Sighted guide

Last updated

A sighted guide is a person who guides a person with blindness or vision impairment.

Contents

Sports

Paralympic Games

Pilot Pascal Schoots (L) and Jan Mulder (R) won silver medals in cycling at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens Pascal Schoots Jan Mulder I.jpg
Pilot Pascal Schoots (L) and Jan Mulder (R) won silver medals in cycling at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens

At the Paralympic Games there are various classifications of athletes with a visual impairment.

Paralympic Games major international sport event for people with disabilities

The Paralympics is a major international multi-sport event involving athletes with a range of disabilities, including impaired muscle power, impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, vision impairment and intellectual impairment. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea, are held almost immediately following the respective Olympic Games. All Paralympic Games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

Rules are according to the International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

International Paralympic Committee global governing body for the paralympic movement

The International Paralympic Committee is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nine sports. Founded on 22 September 1989 in Düsseldorf, Germany, its mission is "To enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and inspire and excite the world". Furthermore, the IPC wants to promote the Paralympic values and to create sport opportunities for all persons with a disability, from beginner to elite level.

The sighted guides are such a close and essential part of the competition, that the athlete with a visual impairment and the guide are considered a team, and both athletes are medal candidates. [1]

Winter

At the Winter Paralympics there are three classifications of athletes with a visual impairment:

  • B1 (no useful vision)
  • B2 (minimal useful vision)
  • B3 (some useful vision). [2]
B1 (classification) medical-based Paralympic classification for blind sport

B1 is a medical-based Paralympic classification for blind sport. Athletes in this classification are totally or almost totally blind. It is used by a number of blind sports including para-alpine skiing, para-Nordic skiing, blind cricket, blind golf, five-a-side football, goalball and judo. Some other sports, including adaptive rowing, athletics and swimming, have equivalents to this class.

B2 (classification) medical based Paralympic classification for blind sport

B2 is a medical based Paralympic classification for blind sport. Competitors in this classification have vision that falls between the B1 and B3 classes. The International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) defines this classification as "visual acuity ranging from LogMAR 1.50 to 2.60 (inclusive) and/or visual field constricted to a diameter of less than 10 degrees." It is used by a number of blind sports including para-alpine skiing, para-Nordic skiing, blind cricket, blind golf, five-a-side football, goalball and judo. Some sports, including adaptive rowing, athletics and swimming, have equivalents to this class.

B3 (classification)

B3 is a medical based Paralympic classification for blind sport. Competitors in this classification have partial sight, with visual acuity from 2/60 to 6/60. It is used by a number of blind sports including para-alpine skiing, para-Nordic skiing, blind cricket, blind golf, five-a-side football, goalball and judo. Some other sports, including adaptive rowing, athletics and swimming, have equivalents to this class.

A sighted guide is required for B1 and B2, and optional for B3.

Nordic skiing:
The guide can lead, follow, or ski next to the athlete with a visual impairment. The guide assists with voice instruction only. No physical contact allowed.

Alpine skiing:
The start must have an adequate space for the guide. [3] [4]

  • Combined
  • Downhill
  • Giant slalom
  • Slalom
  • Super-G

Summer

Timothee Adolphe and his sighted guide Cedric Felip Meeting d'Athletisme Paralympique de Paris - Timothee Adolphe & Cedric Felip 07.jpg
Timothée Adolphe and his sighted guide Cédric Felip

Athletics:
In athletics the sighted guides can win a medal. [5]

Cycling: Pilot
Equestrian:
Football 5-a-side:
Triathlon:

See also

Related Research Articles

Para-alpine skiing skiing for people with disabilities

Paralympic alpine skiing is an adaptation of alpine skiing for athletes with a disability. The sport evolved from the efforts of disabled veterans in Germany and Austria during and after the Second World War. The sport is governed by the International Paralympic Committee Sports Committee. The primary equipment used includes outrigger skis, sit-skis, and mono-skis. Para-alpine skiing disciplines include the Downhill, Super-G, Giant Slalom, Slalom, Super Combined and Snowboard.

Paralympic sports

The Paralympic sports comprise all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. As of 2016, the Summer Paralympics included 22 sports and 526 medal events, and the Winter Paralympics include 5 sports and disciplines and about 72 events. The number and kinds of events may change from one Paralympic Games to another.

