RBTH’s correspondent went to the city of Aleksin, in the Tula region of Russia, where a training center for the sledge hockey players hosts city and national competitions. Here is the story of Igor Noskov, a player of the sledge hockey team "Star".
Sledge hockey is almost the same as able-bodied hockey and complies with the same rules as the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation). Players sit close to the ice strapped tightly inside a bucket-type seat fastened to a cast aluminum frame that has been fitted with two skate blades placed beneath the bucket. Players propel themselves across the ice using two hockey sticks that are about one third of the length of a regular hockey stick, which are tipped with a six-point pick. Sledge hockey is typically a full-contact sport. Players are fully-equipped with the same hockey equipment and protection that you would expect to wear in an able-bodied hockey game.
More about the Russian Paralympic champions
All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.