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106-472: At 4.25 square kilometres (1.64 sq mi), Shiga-kōgen is arguably the largest ski resort in Japan, as well as the second highest in elevation. The resort is made up of 21 smaller, interconnected ski fields, with 70 lifts in total. Starting in winter 2015-16 all of Shiga-kōgen became open to skiers and snowboarders (previously some areas were restricted to skiers only). The resort was the site of several events in

212-457: A plywood core. The design included steel edges (invented in 1928 in Austria , ) and the exterior surfaces were made of phenol formaldehyde resin which could hold wax. This hugely successful ski was unique at the time, having been designed for the recreational market rather than for racing. 1962: a fibreglass ski, Kneissl 's White Star, was used by Karl Schranz to win two gold medals at

318-662: A "heritage flame" lit at Stoke Mandeville, although it was combined with flames lit in the host country for the formal start of the torch relay. Beginning in 2024 , future Paralympic torch relays will officially begin in Stoke Mandeville, as an equivalent to the Olympic flame being created in Olympia . There have been several milestones in the Paralympic movement. The first official Paralympic Games, coincident with

424-593: A competition held in parallel with the Olympic Games . The Summer Games of 1988 held in Seoul was the first time the term Paralympic came into official use. "Spirit in Motion" is the current motto for the Paralympic movement. The current Paralympic flag is used since 2020 and contains three colours, red, blue, and green, which are the colours most widely represented in the flags of nations. The colours are each in

530-399: A downhill skiing context. Backcountry skiing, also known as off-piste skiing, is any form of skiing done outside of ski area boundaries. Most of the time this type of skiing is done with alpine touring skis , or telemark gear, where skiers take advantage of climbing skins and a detachable heel, to ski uphill. When the skier reaches the top of the area they want to ski down, they take off

636-484: A few small convenience stores mostly located inside hotels including the Hotel Shiga Sunvalley. There are larger stores (part of a chain of convenience stores called "Yamazaki Store") inside Hotel Japan Shiga, Olympic Hotel and Villa Ichinose which has bread, other baked goods, sandwiches, cold beverages, beer, sake and other alcoholic beverages, chocolate, biscuits, ice-cream, band-aids and sports tape. At

742-521: A free heel to facilitate walking. Styles of Nordic skiing equipment include: Ski poles are commonly used in tandem with skis in a variety of types of skiing. They are typically used as a mechanism to help skiers in most types of skiing, giving additional maneuverability with support turning, walking, and getting up after falling. Ski maintenance encompasses four facets: binding adjustments, waxing, edge shaping, and base repair. Binding adjustment : Safety-release ski bindings require adjustment to fit

848-668: A free, lockable, or partially secured heel. For climbing slopes, ski skins can be affixed to the base of each ski to prevent them from sliding backwards. Originally used as a means of travel over snow, skis have become specialized for recreational and competitive alpine and cross-country skiing . The word ski comes from the Old Norse word skíð which means "cleft wood", "stick of wood" or "ski". In Old Norse common phrases describing skiing were fara á skíðum (to travel, move fast on skis), renna (to move swiftly) and skríða á skíðum (to stride on skis). In Norwegian this word

954-727: A functional classification system which differs from sport to sport. The IPC has established ten disability categories, including physical, visual, and intellectual impairment. Athletes with one of these disabilities can compete in the Paralympics, though not every sport can allow for every disability category. These categories apply to both Summer and Winter Paralympics. Physical Impairment – There are eight different types of physical impairment: Visual impairment – Athletes with visual impairment ranging from partial vision, sufficient to be judged legally blind , to total blindness . This includes impairment of one or more component of

1060-613: A much wider tip and tail than waist. When tipped onto their edges, they bend into a curved shape and carve a turn. Cross-country techniques use different styles of turns; edging is not as important, and skis have little sidecut. For many years, alpine skis were shaped similarly to cross-country, simply shorter and wider, but the Elan SCX introduced a radial sidecut design that dramatically improved performance. Other companies quickly followed suit, one Austrian ski designer admitting, "It turns out that everything we thought we knew for forty years

1166-486: A new design technology was introduced with an outer hardwood shell completely encasing an inner layer of lighter wood, successfully eliminating spontaneously splitting glue lines. This early design eventually evolved into an advanced laminating technique which is referred to today as single-shell casing technology. In 1950, Howard Head introduced the Head Standard , constructed by sandwiching aluminium alloy around

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1272-576: A one-hour highlight program after the Games ended. For the Winter Olympics the BBC aired 160 hours of coverage. The response from the BBC was that budget constraints and the "time zone factor" necessitated a limited broadcast schedule. The reduction in coverage was done in spite of increased ratings for the 2008 Summer Paralympics , which was watched by 23% of the population of Great Britain. In Norway,

