The delegation from Great Britain competed at the 2018 Winter Paralympics held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The Games took place in early March 2018 and brought together athletes with physical and visual impairments from around the world. The British team included competitors, guides and support staff who traveled to the mountain and ice venues to contest medals across several adapted winter sports.
Sports and events
Great Britain entered athletes in three disciplines: para-snowboarding, para-alpine skiing and wheelchair curling. Para-alpine skiing covers speed and technical races on downhill courses adapted by classification, with some athletes assisted by sighted guides. Para-snowboard events are contested on banked slalom and snowboard cross courses and typically separate athletes by balance or limb impairments. Wheelchair curling is played on regulation curling ice using delivery sticks and mixed-gender teams.
Team composition and national identity
The British delegation included athletes from the four home nations: Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. At the Olympic and Paralympic level, competitors from these countries compete together under one banner, unlike some other sports such as football. This unified approach is the same at the Olympics and the Paralympics, where selection is overseen by national governing bodies and ParalympicsGB.
Competition format, classification and support
Paralympic winter sports use classification systems to group athletes by the nature and extent of their impairment so that competition is equitable. For example, visually impaired skiers race with guides who provide directions and timing; wheelchair curling teams consist of mixed-gender players delivering stones from a stationary wheelchair. The British team travelled with coaches, physiotherapists and equipment technicians to provide on-site support.
Broadcasting and public profile
The Games were broadcast in the United Kingdom by broadcasters, with television coverage on Channel 4, bringing Paralympic sport to a wider domestic audience. Coverage combined live competition, athlete features and explanation of the sport classifications to help viewers understand the adapted formats and the achievements of the athletes.