...that most people in the U.S. don't understand - or even know is coming.
The Paralympic Games start tonight in Vancouver, running from March 12-21 on the same site as the Olympic Games.
Having taken a couple of weeks to adjust the site, and prepare the athletes village for accessibility, the next international wave of outstanding athletes have arrived in Vancouver and are ready to compete at a world-class level.
Paralympic athletes train with the same devotion and discipline as any world-class competitor, and must work their way up through the same international circuit to reach the pinnacle of a team position in the Paralympics
By contract with the International Olympic Committee, the Paralympic Games happen on the same site as the "able-bodied" games every two years. This has been the case since the Seoul games in 1988.
The events of the winter Paralympic Games are:
� Alpine Skiing
� Biathalon
� Cross Country Skiing
� Ice Sledge Hockey
� Wheelchair Curling
I had the pleasure of attending the Syndey 2000 Paralympics, and can tell you that the level of skill and athletic commitment is just incredible. And it's all the more interesting how quickly you forget that disability is even a factor. You get absorbed in the sport, and it's about fun and achievement and really, really great athletic performance.
Learn more at the
Vancouver Paralympics page.
Cross Country Sit Skiing