1378-609: A right-arm amputee and could shoot left-handed. Another athlete with a disability who appeared in the Olympics prior to the Paralympic Games was Lis Hartel , a Danish equestrian athlete who had contracted polio in 1943 and won a silver medal in the dressage event in the 1952 Summer Olympics . The first organized athletic event for athletes with disabilities that coincided with the Olympic Games took place on

1484-478: A sidecut that narrowed the ski underfoot while the tip and tail remained wider. This enabled the ski to flex and turn more easily. Skis traditionally were hand-carved out of a single piece of hardwood such as hickory or birch or ash . These woods were used because of their density and ability to handle speed and shock-resistance factors associated with ski racing. Because Europe's forests were dwindling, finding quality plank hardwood became difficult, which led to

1590-409: A single long piece of suitable wood that is hand-carved to the required shape. Early designs were generally rectangular in cross-section, with the tip bent up through application of steam. Over time the designs changed, and skis were thinned out to the sides, or had prominent ridges down the center. In the history of skiing many types of skis have been developed, designed for different needs, of which

1696-483: A small gathering of British World War II veterans in 1948 . The 1960 Games in Rome drew 400 athletes with disabilities from 23 countries, as proposed by doctor Antonio Maglio. Currently it is one of the largest international sporting events: the 2020 Summer Paralympics featuring 4,520 athletes from 163 National Paralympic Committees . Paralympians strive for equal treatment with non-disabled Olympic athletes, but there

1802-489: A spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play....Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement. While the charter is silent on discrimination specifically related to disability; given the language in the charter regarding discrimination it is reasonable to infer that discrimination on

1908-399: A variety of materials including carbon- Kevlar to make skis stronger, stiffer in twisting, lighter, and more durable. Ski manufacturing techniques allow skis to be made in one or a combination of three designs: Laminated skis are built in layers. Materials such as fiberglass , steel , aluminum alloy , or plastic are layered and compressed above and below the core. Laminated construction

2014-563: A verb from the noun. Finnish has its own ancient words for skis and skiing: "ski" is suksi and "skiing" is hiihtää . The word suksi goes back to the Proto-Uralic period, with cognates such as Erzya soks , Mansi tåut and Nganasan tuta. The Sami also have their own words for "skis" and "skiing": for example, the Lule Sami word for "ski" is sabek and skis are called sabega . The Sami use cuoigat for

2120-468: A visual impairment are such a close and essential part of the competition that the athlete with visual impairment and the guide are considered a team, and both athletes are medal candidates. Starting at the 1992 Summer Paralympics, recent games have also been supported by contributions from major sponsors. Unlike the Olympics, where the IOC mandates that arenas be clean of sponsor logos, the Paralympics do allow

2226-508: A walking stick to help the user maintain balance. Nordic ski technology was adapted during the early 20th century to enable skiers to turn at higher speeds. New ski and ski binding designs, coupled with the introduction of ski lifts to carry skiers up slopes, enabled the development of alpine skis. Meanwhile, advances in technology in the Nordic camp allowed for the development of special skis for skating and ski jumping . This type of ski

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2332-572: Is a large funding gap between Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The Paralympic Games are organized in parallel with and in a similar way to the Olympic Games. The IOC -recognized Special Olympics World Games include athletes with intellectual disabilities (although since 1992, people with intellectual disabilities also participate in the Paralympic Games), and the Deaflympics held since 1924 are exclusive for deaf athletes. Given

2438-516: Is home to over seven natural hot spring sources. Many hotels are sourced by the Shiga Mountain hot springs and there are numerous onsen bath facilities located within the hotels across the resort. According to the book National Parks of Japan, published by Natural Parks Foundation: "Shiga-kōgen has more than 40 lakes and ponds" and "Joshinetsu National Park is a habitat for Japanese Macaques and Japanese Serows . "Also, "the vegetation in

2544-464: Is less common for alpine and ski touring . During the 1980s, Bucky Kashiwa developed a new construction technique using a rolled stainless steel sheet forming three sides of a torsion box over a wooden core, with the base of the ski forming the bottom. Introduced in 1989, the Volant skis proved expensive to produce, and in spite of numerous positive reviews, the company never became profitable. In 1990,

2650-588: Is responsible for organizing the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. It also serves as the International Federation for nine sports ( Paralympic athletics , Paralympic swimming , Paralympic archery , Paralympic powerlifting , Para-alpine skiing , Paralympic biathlon , Paralympic cross-country skiing , ice sledge hockey and Wheelchair DanceSport ). This requires the IPC to supervise and coordinate

2756-422: Is the most widely used manufacturing process in the ski industry today. The first successful laminate ski, and arguably the first modern ski was the Head Standard , introduced in 1950, which sandwiched aluminum alloy around a plywood core. The Dynamic VR7 introduced a new construction method in which a smaller wooden core was wrapped in wet fibreglass, as opposed to pre-dried sheets of fibreglass being glued to

