Why Inclusive skating
About the inclusive skating project
Surprisingly, of all the
winter sports, ice skating does not feature in the prestigious
Winter Paralympic Games. As a centrepiece arena in the
Olympics, ice rinks and ice sports barely register in the
Paralympics. There have been many valid reasons why this has
happened, not least the difficulty of judging ice skating for
athletes with any kind of disability, physical or mental challenge,
using the traditional “relative” judging system (RJS).
However, with the recent
introduction and development of the new International Judging System
(IJS) by the International Skating Union (ISU), the door has been
opened for a radically new way to approach the sport of ice skating
for challenged athletes. The IJS, for the first time, allows
athletes to be evaluated on an “absolute” mark, something which can
then be realistically adjusted by an internationally agreed
impairment compensation reflecting the athlete’s specific
disability. This impairment compensation is based on an
internationally accepted system known as the Guides to the
Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, edited by Rondinelli and devised
by the American Medical Association, that converts impairments to a
% whole person impairment (WPI).
The system has now been successfully tested at the first Competition in Impaired Skating held at Dumfries Ice Bowl in Scotland on May 12th and 13th 2012 and a Report on the event was sent to the ISU.
Inclusive Skating Figure Skating Event in – Iceland 2014
Early in February 2014
Margarita Sweeney-Baird, Director of Inclusive Skating Organizaion,
introduced the idea of having an Inclusive Skating Figure Skating
Event in Iceland in May 2014.
By making this a reality we
are certain that we are taking a crucial step towards progress for
all skaters with a disabillity. By hosting this event Iceland
is taking a stand. We support Inclusive Skating, and we are willing
to assist in any way that we can to increase the opportunities that
all skaters should have in life -- regardless of their
physical or mental disabilities or disorders. We celebrate the
opportunity to be the first country outside the UK to participate in
this task with Scotland and NISA by hosting an Inclusive Skating
Competition. The event is organized by The Icelandic Sports
Association for the Disabled and Ösp Sports Club and sanctioned by
the Icelandic Special Olympics and the Icelandic Skating
Association, with the support of Inclusive Skating and in accordance
with the ISU Constitution and General Regulations.
We hope to see you in Iceland 23d til 25th, May 2014.