The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced that two medal events in para-snowboard-originally called adaptive snowboard-will be included in the alpine skiing program at the Sochi, Russia, 2014 Paralympic Winter Games. This brings the number of medal events at the Sochi 2014 Games to 72 and is the first time that para-snowboard events have been included in the Paralympic program.
“Snowboard is a fast-paced and extremely exciting sport and we are delighted that it will form part of the alpine skiing program at the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games,” said Xavier Gonzalez, the IPC’s CEO. “It is important for the growth of the winter games that there are more sports and more medal events to contest. I am particularly looking forward to see how athletes perform in this exciting new discipline and believe it will prove extremely popular with spectators and TV viewers alike.”