2862-505: Is the tip, the middle is the waist and the rear is the tail. Skis have four aspects that define their basic performance: length, width, sidecut and camber. Skis also differ in more minor ways to address certain niche roles. For instance, mogul skis are softer to absorb shocks, powder skis are wider to provide more float and rocker skis bent upwards ( reverse camber ) at the tip and tail to make it easier to turn in deep and heavy snow. Skis have evolved from being made of solid wood to using

2968-538: Is usually pronounced [ˈʂiː] . In Swedish , another language evolved from Old Norse, the word is skidor (plural, pronounced [ˈɧîːdʊr] ; singular: skida ). The modern Norwegian word ski and the Swedish word skid have largely retained the Old Norse meaning in words for split firewood, wood building materials (such as bargeboards ) and roundpole fence . English and French use

3074-520: The 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In 2008, Oscar Pistorius , a South African sprinter, attempted to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Pistorius had both his legs amputated below the knee and races with two carbon fibre blades manufactured by Össur . He holds the Paralympic world record in the 400 meter event. Pistorius missed qualifying for the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 400 meter race, by 0.70 seconds. He qualified for

3180-457: The 1998 Nagano Olympics . There are more than 100 hotels in the area, with Japanese style or washitsu (和室), Western style or semi-Japanese style rooms. Shiga-kōgen has one of the longest ski seasons in Japan, with the official ski season commencing from mid-to-late November and continuing throughout April and until Golden Week , the first week of May. Christmas and the New Year's season is

3286-407: The 2008 Summer Paralympics where he won gold medals in the 100, 200, and 400 meter sprints. In 2011, Pistorius qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics and competed in two events: he made the semi-final in the 400 metres race; and his team came 8th in the final of the 4 × 400 metres relay race. Even though all athletes are given equal opportunities to participate in these events, such as

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3392-420: The 2024 Summer Paralympics covering 75% of the world over a year in advance (in comparison to 2020 , where many deals were made "last minute"), and that it had been pushing for broader coverage and increased rights fees since broadcasters were starting to "[realize] that [the Paralympics are] actually a great sporting event", and not treat them as a low-effort obligation bundled with their Olympics rights. Unlike

3498-502: The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships . By the late '60s fibreglass had mostly replaced aluminum. In 1974 , Magne Myrmo became the last world champion (Falun, 15 km cross-country) using wooden skis. In 1975, the torsion box ski construction design is patented. The patent is referenced by Kästle, Salomon, Rottefella , and Madshus . In 1993 Elan introduced the Elan SCX model, skis with

3604-678: The Games of the Paralympiad , is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities . There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games , which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea , have been held shortly after the corresponding Olympic Games . All Paralympic Games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The Paralympics began as

3710-586: The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) broadcast 30 hours of the 2010 Winter Games live. NRK-sport were critical of parts of the TV production from Vancouver, and notified the EBU of issues such as the biathlon coverage excluding the shooting, and cross-country skiing with skiers in the distance, making it hard to follow the progress of the competition. NRK were far more pleased with

3816-520: The S14 intellectual impairment category (provided they score low in IQ tests), they are often outmatched by the superior physicality of their opponents. At present there is no designated Paralympic category for swimmers with Down syndrome, meaning they have to compete as intellectually disadvantaged athletes. This disregards their physical disabilities. A number of advocacy groups globally have been lobbying for

3922-501: The Winter Olympics . This led the media to highlight the contrast between the achievements of the country's Olympic and Paralympic delegations, despite the greater attention and funding awarded to the Olympic athletes. The Russian Federation organizers of the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games have, since 2007, made efforts to make the host city Sochi more accessible. In 2012, as part of its prohibition on unauthorised advertising,

4028-567: The national anthem of the gold medalist is played. Volunteering citizens of the host country also act as hosts during the medal ceremonies, as they aid the officials who present the medals and act as flag-bearers. For every Paralympic event, the respective medal ceremony is held, at most, one day after the event's final. In June 2001, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) signed an agreement that would ensure that

4134-508: The 1948 Olympics. Guttman's aim was to create an elite sports competition for people with disabilities that would be equivalent to the Olympic Games. The games were held at the same location each year, and in 1952 Dutch and Israeli veterans took part alongside the British, making it the first international competition of its own kind. In 1960, the 9th annual games took place outside of the UK for

4240-459: The 1960 Games. Since 1960, the Paralympic Games have taken place in the same year as the Olympic Games. The Games were initially open only to athletes in wheelchairs; at the 1976 Summer Games , athletes with different disabilities were included for the first time at a Summer Paralympics. With the inclusion of more disability classifications the 1976 Summer Games expanded to 1,600 athletes from 40 countries. The 1988 Summer Paralympics in Seoul

4346-434: The 400 meter race, there has been growing criticism that the games may not be fair to all athletes. For example, athletes running a race with a left prosthetic leg may be disadvantaged compared to those with a right side prosthesis because the races are run in an anticlockwise direction, giving some athletes an advantage. Some athletes without a disability also compete at the Paralympics. The sighted guides for athletes with

