Para-snowboarding facts for kids

Para-snowboarding is an exciting winter sport where athletes with physical disabilities compete on snowboards. It's just like regular snowboarding, but with special rules and equipment to make sure everyone can join in and compete fairly. This sport is part of the Paralympic Games, showing amazing skill and determination from athletes around the world.

How Athletes Compete Fairly

To make sure competitions are fair, para-snowboarders are grouped into different categories. These groups are called "classes" in Paralympic sports. Athletes are placed into classes based on how their disability affects their snowboarding. This helps ensure that everyone competes against others with similar challenges. There are three main classes:

• SB-LL1: This class is for snowboarders who have significant disabilities in one or both of their legs. For example, it includes athletes who have had one or both legs amputated above the knee. It also includes those with both legs amputated below the knee.
• SB-LL2: This class is for snowboarders with a less significant disability in one or both of their legs. They might have a disability that affects their balance or movement, but not as much as those in the SB-LL1 class.
• SB-UL: This class is for snowboarders who have a disability in one or both of their arms. This means their legs are not significantly affected, but their arm disability might impact how they control the snowboard or use poles.

Images for kids

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  Australian Paralympic snowboarder Ben Tudhope. At age 14, he was the youngest competitor at the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games from any country.