HISTORY OF PARA ALPINE SKIING

Para alpine skiing is practised worldwide and features six disciplines: downhill, slalom, giant slalom, super-G, super combined, and team events. Athletes combine speed and agility while racing down slopes at speeds of around 100km/h.

The sport was developed following the end of the Second World War, when injured ex-servicemen returned to the sport they loved. In 1948, the first Para alpine skiing courses were offered.

Competition accommodates male and female athletes with a physical impairment such as spinal injury, cerebral palsy, amputation, les autres conditions and blindness/vision impairment.

Athletes compete in three categories based on their functional ability, and a results calculation system allows athletes with different impairments to compete against each other.

Skiers with blindness/vision impairment are guided through the course by sighted guides using signals to indicate the course to follow. Some athletes use equipment that is adapted to their needs including single ski, sit-ski or orthopaedic aids.

International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) is the global governing body of Para alpine skiing.

Five events are on the Paralympic programme: downhill, super-G, super combined, giant slalom, and slalom.

DOWNHILL

Each athlete competes one run down the course with their finish time determining the final order based on ascending time. Athletes ski down a long, steep course and must pass through a relatively few number of gates.

If an athlete misses a gate they are disqualified.

SLALOM

Takeshi Suzuki — Slalom consists of two runs on difference courses

Each athlete competes two runs on the same day on different courses.

Times from the two runs are added together to determine the final order based on ascending total time. It is a technical event over a shorter course than other events but with a high number of gates that the athlete must negotiate.

If an athlete misses a gate they are disqualified.

GIANT SLALOM

Anna Jochemsen — Giant slalom has a longer course and fewer gates than the slalom

Each athlete completes two runs on the same day on different courses.

Times from the two runs are added together to determine the final order based on ascending total time. It is a technical event with a longer course and fewer gates than the slalom. The number of gates is determined by the vertical drop of the course.

If an athlete misses a gate they are disqualified.

SUPER-G

A speed event where each athlete completes one run down the course with their finish time determining the final order based on ascending time.

The course is generally shorter than downhill but longer than slalom and giant slalom.

SUPER COMBINED

a female vision impaired skier and her guide head down the slope — Super combined is the final result of two different disciplines

A combined competition which represents the final result of two disciplines - usually one of either a downhill or super-G and a single run of slalom.

Each athlete competes two runs on the same day on different courses. Times from the two runs are added together to determine the final order based on ascending total time.

COMPETITION HISTORY

The first documented Championships for skiers with an impairment were held in Badgastein, Austria, in 1948 with 17 athletes taking part. Since 1950, events have been held around the world. The introduction of sit-ski allowed people in wheelchairs (paraplegics and double above-the-knee amputees) to begin to ski and race.

The first Paralympic Winter Games took place in Örnsköldsvik in Sweden in 1976 and featured two alpine disciplines - slalom and giant slalom.

Downhill was added to the Paralympic programme in 1984 in Innsbruck, Austria, and super-G was added in 1994 at Lillehammer, Norway.

Sit-skiing was introduced as a demonstration sport at the Innsbruck 1984 Paralympics and became a medal event at the Nagano 1998 Games.

GROWTH OF PARA ALPINE SKIING AT THE PARALYMPIC WINTER GAMES


Year	Countries	Medal Events	Male	Female	Total	TOP 3 COUNTRIES
1976	12	28	64	14	78	1. SUI 2. GER 3. AUT
1980	15	22	98	34	132	1. AUT 2. SUI 3. USA
1984	21	56	150	44	194	1. AUT 2. USA 3. GER
1988	21	43	167	36	203	1. AUT 2. GER 3. USA
1992	23	48	165	47	212	1. USA 2. GER 3. AUT
1994	24	66	175	45	220	1. USA 2. GER 3. FRA
1998	26	54	179	50	229	1. USA 2. ESP 3. SUI
2002	30	53	145	49	194	1. USA 2. AUT 3. GER
2006	30	24	146	44	190	1. GER 2. FRA 3. USA
2010	37	30	135	56	191	1. GER 2. CAN 3. SVK
2014	40	32	158	56	214	1. RUS 2. GER 3. FRA
2018	33	30	101	40	141	1. SVK 2. FRA 3. GER
2022	37	30	115	52	167	1. AUT 2. NOR 3. CHN

ALL-TIME PARALYMPIC ALPINE SKIING MEDALS TABLE

RANK	COUNTRY	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE	TOTAL
1	Austria	94	93	93	280
2	USA	91	97	70	258
3	Germany	58	41	38	137
4	Switzerland	45	39	25	109
5	France	42	42	36	120

TOP 5 MALE PARALYMPIC MEDALLISTS

RANK	ATHLETE	YEARS COMPETING	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE	TOTAL
1	Gerd Schoenfelder (GER)	1992-2010	16	4	2	22
2	Rolf Heinzmann (SUI)	1980-2002	12	2	0	14
3	Martin Braxenthaler (GER)	1998-2010	10	1	1	12
4	Hans Burn (SUI)	1988-2002	6	5	3	14
5	Greg Mannino (USA)	1988-1998	6	4	2	12

TOP 5 FEMALE PARALYMPIC MEDALLISTS

RANK	ATHLETE	YEARS COMPETING	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE	TOTAL
1	Reinhild Moeller (GER)	1980-2006	16	2	1	19
2	Sarah Will (USA)	1992-2002	12	1	0	13
3	Henrieta Farkasova (SVK)	2010-present	11	2	1	14
4	Lauren Woolstencroft (CAN)	2002-2010	8	1	1	10
5	Marie Bochet (FRA)	2014-present	8	1	0	9