A Celebration on Ice and Snow, Beijing 2022: Para Ice Hockey

In the early 1960s, some physically challenged patients at a rehabilitation centre in Stockholm, Sweden, were so eager to participate in ice hockey that they created sledge hockey. At the Lillehammer 1994 Paralympic Winter Games, ice sledge hockey became an official event for the first time and was later renamed para ice hockey.

Para ice hockey is played by competitors with a lower-extremity disability. Each team has six players on the rink who use technical skills such as skating, stickhandling, passing, shooting and body checking as they attempt to shoot the puck into the opponent’s net. A regular game consists of three 15-minute periods, with a 15-minute intermission between each. A goal is worth one point, and the team with the most points wins.

The sport is very entertaining to watch and quite fun and exciting to play. Players, who sit on specially designed sleds, must be strong and agile to withstand intense collisions. It is a team sport that requires players to develop a strong sense of collaboration to execute various tactics and strategies.

Copyright: the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022– A Celebration on Ice and Snow, translated by Xing Yutang

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