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4452-496: The Games as had been done at the 1992 and 1996 Games. Despite these advances, consistent media attention has been a challenge, which was evidenced in the coverage in Great Britain of the 2010 Winter Paralympics . The BBC was criticized for its minimal coverage of the 2010 Winter Paralympics as compared to its coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics . The BBC announced it would stream some content on its website and show

4558-640: The Games had increased their willingness to hire people with disabilities. Chief Executive Officer for the International Paralympic Committee Xavier Gonzalez said about the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing , China, that: In China, the (Paralympic) Games were really a transformation tool for changing attitudes across the board in China towards people with disability, to building accessibility facilities in

4664-485: The Games internationally. Deals were reached with Asian, South American, and European broadcast companies to distribute coverage to as many markets as possible. The Games were also webcast for the first time. Because of these efforts, the Sydney Paralympics reached a global audience estimated at 300 million people. Also significant was the fact that the organizers did not have to pay networks to televise

4770-401: The Olympic Games prior to the advent of the Paralympics. The first athlete to do so was German-American gymnast George Eyser in 1904 , who had one artificial leg. Olivér Halassy , a Hungarian amputee water polo player, competed in three successive Olympic Games, beginning in 1928 . Hungarian Károly Takács competed in shooting events in both the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics. He was

4876-437: The Olympics, the IPC holds the digital rights to the Paralympics in some markets, allowing it to promote live coverage and other highlights via its own social media platforms to engage online audiences. Television broadcasts of Paralympic Games began in 1976, but this early coverage was confined to tape-delayed broadcasts to one nation or region. At the 1992 Summer Paralympics, there were 45 hours of live coverage but it

4982-511: The Paralympic Summer and Winter Games are recognized on the world stage. Unlike the Olympic Games, English is the official language of the Paralympic movement. The other languages used at each Paralympic Games are the official languages of the host country or host region. Every proclamation (such as the announcement of each country during the parade of nations in the opening ceremony) is spoken in these two or more languages. Although

5088-489: The Paralympic movement began requiring any tattoo of the Olympic rings to be covered during competition, on the basis that the Olympics is technically a third-party organisation. In 2024 the prohibition was ended after protests from athletes. Paralympic athletes have sought equal opportunities to compete at the Olympic Games. The precedent was set by Neroli Fairhall , a Paralympic archer from New Zealand , who competed at

5194-466: The Salomon S9000 took the same basic concept but replaced the steel with plastics, producing a design they called "monocoque". Now referred to as the "cap ski" design, the concept eliminates the need to wrap the core and replaces this with a single-step process that is much less expensive to produce. Cap ski construction dominates alpine ski construction today. The classical wooden ski consists of

5300-602: The Summer Olympics. The winter games happen two years after the summer games. The International Paralympic Committee is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. It comprises 178 National Paralympic Committees (NPC) and four disability-specific international sports federations. The president of the IPC is Andrew Parsons . The IPC's international headquarters are in Bonn , Germany. The IPC

5406-484: The Superhumans " receiving an overall Grand Prix award. In January 2020, the Paralympics were classified as a Category A "listed" event by the British telecom regulator Ofcom as with the Olympics, mandating that they be broadcast in whole or in part by a free-to-air network, as with the Olympics. Channel 4 reported that its coverage of the 2024 Summer Paralympics was seen by a total audience of 20 million, with

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5512-539: The World Championships and other competitions for each of the nine sports it regulates. IPC membership also includes National Paralympic Committees and international sporting federations. International Federations are independent sport federations recognized by the IPC as the sole representative of a Paralympic Sport. International Federations responsibilities include technical jurisdiction and guidance over

5618-543: The Yakebitai and Okushiga Area. Unjō no Yado Yokote Sanchō Hyutte (mountain hut) is a restaurant, bakery, and hotel. Located at 2,305 m (7,562 ft) above sea level, the bakery claims to be the highest in Japan. The Nagano Prefecture Shiga Kogen Nature Preservation Center is housed in Shiga Kogen Sogo Kaikan 98. The main focus is the "Relationship between Nature and Human Being", which exhibits

5724-467: The Yokoteyama area, there's Yamazaki Store inside Shiga Palace Hotel. It is also complete with the usual goods with the addition of stuff for daily necessities, personal hygiene, souvenir items, Shiga Kogen local beers, wine and sake and vending machines for beers, softdrinks and ice cream. Shiga-kōgen was famous as an onsen (hot spring) location before skiing became popular. Shiga-kōgen ski resort

5830-400: The area makes it a rare area in the world. A Nature Observation Trail is opened to the public. 36°42′21″N 138°30′28″E  /  36.705725°N 138.5079°E  / 36.705725; 138.5079 Ski Skis are runners, attached to the user's feet, designed to glide over snow. Typically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings , with either

