation of the musculoskeletal system, while they rode standing up and with visual impairment. It was only in the 1970s that mono-skis were invented, which made it possible for athletes with a violation of the ODA to sit in this sport.

This transport is equipped with special sticks with shortened skis at the end. They are used to control and maintain balance. And already in 1976, the program of the Paralympic Games included competitions in slalom and giant slalom. And downhill competitions were first held in 1984 at the Paralympic Games in Innsbruck. And only in 1994 they added a supergiant to everything else. And the sitting competition of athletes with a violation of the musculoskeletal system on a mono-ski was included in the program of the Paralympics in Nagano in 1998.

2) Cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing and biathlon are among the ancient species sports. They originated in northern Europe a long time ago. Now this sport is also practiced at the Paralympic Games. There are competitions between athletes in classical and freestyle riding. In this sport, there are both individual and team offsets. The skiing distance ranges from 2.5 to 20 kilometers. The device for racing is characterized by the functional limitations of the athlete. It can be traditional skis, or a chair specially equipped with a pair of skis. Blind athletes ride in conjunction with the leader.

Cross-country skiing and biathlon entered the program of the Paralympic Games back in 1976 at the Winter Games in Sweden. Both men and women took part in the competition. They used cue running style for all distances. But already in 1984 in Innsbruck at the Winter Paralympic Games, competitions in skating style were held for the first time. From that moment on, all competitions are divided into two separate races - this is the classic and skate style. However, this new technique was not used in Albertville, France. All athletes are divided into several classes, depending on their physical limitations. There are the following classes. LW 2-9 - this includes athletes with a physical disability, class LW 10-12 includes seated athletes, and class B 1-3 includes athletes with low vision.

Medals are awarded to athletes in each category separately at each distance. The biathlon distance is 1.5 kilometers and includes two firing lines. There is also a distance of 12 kilometers with four firing lines. Athletes who are classified as visually impaired are given guns equipped with electronic-acoustic goggles.

Classification of athletes with visual impairment

International sports association the blind - IBSA:

The sports classification of blind athletes is universal for all sports, and its application for different competitions may depend on the sport. For example, for judo wrestling, athletes perform without taking into account the sports class, there are only refereeing features for class B1, and for swimming and cross-country skiing strict compliance is important sports class. The classification takes into account the state of the two main visual functions of the organ of vision: visual acuity and peripheral boundaries of the visual field.

Criteria for sports medical classification international association sports of the blind:

Class B1 No light projection, or in the presence of light projection, inability to determine the shadow of the hand at any distance and in any direction.

Class B2 From the ability to determine the shadow of the hand at any distance, to visual acuity below 2/60 (0.03), or with a concentric narrowing of the field of view up to 5 degrees.

Class B3 From visual acuity above 2/60 but below 6/60 (0.03-0.1), and/or concentric visual field contraction greater than 5 degrees but less than 20 degrees.

At the same time, the classification is best eye under conditions with better optical correction. The count of the fingers is determined on a contrasting background. The boundaries of the field of view are determined with a mark that is maximum for a given perimeter.

Athletes with visual acuity above 0.1 and peripheral boundaries of the visual field wider than 20 degrees from the fixation point are not allowed to compete. international competitions visually impaired. According to accepted rules IBSA Athletes competing in class B1 must wear opaque goggles during the competition, which are controlled by the judges.

Ophthalmologists should classify blind and visually impaired athletes. It is rational to carry out sports classification of the visually impaired even at the stage of training in schools for the blind and visually impaired, since it is easier to solve issues of both coaching work (capacity in groups, selection of appropriate equipment, etc.), and to monitor the dynamics of the state of visual functions.

paralympic sport visual impairment

Conclusion

To provide fair competition between athletes with various deviations and impairments in each international sports organization athletes with disabilities are divided into classes according to their functional capabilities, and not disability groups. Such a functional classification is based primarily on the abilities of the athlete, which allow him to compete in a certain sports discipline as well as medical data. This means that athletes belonging to different nosological groups (for example, an athlete with cerebral palsy and an athlete with a spinal cord injury) may end up in the same functional class in a discipline such as 100m freestyle swimming, since they have the same functional capabilities. This is to enable the athlete to compete with other athletes of equal or similar functionality.

Sometimes, for example in marathon competitions, athletes from different functional classes compete together. However, the places they occupy are determined according to their functional classes.

It is the functional classes that provide equal, fair and interesting competitions between athletes.

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