100 Pure New Zealand Games Promotes Inclusion of Elite Disabled Athletes

The 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games, an elite winter sports competition for all athletes from across the globe, was an opportunity for athletes to compete together regardless of whether they were able bodied or had a disability.

The integrated event ran from 21-30 August and is an innovative approach to high performance competition.

The organisers of the event believe that no distinction should be made between any athletes who perform at the highest possible level.

Therefore, Winter Games NZ provided the opportunity for both able bodied and adaptive competitors to compete alongside one another in a range of alpine skiing and cross country events.

As well as the competition, a number of seminars were held for people working with individuals in disabled sports.

The significance of 100% Pure New Zealand Winter Games in the area of Paralympic Sport was reinforced by the IPC’s decision to set the qualifying standard for the Games at the same level as for the Paralympics.

This was a direct outcome of the decision to include Paralympic Sport in the mainstream programme.

The event included over 800 of the world's top athletes competing in 26 snow sports disciplines and was supported by a large contingent of volunteers from around the world.

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