5936-417: The athletes who enter together, without any national distinction. The Paralympic flag is taken down. Since the 1988 Winter Paralympics , with some exceptions, the national flag of the country hosting the next Summer or Winter Paralympic Games is hoisted while the corresponding national anthem is played. The games are officially closed, and the Paralympic flame is extinguished. After these compulsory elements,

6042-742: The basis of disability would be against the ideals of the Olympic Charter and the IOC. This is also consistent with the Paralympic Charter, which forbids discrimination on the basis of political, religious, economic, disability, gender, sexual orientation or racial reasons. Chairman of the London organising committee , Sebastian Coe , said about the 2012 Summer Paralympics and 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, that, "We want to change public attitudes towards disability, celebrate

6148-461: The cambered ski. This ski arches up in the middle, under the binding, which distributes the skier's weight more evenly across the length of the ski. Earlier plank-style skis had to be thick enough not to bow downward and sink in the snow under the skier's weight. This new design made it possible to build a thinner lighter ski, that flexed more easily to absorb the shock of bumps, and that maneuvered and ran faster and more easily. The design also included

6254-625: The channel achieving its highest viewer share since the 2012 Paralympics. A 2010 study by the University of British Columbia (UBC) on the Olympic Games Impact (OGI), showed that of roughly 1,600 Canadian respondents, 41 to 50 percent believed the 2010 Paralympic and Olympic Games in Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, triggered additional accessibility of buildings, sidewalks and public spaces. 23 percent of employers said

6360-877: The city, to changing laws to allow people with a disability to be part of society. Within the framework of the International Olympic Committee's commitment to equal access to athletics, concerns have been raised regarding inclusion of athletes with Down syndrome in the Paralympic Games. While the Paralympic movement strives for inclusivity, the absence of a specific classification for athletes with Down syndrome within Paralympic swimming events raises questions about equal and fair competition for Down syndrome athletes. International Paralympic Committee Para-swimming classification codes are based upon single impairment only, whereas Down syndrome individuals have both physical and intellectual impairments. Although swimmers with Down syndrome are able to compete in

6466-445: The climbing skins and make the necessary preparations to ski back down. Backcountry terrain can also be accessed with standard alpine equipment by riding a lift uphill at a ski resort and then leaving the resort boundary. However, this is more commonly known as sidecountry because of its immediate access from a ski lift. In Nordic skiing the skier is not reliant on ski lifts to get up hills, and so skis and boots tend to be lighter, with

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6572-618: The close working relationship. The Paralympic Games were designed to emphasize the participants' athletic achievements and not their disability. Recent games have emphasized that these games are about ability and not disability. The movement has grown dramatically since its early days – for example, the number of athletes participating in the Summer Paralympic Games has increased from 400 athletes in Rome in 1960 to 4,342 athletes from 159 countries in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 . Both

6678-588: The competition and training venues of their respective sports during the Paralympic Games. The IPC also recognizes media partners, certifies officials, judges, and is responsible for enforcing the bylaws of the Paralympic Charter . Since its creation in 1989, IPC has a cooperative relationship with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Delegates of the IPC are also members of the IOC and participate on IOC committees and commissions. The two governing bodies remain distinct, with separate Games, despite

6784-510: The core (essentially replacing metal sheets). The result was a torsion box , which made the ski much stronger. The VR7, and its more famous follow-on VR17, was the first fibreglass ski that could be used for men's racing, and quickly took over that market. Over time, materials for both the core and torsion box have changed, with wood, various plastic foams, fibreglass, kevlar and carbon fiber all being used in different designs. Torsion box designs continue to dominate cross-country ski designs, but

6890-507: The day of the opening of the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. The German-Jewish doctor Ludwig Guttmann , of Stoke Mandeville Hospital , who had fled Nazi Germany with the help of the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics (CARA) in 1939, hosted a sports competition for British World War II veteran patients with spinal cord injuries. The first games were called the 1948 International Wheelchair Games , and were intended to coincide with

6996-652: The excellence of Paralympic sport and to enshrine from the very outset that the two Games are an integrated whole." The 2014 Winter Paralympic Games is the first such Paralympics hosted by Russia. Russia ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during that period. Notably at 2010 Vancouver, their Paralympic team topped the medal table at the Winter Paralympics , while their Olympic team performed well below expectations at

7102-481: The first time in Rome , to coincide with the 1960 Summer Olympics which were also being held in Rome. These were to be later designated the 1st Paralympic Games . These early competitions have been described as the precursors of the Paralympic Games, and Stoke Mandeville holds a similar place in the history of the Paralympic movement as Greece holds in the Olympic Games; since 2012, the Paralympic flame has incorporated

7208-502: The first time. In the UK, Channel 4 assumed the television rights beginning in the 2012 Summer Paralympics , promising major increases in coverage on television and digital platforms, efforts to heighten the Games' profile, and commitments to incorporate people with disabilities among its staff and presenters. Its coverage of the Paralympics have been promoted through major marketing campaigns; several of its advertisements have won Cannes Lions awards, with its trailer for 2016 " We're

