By: Elaine Xu
In 2028, para-climbing, or adaptive climbing, will be added to the Paralympics in Los Angeles as a new sport. The Paralympics are a series of international contests for athletes with disabilities associated with and held following the summer and winter Olympic Games.
International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Andrew Parsons thinks that this new sport will be popular. “Para-climbing is a fast-paced, exhilarating sport that I am sure will attract new audiences to the Paralympic Games,” said Mr. Parsons “You only have to see the sport’s impact on the Olympic Games programme to understand this.” Mr. Parsons believes para-climbing will bring in new audiences to the Paralympic Games. He thinks people who might not typically watch Paralympic sports might be interested in this.
Marco Scolaris, president of the International Federation of Sport Climbing, is happy that they added climbing to the Paralympics “By proposing climbing as an additional sport they have given us another opportunity to fulfill our purpose – to make the world a better place through climbing. All of our Para athletes do this every day, and now they can do it on the world stage for all to see at the Paralympic Games,” said Mr. Scolaris. He says it’s a chance for their incredible Paralympic athletes to inspire the world!
Mark, a climber from California, loved climbing rocks. But a fall left him unable to move his legs the way he used to. Super determined, Mark kept practicing and became the first person with a disability to climb El Capitan, a giant rock wall!
This amazing accomplishment inspired many people, both those who could walk and those who couldn’t. Mark’s story showed that you can keep trying and achieve great things, even when things are tough. Kids who saw him on TV or in cool climbing videos like “Masters of Stone” knew that climbing could be for them too, no matter their abilities. Just like Mark said, “If you dream of doing something, don’t be afraid to try!”
Link to Articles: https://www.climbing.com/people/history-adaptive-climbing/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/cyx54elqew5o