Watching today as events are underway. USA opened with a win in basketball and I’m about to watch the rugby match that has actually already happened and I missed.
I’m not sure all the rules for para-rugby. Looks more like American football in this version and it is pretty hard to stop guys from getting to the endzone.
Ramming is allowed, but I take it tipping chairs intentionally is not since I don’t see people falling out of chairs too often.
Anyway, it’s Paralympic time and we can discuss here!
I saw a bit of the swimming. In one of the freestyle swimming events, one of the competitors swam on his back. Does “freestyle” mean anything goes; could you do a breast stroke with your arms, and a flutter kick?
Yes and no. During freestyle you can swim any way you want, except in the freestyle during the individual Medley where you can not swim one of the other three strokes. There’s some debate on if you could do breast stroke kick or pull and use different arm pull or kick. You can’t kick on your back on a turn.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there is, but I haven’t actually watched yet. There are a lot of different Paralympics categories so there may be some categories that do have an IM.
Note: It was actually not that interesting. Again, I think they are not allowed to actively push on guys too hard, like knocking chairs over. I completely get why; not all share equal disabilities and it isn’t a good look to see a bunch of disabled guys crawling around, scrambling back to their chairs.
In the end, though, it was kind of like handball with a larger ball, chairs, and getting ones self to the endzones instead of shooting a goal.
China is defeating USA in sitting volleyball. I noticed the possibility that each team has one non-disabled person on their team. I know not all disabilities are visible, but each team had one girl stand up, walk between points. Both feet, both hands, arms, etc. Only one on each side.
Might be some kind of rule allowance to allow a non-disabled person, who sits during the match, on each team.
Hope y’all will overlook a couple really stupid questions:
Are the athletes in the Paralympics sorted into, well, classes based on just how disabled they are? Would a runner who had had one foot amputated be racing against someone who had had an above the knee amputation?
Second, is there a set standard for just how handicapped you must be to be able to compete? For example, being deaf is considered a handicap, but would it really affect an archer or pole vaulter all that much?
I was watching this afternoon, and they did one of theose promos where they said “tonight at 6, track and field; at 7, equestrian…” and I thought “amputee horses?”