7314-720: The following is a selection. Alpine skis, also called downhill skis, are skis designed specifically for lift-assisted resort runs. Ski design has evolved enormously since the beginnings of the modern sport in mid-19th-century Norway. Modern skis typically have steel edges, camber, side cut, and possibly reverse camber. During the 1990s side cut became more pronounced to make it easier to carve turns. Alpine skis typically have fixed-heel bindings. Specialised types of alpine skis exist for certain uses, including twin-tip skis for freestyle skiing , slalom skis , GS Skis , powder skis, telemark skis and monoskis . The following table shows different kinds of alpine ski types and their uses within

7420-470: The heavy hardwood skis made before. Although lighter and stronger, laminated skis did not wear well. The water-soluble glues used at the time failed; they warped and split along the glue edges (delaminating) frequently and rapidly. In 1922, a Norwegian skier, Thorbjorn Nordby, developed strong waterproof glue which stopped the problem of splitting, therefore developing a much tougher laminated ski. Research and design of laminated skis rapidly progressed. In 1933,

7526-466: The host country flag, and the oaths by athletes, coaches, and judges are taken. Finally, the Paralympic flame is brought into the stadium and passed on until it reaches the final torch carrier—often a Paralympic athlete from the host nation—who lights the Paralympic flame in the stadium's cauldron. The closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games takes place after all sporting events have concluded. Flag-bearers from each participating country enter, followed by

7632-454: The idea that Paralympians have a spirit of competition and that the IPC as an organization realizes its potential and is moving forward to achieve it. The vision of the IPC is, "To enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to inspire and excite the world." The Paralympic anthem is "Hymne de l'Avenir" or "Anthem of the Future". It was composed by Thierry Darnis and adopted as

7738-784: The inclusion of a distinct classification category for Down syndrome swimmers within the IPC Classification Codes framework. Initiatives aimed at promoting greater inclusivity within the Paralympic movement have emerged, including advocacy and awareness-raising efforts targeting discrimination and ensuring equal opportunities for athletes with Down syndrome. Despite ongoing advocacy, the issue remains unresolved, and swimmers with Down syndrome continue to face challenges in accessing appropriate classification pathways. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has established ten disability categories. Athletes are divided within each category according to their level of impairment, in

7844-528: The invention of the laminated ski. Beginning in 1891, skimakers in Norway began laminating two or more layers of wood together to make lighter cross country running skis. These evolved into the multi-laminated high-performance skis of the mid-1930s. A laminated ski is made of two types of wood glued together. A top layer of soft wood is glued to a thin layer under a surface of hardwood. This combination created skis which were much lighter and more maneuverable than

7950-448: The logos of official sponsors to be displayed inside arenas and on uniforms. While the Olympic Games have experienced tremendous growth in global media coverage since the 1984 Summer Paralympics , the Paralympics had been slower to develop a consistent mainstream media presence. In June 2023, IPC executives noted that interest in the Paralympics had been improving among broadcasters, citing that that it had already reached rights deals for

8056-476: The minute but this can vary with the weather conditions so it is recommended that guests take an earlier bus where possible. During the season, the shuttle bus between resorts operates Monday to Sunday unless there is a severe snow or other weather warning, which can often see services terminate early. There are also buses that travel to and from Nagano station and Iiyama Station to both Shiga-kōgen and Yudanaka. Several convenient car parks are also available near

8162-451: The name was originally coined as a portmanteau combining paraplegic (due to its origins as games for people with spinal injuries) and Olympic , the inclusion of other disability groups meant that this was no longer considered very accurate. The present formal explanation for the name is that it derives from the Greek preposition παρά , pará ('beside' or 'alongside') and thus refers to

8268-578: The nature all seasons of the year. It is possible to fish in Shiga-kōgen at Maru-ike (Maru Pond) and Biwa-ike (Biwa Pond). You can also fish at Zako River, with a fishing license. Zako River is one of a few habitats for iwana fishing. Fishing is prohibited from October 1 till April 5. Boats are also available for rent at Biwa Pond, Maru Pond, and Kido Pond. Some of the other activities in the area include golfing at Ogushiga, horse riding at Maru Pond, bicycles for rent at Okushiga, and numerous tennis courts in

8374-581: The nature of Shiga-kōgen. The Commemorative Hall of the Nagano Winter Olympics and Paralympic in 1998 is located in the Hasu-ike area. Medals and other memorabilia are displayed. The Higashitateyama Botanical Garden is located on top of Mt. Higashitate (2,020 m [6,630 ft]), and includes nature trails. The Shinshu University Scientific Research Institute is located in the forest surrounding Mt. Shiga. The lava-based soil in

8480-412: The next host nation briefly introduces itself with artistic displays of dance and theater representative of its culture. A medals ceremony is held after the conclusion of each Paralympic event. The winner, second and third-place competitors or teams stand on top of a three-tiered rostrum when they are awarded their respective medal by an IPC member. The national flags of the medalists are then raised while

