Spain at the 2018 Winter Paralympics facts for kids

Spain sent a team to the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The team had 4 athletes: two snowboarders and two skiers. Some athletes, like Jon Santacana (a blind skier) and his guide skier Miguel Galindo Garces, had competed in many past Paralympics. They were at the 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014 Winter Paralympics. Astrid Fina Paredes also competed before in 2014. For Víctor González, a snowboarder, these were his first Paralympic Games.

Meet Team Spain: 2018 Winter Paralympics

Spain sent 4 amazing athletes to the 2018 Winter Paralympics. They were snowboarders and alpine skiers. Before heading to South Korea, the team had a special event in Madrid on February 26, 2018.

Here are the members of Team Spain who competed in the 2018 Games:

Spain's Paralympic Journey

Historically, countries like the United States, Canada, and Germany have been very strong in the Winter Paralympics. Spain has not sent many athletes and has not won many medals. One reason is that there are not many places to ski in Spain. Also, winter sports can be very expensive. This makes it harder for people to try them.

Paralympic sports in Spain sometimes get less attention than Olympic sports. The media might not cover the achievements of Paralympic athletes as much. Also, Olympic athletes often receive more financial support than Paralympic athletes. This can make it hard for Paralympic athletes to plan their training and competitions.

There was also a disagreement about clothing for the team. A company called Joma sponsored the 2018 Spanish Winter Olympic team. They also wanted to provide clothing for the Paralympic team. However, they only wanted to give clothes to some members. They did not want to provide outfits for the opening and closing ceremonies.

The company said there was not enough public interest in the Paralympic Games. Even so, Joma created ads saying they were official sponsors. The Spanish Paralympic Committee disagreed. They did not see Joma as a full sponsor because not everyone got clothing. They asked Joma to stop the ads. This situation meant the Olympic and Paralympic teams had different clothing sponsors for the first time in 20 years. This continued for the 2018 Winter Paralympics.

Para-alpine Skiing at the Paralympics

Skiers from Spain

Jon Santacana is a very experienced skier. He competed in the 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014 Winter Paralympics. His guide skier is Miguel Galindo Garces. Between 2002 and 2014, Jon won eight medals at the Paralympics. He earned three gold, three silver, and two bronze medals.

Alpine Skiing Schedule and Results

The first para-alpine event was the downhill race on March 10. The Super-G race happened on March 11. The super combined event took place on March 13. This event has two parts: Super-G in the morning and slalom in the afternoon.

The slalom event was on March 14 and 15. Both women and men raced in the morning. In the afternoon, women did their second run first, followed by the men. The last para-alpine skiing race was the giant slalom. It happened on March 17 and 18. Men and women raced at the same time in the morning. In the afternoon, women raced first, then the men.

Para-snowboarding at the Paralympics

Snowboarders from Spain

Spain sent two snowboarders to the Paralympic Games in South Korea. They were Astrid Fina Paredes and Víctor González. They are part of a sports organization for people with physical disabilities. This group is called the Federación Española de Deportes de Personas con Discapacidad Física.

Astrid Fina Paredes

Astrid Fina Paredes competed in the IPC World Cup 2017 in La Molina, Spain. She won two silver medals there. This World Cup helped her train for the 2018 Winter Paralympics. In February 2017, she went to the IPC Para-Snowboarding World Championships in Canada. She finished fourth in the snowboard slalom and fifth in the snowboard cross race.

Astrid's goal for 2017 was to win a medal at the 2018 Paralympic Games. She was worried about getting hurt, which could stop her from racing. Astrid left for South Korea on March 2, 2018. Her first race was on March 12, and her second was on March 15.

The 2018 Games were Astrid Fina Paredes's second Paralympics. She also competed at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, where she finished sixth in snowboard cross. Astrid is from Barcelona. She has a physical disability because of a traffic accident in 2009. In 2013, her leg was amputated. She started para-snowboarding that same year. Just one year after starting, she went to Sochi. Snowboarding can be very expensive. To keep practicing and competing in the southern hemisphere during 2016, she had to rent out her apartment in Spain. Team Spain did not have money to help her.

Víctor González

Víctor González was a snowboarder. He had an accident that caused a disability in his legs. After his accident, he switched to para-snowboarding.

Snowboarding Schedule and Results

The snowboard cross event started on March 12. It included all classes for both men and women. The slalom race was on March 16. This race also included men and women in all classes.

Paralympic Medals and Awards

The Government of Spain announced that 135,000 € (euros) would be given to Spanish athletes who won medals at the 2018 Games. A gold medal winner could receive up to 30,000 €. A silver medal winner could get up to 15,000 €. A bronze medal winner could receive up to 9,000 €.

Some people have criticized these amounts. For example, at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Olympic medalists received much more money than Paralympic medalists. An Olympic gold medal winner in 2012 received 94,000 €, but a Paralympic gold medal winner only received 10,000 €. While the amounts for Paralympic athletes have improved, there is still a difference compared to Olympic athletes.

See also

In Spanish: España en los Juegos Paralímpicos de Pyeongchang 2018 para niños