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.