By Nick Butler

There are hopes that bobsleigh and skeleton events could feature on the Winter Paralympic programme by Pyeongchang 2018 ©Getty ImagesFebruary 2 - Athletes with a physical disability who "like the idea of hurtling down a bobsleigh track" are being sought by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (FIBT) as the campaign to feature at Pyeongchang 2018 gathers pace.


The appeal was made during a demonstration event at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, where FIBT spokesman David Kurtz described how the sports would like to be fully included in the Winter Paralympics.

"We've just brought on board the Korean adaptive bobsleigh skeleton federation and we feel, with their interest in development, we may have a shot yet at least to be [a demonstration sport] in 2018," he said.

"We are still developing rules and equipment.

"We have to make some adaptive changes to the bob, but not much, and we're trying to make it replicate the traditional Olympic sports of bob and skeleton as much as possible."

Wheelchair curling along with ice sledge hockey and Alpine and Nordic skiing events will make up the programme for Sochi 2014 ©Getty ImagesWheelchair curling along with ice sledge hockey and Alpine and Nordic skiing events will make up the programme for Sochi 2014...but sliding sports hope to feature in four years time
©Getty Images


At the moment there are four sports on the Winter Paralympic programme - Alpine and Nordic skiing, wheelchair curling and ice sledge hockey - with no obvious plans to add more.

But, after triathlon and canoeing events were introduced for Rio 2016 and a process was recently begun to add more summer disciplines in time for Tokyo 2020, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) are generally warm to the idea of new events.

Adding events in sliding sports was also something suggested in 2012 by Bob Balk, then chairman of the IPC Athletes' Council, when he attended the first international sliding school for athletes with a disability in Utah and viewed it as a "key step" in trying to get the sports on the Paralympic programme.

But in order to be a fully recognised sport according to IPC rules, there must be eight countries from two continents competing, and with Kurtz admitting so far there are 11 countries and 40 athletes, there remains a long way to go.