8586-649: The ninth Stoke Mandeville Games but no longer open solely to war veterans, was held in Rome in 1960 . They were the brainchild of Antonio Maglio, a friend and follower of Guttmann and were financed almost entirely by Maglio's employer, the Workers National Accident Insurance Fund of Italy, then led by Renato Morelli , who was also Chairman of the International Social Security Association. Four hundred athletes from 23 countries competed at

8692-531: The official anthem in March 1996. As mandated by the Paralympic Charter, various elements frame the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Games. Most of these rituals were established are the same that 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp and were shared with the Olympic Games . The Opening ceremony typically starts with the hoisting of the host country's flag and a performance of its national anthem. Immediately after

8798-454: The original Norwegian spelling ski , and modify the pronunciation. Before 1920, English often called them skee and snow-shoe . In Italian , it is pronounced similarly to Norwegian, but the spelling is modified accordingly: sci [ˈʃi] . Portuguese and Spanish adapt the word to their linguistic rules: esqui and esquí . In German, spellings Ski and Schi are in use, both pronounced [ˈʃiː] . In Dutch ,

8904-456: The park area changes as the altitude becomes higher, from beech ( Fagus crenata ) and Japanese oak ( Quercus crispula ) woods to coniferous forests. In many mountains, communities of alpine plants can be seen. Woods of Japanese larches ( Larix kaempferi ) and White Birches ( Betula platyphylla var. japonica ) which cover the plateaus are especially beautiful." All these characteristics made Shiga-kōgen an interesting spot to hiking and enjoy

9010-531: The peak period in Shiga-kōgen during the Japanese school holiday break. From April 1 onward, the spring ski season begins with lift ticket discounts offered and the Maruike, Hasuike, and Sunvalley ski areas cease operation. During the ski season, the free Shiga-kōgen Ski Shuttle Bus is provided for transportation across the ski resorts and various ski fields and hotel areas. The buses are usually quite punctual to

9116-595: The plain and skinned short ski. Finnish names for these are lyly and kalhu for the long and short ski. The seal hunters at the Gulf of Bothnia had developed a special long ski to sneak into shooting distance to the seals' breathing holes, though the ski was useful in moving in the packed ice in general and was made specially long, 3–4 meters, to protect against cracks in the ice. This is called skredstång in Swedish. Around 1850, artisans in Telemark, Norway, invented

9222-597: The production of the ice sledge hockey and wheelchair curling events, which they felt reached the same level as the Olympic Games. Not all Paralympic events have received television coverage; the IPC and its organisers currently contract with the IOC's media unit Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) to produce the broadcast feeds for the Paralympics. At the Summer Paralympics, coverage was limited to 16 sports in 2016, but increased to 19 sports in 2020. In 2024, all 22 Summer Paralympic sports were televised for

9328-401: The resorts for those who are travelling with their own vehicle. During the winter season, the road leading to Shiga-kōgen is often wet and icy and roads into resorts are often covered with snow. The road is steep and rough, and flanked by larger dropoffs. Snow tires are mandatory, and four wheel drive is recommended. Shiga-kōgen does not have any supermarkets or major grocery stores. There are

9434-401: The shape of an Agito (which is Latin for 'I move/I shake/I stir'), which is the name given to an asymmetrical crescent specially designed for the Paralympic movement. The three Agitos circle a central point, which is a symbol for the athletes congregating from all points of the globe. The motto and symbol of the IPC were changed in 2003 to their current versions. The change was intended to convey

9540-585: The snow, especially during icy conditions. The angle from the plane of the bottom of the ski is set, depending on the type of skiing anticipated, as follows: Edge shaping may be done daily with carborundum or diamond stone to remove imperfections. Tuning the edges requires a series of applications of sharpening tools and stones, working at approximately right angles along the metal edge. Base repair : Ski base repair has three levels: cleaning, filling imperfections, and surface preparation. Paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics , also known as

9646-570: The staging of the Paralympic Games is automatically included in the bid for the Olympic Games . The agreement was set to take effect at the 2008 Paralympic Summer Games in Beijing and the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver. However, the Salt Lake 2002 Organizing Committee (SLOC) chose to follow the practice of "one bid, one city", with one Organizing Committee for both Games, which

9752-495: The succeeding hosts of the respective Olympic Games (summer or winter) will enter immediately before the current host in descending order. The host nation presents artistic displays of their culture and folklore. Protocolary segments are held with the speeches given, formally opening the games. After the opening declaration, the Paralympic flag enters the stadium and is hosted along with the Paralympic Anthem, aside from

9858-453: The verb "to ski". Skis appeared before the wheel , with the oldest wooden skis found in Russia (c. 6300–5000 BCE), Sweden (c. 5200 BCE) and Norway (c. 3200 BCE) respectively. These early skis were not designed for recreation, transportation, or speed; their sole purpose was to keep the user on top of the snow while hunting or when at war . Early skis were generally accompanied by

