Para Bobsleigh
With its high speed descent down a frozen twisting ice chute the sport of Bobsleigh tests an athlete’s strength, finesse and courage. The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) supports World Cup and World Championship competition for elite athletes with disabilities through its Para Bobsleigh sport discipline.
Will Castillo in his bobsleigh
In May 2014 the IBSF was officially recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as the governing body for Para Bobsleigh and Para Skeleton with according rights and privileges. This designation indicated that Para Bobsleigh and Para Skeleton were recognized as candidate sports for inclusion in the Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing in 2022. The first official Para World Cup competitions were held during the 2014/2015 season in Park City, Igls and St. Moritz. During the 2015/2016 season Para World Cups were held in Park City, Calgary, Igls and St. Moritz, and in March 2016 the first ever para Bobsleigh and Para Skeleton World Championships took place at the track in Park City, USA. Nineteen athletes from nine nations took park in this inaugural event. The overall success of the Para World Championships was an important milestone for IBSF. In September 2016, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) provisionally accepted the sport of Para Bobsleigh (seated) for inclusion in their winter sports program for the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Cortina, Italy. The IPC voted in December 2020 to defer a vote to January 2021.