This post has been updated on March 2, 2022 with information about the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games and resources to learn about adaptive sports and training.

In just a few days, Paralympians will parade into the stadium for the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games. Ten days of some of the best athletes in the world skiing, skating, and curling their way to the medal stand.

This past August, we thoroughly enjoyed the 2020 Paralympic Games, which were delayed by a year because of the coronavirus. The Paralympics traditionally occur shortly after the Olympics, in the same host city and in the same venues as the Olympics. In the summer, athletes from around the world gather to compete in more than 20 sports from archery to triathlons, with badminton and taekwondo making their debuts with this Paralympics. In the winter, athletes compete in six sports with more than 75 events. Athletes compete in classes, grouped by the degree of activity limitation, and each sport defines its eligible impairments. Some sports provide opportunities for all athletes, like swimming, others are focused on a specific disability, like goalball for athletes with visual impairments. Learn more about how classifications are decided or scroll through 100 things to learn about the Paralympics.

Did you know there are Paralympians who are part of the NIDILRR community? It’s true! Here are just a few:

• Anjali Forber-Pratt, PhD, NIDILRR’s new director, is a two-time Paralympian and medalist in wheelchair racing. See Dr. Forber-Pratt in competition and talking about the impact of sport on her life.
• Cheri Blauwet, MD, from the Spaulding-New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center, is a gold-medal Paralympian in wheelchair racing.
• Kerri Morgan, PhD, a researcher from the project on Building Capacity to Improve Community Participation for People Aging with Long-Term Disability Through Evidence-Based Strategies, has won 4 Paralympic medals and 10 World Championship medals in wheelchair track. She’s also been a member of the US National Rugby Team.
• Chris Murphy, information specialist at the Rocky Mountain ADA Regional Center, joins the 2020 Paralympic cycling team this year, competing in the 1,000-meter time trials.

Among former members of the NIDILRR grantee community:

• Rory Cooper, PhD, Director of the Human Engineering Research Lab at the University of Pittsburgh and former co-investigator for the University of Pittsburgh Model Center on Spinal Cord Injury, was a bronze medalist in the 1988 Seoul Paralympics on wheelchair racing. He also received the International Paralympic Scientific Achievement Award.
• Mike May, CEO of the Sendero Group, which has developed assistive technology solutions under several NIDILRR grants, is a medal-winning alpine skier.
• Peter Axelson, founder and director of research and development at Beneficial Designs, which developed accessible hiking trails data projects under NIDILRR Small Business Innovation Research grants, is also a medal-winning alpine skier.

Are you interested in adaptive sports? Check out these resources to learn how to get involved:

• The National Center for Physical Activity and Disability has a big collection of articles, videos, and programs for people with disabilities who want to engage in sports and fitness activities.
• The National Center for Disabled Sports trains some of the best athletes (including Paralympians) in both both summer and winter sports. They have a range of programs for people with physical, sensory, and intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• The Move Your Way campaign from the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion offers many resources to help people at all ability levels find the path to fitness to meet their goals.

Do you have a Paralympian or aspiring Paralympian in your circle of friends, family, or colleagues? Share their stories and tag us @naricinfo on Twitter or Facebook so we can cheer them on!