Cross Country skiing in the Paralympics is one of two Nordic disciplines that will be contested during the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. The paralympic cross country skiing event was added to the list of official Olympic events in 1976 at the games in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden. The Paralympics cross country event is very similar to the Paralympics biathlon in that the athletes that will be competing have one of three disabilities; sight impairment, inability to stand, or disabled but can stand up. In the sight impairment event the skiers compete hard and use a guide to help them navigate the course.

In the case of the cross country Paralympics competition the racers will be using one of two possible techniques; classical or free technique. The Paralympics athletes will compete in both a men’s and a women’s division, which will include short and long races. Take a look at the different events in the Paralympics cross country skiing competition:

During the Paralympics Winter Games the IOC (International Olympic Committee) implies a Nordic Percentage System; this system is put in to place to handicap the racers in each category according to the severity of their disability. This percentage is applied to the racers final time. The skier with the lowest time with the percentage added is the winner.

The cross country events in 2010 Paralympics will be taking place in Whistler, BC. Whistler is located about 2 hours from downtown Vancouver along the scenic sea to sky highway.  The Whistler Paralympics Park construction began in April of 2005 and was complete in the fall of 2007. During the summer of 2009 temporary construction will begin to add a few more elements to the park.

Here is a look at some of the sustainable attributes for this venue as presented by the Vancouver Olympic Committee:

Be sure to use this online guide for all of your Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic needs. Check our schedule to see when your favorite event is taking place and where. See you in Vancouver in 2010.