9964-461: The visual system (eye structure, receptors, optic nerve pathway, and visual cortex). The sighted guides for athletes with a visual impairment are such a close and essential part of the competition that the athlete with visual impairment and the guide are considered a team. Beginning in 2012, these guides along with sighted goalkeepers in 5-a-side football became eligible to receive medals of their own. Intellectual Disability – Athletes with

10070-405: The weight and height of the skier. Annual maintenance assures that settings continue to be correct. For rental skis, such an adjustment is required for each change of customers. Waxing : Most ski wax minimizes gliding friction on snow. " Grip wax " promotes grip on snow for cross-country skis. Wax may be applied in three ways, melting on, rubbing on and as a paste. Edge shaping : Edges engage

10176-403: The welcome act and the host country anthem and hosting their flag the "Parade of Nations" starts with the athletes into the stadium grouped by nation. Since the 1960 Summer Paralympics , the nations enter the stadium alphabetically according to the host country's or region official language, though with the host country's athletes being the last to enter. Beginning with the 2020 Summer Paralympics,

10282-493: The wide variety of disabilities of Para athletes , there are several categories in which they compete. The allowable disabilities are divided into ten eligible impairment types: impaired muscle power, impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency, leg length difference, short stature , hypertonia , ataxia , athetosis , vision impairment and intellectual impairment . These categories are further divided into various subcategories. Athletes with disabilities did compete at

10388-901: The word is ski and the pronunciation was originally [ˈɕiː] as in Norwegian, but since approximately the 1960s changed to [ˈskiː] . In Welsh the word is spelled sgi . Many languages make a verb form out of the noun, such as to ski in English, skier in French, esquiar in Spanish and Portuguese, sciare in Italian, skiën in Dutch, or Schi laufen or Schi fahren (as above also Ski laufen or Ski fahren ) in German. Norwegian and Swedish do not form

10494-521: Was another milestone for the Paralympic movement. It was in Seoul that the Paralympic Summer Games were held directly after the 1988 Summer Olympics , in the same host city, and using the majority of the venues. This set a precedent that was followed in 1992 , 1996 and 2000 . It was eventually formalized in an agreement between the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2001, and

10600-616: Was available only in Europe. Other countries broadcast highlight packages during the Games. No meaningful improvements in coverage occurred until the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney. The 2000 Paralympics represented a significant increase in global media exposure for the Paralympic Games. A deal was reached between the Sydney Paralympic Organizing Committee (SPOC) and All Media Sports (AMS) to broadcast

10706-478: Was extended through 2020. On March 10, 2018, the two committees further extended their contract to 2032. Despite being held in the same region, the 1992 Winter Paralympics used different competition venues than those used for the Olympic Games. 1994 Winter Paralympics were the first Winter Games to use the same venues and had the same Organizing Committee as the Winter Olympics . The first Winter Paralympic Games were held in 1976 in Örnsköldsvik , Sweden. This

10812-588: Was followed up by the 2004 Summer Games in Athens. The agreement was adjusted in 2003. An extension was signed in June 2006, after some troubles at the 2006 Winter Paralympics . Initially agreed to remain in effect until the 2012 Summer Olympics, this was later extended to encompass all Summer and Winter games up until the 2020 Summer Olympics. Even beyond this, all Summer and Winter host cities currently announced are preparing pairs of Olympic and Paralympics Games. This

10918-458: Was further confirmed when on 10 March 2018, the IOC and the IPC agreed to further extend the contract to the 2032 Summer Olympics. The IOC has written its commitment to equal access to athletics for all people into its charter , which states, The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with

11024-580: Was the first Paralympics in which multiple categories of athletes with disabilities could compete. The Winter Games were celebrated every four years on the same year as their summer counterpart, just as the Olympics were. This tradition was upheld through the 1992 Games in Albertville , France; after that, beginning with the 1994 Games , the Winter Paralympics and the Winter Olympics have been held in those even-numbered years separate from

11130-556: Was used at least in northern Finland and Sweden until the 1930s. On one leg, the skier wore a long straight non-arching ski for sliding, and on the other a shorter ski for kicking. The bottom of the short ski was either plain or covered with animal skin to aid this use, while the long ski supporting the weight of the skier was treated with animal fat in similar manner to modern ski waxing . Early record of this type of skis survives in works of Olaus Magnus . He associates them to Sami people and gives Sami names of savek and golos for

11236-469: Was wrong." Line Skis , the first free-ski focused ski company inspired the newschool freeskiing movement with its twin-tip ski boards in 1995. The first company to successfully market and mass-produce a twin-tip ski to ski switch (skiing backwards) was the Salomon Group , with its 1080 ski in 1998. Described in the direction of travel, the front of the ski, typically pointed or rounded,

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