Alpine skiing at the 2010 Winter Paralympics

The alpine skiing competition of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics will be held at Whistler, British Columbia. The events were due to be held between 13 March, and 21 March 2010. Events scheduled for 13 March, however, were postponed due to weather conditions – specifically, low visibility.

The Men's Slalom competition of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Paralympics was held at Whistler Blackcomb in Whistler, British Columbia. The competition was rescheduled to Sunday March 14 and Monday March 15 due to recent weather conditions.

The women's slalom competition of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics was held at Whistler Blackcomb in Whistler, British Columbia. The competition was rescheduled to Sunday, March 14, and Monday, March 15, due to weather conditions.

The Men's Giant Slalom competition of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics is held at Whistler Blackcomb in Whistler, British Columbia. The competition is scheduled for Tuesday, March 16 and Wednesday March 17.

The women's giant slalom competition of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics is held at Whistler Blackcomb in Whistler, British Columbia. The competition is scheduled for Tuesday, March 16, and Wednesday, March 17.

Australia at the 1984 Winter Paralympics

The 1984 Winter Paralympics, then known as The Third World Winter Games for the Disabled, were held in Innsbruck, Austria. The games took place from the 15 until 21 January. Present at these games were 419 athletes from 21 countries, Spain and the Netherlands competing for the first time in the Winter Paralympics, competing in 107 events across 3 sports. The inclusion of Les Austres and Cerebral palsy impairment groups contributing to the distinct increase in athlete participation with the total number of athletes jumping from 229 at Geilo, Norway in 1980.

2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships

The 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships was held in Sestriere, Italy, from January 14 to 23, 2011. IPC stands for International Paralympic Committee.

The Super-G competitions of the 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships was held at Kandahar Banchetta Giovanni N., in Sestriere, Italy on January 18.

The Super combined competitions of the 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships were held at Kandahar Banchetta Giovanni N., in Sestriere, Italy on January 19.

The Slalom competitions of the 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships were held at Kandahar Banchetta Giovanni N., in Sestriere, Italy on January 20.

The Giant slalom competitions of the 2011 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships were held at Kandahar Banchetta Giovanni N., in Sestriere, Italy on January 22.

Australia at the 1980 Winter Paralympics

Following the success of the first ever 1976 Winter Paralympics in Örnsköldsvik four years earlier, Norway was selected to host the Paralympic Games in 1980.

Jessica Gallagher Australian skier

Jessica Gallagher is an Australian Paralympic alpine skier, track and field athlete, and tandem cyclist. She was Australia's second female Winter Paralympian, and the first Australian woman to win a medal at the Winter Paralympics at the 2010 Vancouver Games. She competed at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, where she won a bronze medal in the Women's Giant Slalom Visually Impaired.

Para-alpine skiing classification is the classification system for para-alpine skiing designed to ensure fair competition between alpine skiers with different types of disabilities. The classifications are grouped into three general disability types: standing, blind and sitting. Classification governance is handled by International Paralympic Committee Alpine Skiing. Prior to that, several sport governing bodies dealt with classification including the International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD), International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation (ISMWSF), International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) and Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CP-ISRA). Some classification systems are governed by bodies other than International Paralympic Committee Alpine Skiing, such as the Special Olympics. The sport is open to all competitors with a visual or physical disability. It is not open to people with intellectual disabilities.

Mac Marcoux Canadian Para-Alpine Skier

Mac Marcoux is a Canadian Paralympic Alpine skier who won three titles at the IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup at the age of 15. With guide Robin Femy, he won three medals in alpine skiing at the 2014 Winter Paralympics, including gold in the men's visually impaired giant slalom. He also has numerous awards including being inducted into the Sault Ste. Marie Walk of Fame. He has an older brother and a younger sister. He also enjoys riding BMX and mountain bikes.

References

  1. ↑ Visually impaired skiers put fate in guide's hands, thestar.com, March 13, 2010
  2. ↑ A look at the Paralympic Games, Universal Sports, March 9, 2010
  3. ↑ IBSA Alpine Skiing rules 2005-2009, International Blind Sports Association (IBSA)
  4. ↑ Visually impaired skiers put fate in guide's hands, Toronto Star, March 13, 2010
  5. ↑ Exclusive: Guides to be awarded Paralympic medals at London 2012, insideworldparasport.biz, February 12, 2011
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.