Vancouver 2010

Rollers crowned World Champions

The Rollers have been crowned World Champions after defeating France, 79-69, to claim the title at the 2010 IWBF World Wheelchair Basketball Championship in Birmingham, England.

Gliders finish fourth at Worlds

The Gliders have claimed fourth place at the 2010 IWBF World Wheelchair Basketball Championships after falling to reigning World Champions Canada, 59-49, in the bronze medal game in Birmingham, England.

Shooters’ Beijing form continues

The Australian Shooting Team are struggling to shake the curse of fourth place that plagued them throughout the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, with Ashley Adams again finishing fourth at the 2010 International Paralympic Committee Shooting World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia overnight.

Shattered records at Short Course Championships

Records crumbled on the final night of the Australian Short Course Championships as newcomers Grant Patterson and Ahmed Kelly smashed their respective class world records in the multi-class 100m breaststroke.

Shooters off the mark at World Championships

Australia’s shooters have received mixed results at the first three days of competition at the 2010 International Paralympic Committee Shooting World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia.

Gold for Cowdrey and Leek

Five-time Beijing Paralympic gold medallist Matt Cowdrey is in fine form after claiming his first gold medal of the meet at the Australian Short Course Championships in Brisbane.

Paralympians support National Tree Day

Australia’s Paralympians will be adding some green to the gold around their necks when they take part in Australia’s biggest tree planting event, Planet Ark’s National Tree Day.

Cameron Rahles-Rahbula

Cameron Rahles-Rahbula’s interest in skiing began when he attended a Challenge weekend ski camp in Mt Buller.

Cameron’s first breakthrough performance came at the National Championships at Mt Hotham in 2001 when he came second to Paralympic gold medallist Michael Milton in the slalom. Cameron was later named in the 2006 shadow Paralympic squad, and when he made international qualification at a European Cup in Austria, won a place in the 2006 Paralympic Team for the Torino Games.

Athlete profile

Jessica Gallagher

A newcomer to winter sport, Jessica Gallagher previously competed in athletics and was due to compete at the Beijing Games. Instead she attended the Games as medical staff and set the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games as her new target.

Jessica, who is vision impaired describes herself as friendly, outgoing and focused firmly on success in alpine skiing. She is yet to compete in official competition but is working towards the goal of winning in Vancouver.

Athlete profile

Shannon Dallas

In 2000, Shannon Dallas was working as a carpenter when he fell through a roof and was paralysed. Less than two years later, Shannon took up alpine sit-skiing, and enjoyed a meteoric rise. He represented Australia for the first time in Canada in 2002 and is now aiming to compete in his second Winter Paralympics at the Vancouver Games in 2010.

Athlete profile

Classification is a term used frequently when referring to Paralympic Sport. It is the system that forms the structure of all Paralympic competition.

Classification in Paralympic sport exists to allow athletes with different disabilities to compete against each other in as fair competition as possible.

More about classification

Scratch & Win website

Pin & Win website

Alpine Skiing

Two Alpine Skiing events (Slalom and Giant Slalom) were introduced at the first Paralympic Winter Games in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden, in 1976. Athletes in Alpine Skiing events must combine speed and agility while racing down slopes at speeds of around 100km/h.

Sport Profile

Cross Country Skiing

Cross Country Skiing appeared for the first time at the 1976 Winter Games in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden.

The competition is open to athletes with a physical disability and blindness/visual impairment. Depending on functional disability, a competitor with little or no leg functionality uses a sit-ski, a chair equipped with a pair of skis.

Sport Profile

Vancouver, Canada

Athletes and spectators from around the world will gather in Vancouver & the alpine resort of Whistler to celebrate the 10th Winter Paralympic Games. Selected for its beauty, accessibility, unlimited services & activities the Host City will showcase to the world why it’s been voted ‘Best city in the Americas’ numerous times and more recently the most ‘Liveable city’ by the Economist Intelligence Unit

Vancouver Profile

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IPC Swimming World Championships August 16 - 23 - Eindhoven, The Netherlands