There is an increasing amount of awareness of sports for people with disabilities. This is in part to help regain limb mobility in the case of temporary disabilities, as well as to simply stay in shape.
Many people also dedicate themselves to more intense sports activities, such as Paralympic athletes: nobody is precluded from participating in competitive sports activities!
Few people realise that many people with disabilities love to engage in extreme sports.
From the “classics”…
Rugby is a perfect example of a “classic” extreme sport. There is a strict set of rules for wheelchair rugby: the wheelchairs must be manual; the athletes mustn’t touch one another, but the wheelchairs are free to make contact; notably, the teams, consisting of four athletes each, can be mixed.
Another classic yet physically demanding sport is skiing. Skiing enthusiasts with lower limb disabilities usually engage in this sport using custom “monoski” devices. One notable testimonial for this sport is provided by race car driver Alex Zanardi.
After the tragic accident in which he lost his legs, this remarkable athlete continues to engage in numerous physically demanding sports: in addition to having returned to race car driving, he has also become a Paralympic champion in the sport of handbiking, a type of cycling where the vehicle is powered by the arms rather than the legs.
… to actual extreme sports!
For disabled people who love the mountains, there’s the possibility of doing actual rockclimbing. Thanks to the use of specially adapted wheelchairs and the accompaniment of qualified personnel, those who have lost the use of their legs can still experience the thrill of climbing to the peak of a mountain!
For an ever greater adrenaline rush, they can even go skydiving! This activity must be performed with the assistance of an instructor, who will provide the harness for making the jump together. Upon reaching the ground, the instructor handles the landing using his/her own legs.
Why not even try freestyle? Thanks to special wheelchairs equipped with safety belts and helmets, people with disabilities can take on circuits quite similar to those used for skateboarding competitions! The only difference is that they’re on a wheelchair instead of a skateboard.
Never give up!
The world sports offers countless possibilities for people with various types of disabilities, even major ones. There are sports for all tastes, from the more “laid-back” and “classic” categories, to the extreme sports that most able-bodied people won’t even try.
Why should someone deprive themselves of an exciting experience just because they’re disabled?
Unlike the obstacles that one continuously encounters in daily life, there are truly no limits in sports.