Vancouver Wheelchair Curling Teams Announced

The teams for the Wheelchair Curling event at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games have been officially confirmed by the Wheelchair Curling Federation this past week.

Countries that are set to compete in the highly skilled Paralympic Winter Sport include Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Korea, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and USA.

The Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games will take place from 12-21 March 2010, with approximately 600 athletes from 43 countries expected to compete in five sports: Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Ice Sledge Hockey and Wheelchair Curling.

Wheelchair Curling is a game of great skill and strategy. The first World Cup in Curling for wheelchair players was held in January 2000 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Wheelchair Curling had its debut at the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games.

The sport is open to male and female athletes with a physical disability in the lower part of the body. This includes athletes with significant impairments in lower leg/gait function (e.g., spinal injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, double leg amputation, etc), who require a wheelchair for daily mobility.