Paralympic Winter Games Research Articles

Hosting the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games and wellbeing among Canadian youth

ABSTRACT Research question Although research traction is increasing, intangible social impacts are still difficult to measure and relatively under-researched compared to their tangible economic counterparts. Thus, the current study examines the question: what were the associations between hosting the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, social wellbeing (i.e. sense of belonging), and subjective wellbeing (i.e. life satisfaction) among Canadian youth? Research methods Using data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (n > 1,000,000), a time series analysis of youths’ (aged 12–19) reports of perceived sense of belonging to their community and perceived life satisfaction across four time points before and after the Vancouver Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games at the national, provincial, and regional levels was conducted. Research findings The number of youths who reported a strong sense of belonging to their community significantly increased in the host region of North Shore after the Games concluded (2011–2012 to 2013–2014). The number of youths who reported a strong sense of belonging to their community and high life satisfaction significantly increased from 2007–2008 (pre-event) to 2009–2010 in the host region of Richmond. Implications This study provides preliminary evidence that mega-sport events might positively affect wellbeing of youth living in regions that house venues for the event. The study also demonstrates the temporary nature of positive social impacts. Suggestions for how to help create situations where positive social impacts are more likely, and to help maintain the wellbeing benefits of mega-sport events for youth populations are offered.

BC’s Mobile Medical Unit (MMU): One of Dr. Jack Taunton’s Olympic Legacies

This article outlines the important contributions that Dr. Jack Taunton made to get the Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and keeping it in BC post-Games, where it has become an important health care asset and used throughout the province.

Cold surge invading the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Competition Zones and the predictability in BCC‐AGCM model

AbstractThe 24th Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will be held at three competition zones in North China. The cold surge is considered as the most dominant weather affecting the game schedule by the Organizing Committee of Beijing Olympic Games. In this article, both the frequency of 124 cold surge cases invading the competition zones and the corresponding atmospheric circulation during the winters of 1985–2020 are first analyzed. The results show that the frequency has not been reduced by the global warming. On the contrary, it has been increasing slightly in recent decade. By verifying the forecast skill of temperature drop at the zones in Beijing Climate Center‐Atmospheric General Circulation Model (version 2.2), it is found that the average efficient forecast leading time with persistent temperature drop exceeding 1°C is about 7 days, but significant differences exist among the individual cases. The 20 best forecasts and the 20 worst forecasts were selected for further analysis. In the 20 worst forecasts, the cold surge processes cannot be forecasted even 1 day in advance. It is mainly due to the great deviation of the simulated circulation from the observation, especially the failure to forecast the enhancement of the Siberian High especially in its southeast part before the cold surge occurrence. While in the 20 best forecasts, the model can capture the cold surges 9 days before the occurrence, owing to its skill in forecasting the positive sea level pressure anomalies from the southern Barents Sea and the Kara Sea to eastern China. Above evaluations can provide useful information to the forecast of cold surge invading the competition zones beyond 1 week.

Dried blood spots in doping analysis.

A series of dried blood spot (DBS) detection methods for doping agents havebeen developed in the last two decades. The DBS technique minimizes invasiveness and reduces storage and shipping costs. Recently, the World Anti-Doping Agencyannounced the use of DBS for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games and Paralympic Games owing to the advantages of the DBS application in routine doping control. Thereforethe further development of detection methods for doping agents in DBS is important and urgent. This review summarizes five aspects of DBS application in doping analysis: sample collection, storage conditions, pretreatment, instrumentation and validation according to the Prohibited List issued by theWorld Anti-Doping Agency, and proposes some suggestions for future studies of DBS in doping analysis.

Future Directions in Precipitation Science

Precipitation science is a growing research field. It is concerned with the study of the water cycle from a broad perspective, from tropical to polar research and from solid precipitation to humidity and microphysics. It includes both modeling and observations. Drawing on the results of several meetings within the International Collaborative Experiments for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games (ICE-POP 2018), and on two Special Issues hosted by Remote Sensing starting with “Winter weather research in complex terrain during ICE-POP 2018”, this paper completes the “Precipitation and Water Cycle” Special Issue by providing a perspective on the future research directions in the field.

Radar and ground-level measurements of precipitation collected by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne during the International Collaborative Experiments for PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic winter games

Abstract. This article describes a 4-month dataset of precipitation and cloud measurements collected during the International Collaborative Experiments for PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic winter games (ICE-POP 2018). This paper aims to describe the data collected by the Environmental Remote Sensing Laboratory of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. The dataset includes observations from an X-band dual-polarisation Doppler radar, a W-band Doppler cloud profiler, a multi-angle snowflake camera and a two-dimensional video disdrometer (https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.918315, Gehring et al., 2020a). Classifications of hydrometeor types derived from dual-polarisation measurements and snowflake photographs are presented. The dataset covers the period from 15 November 2017 to 18 March 2018 and features nine precipitation events with a total accumulation of 195 mm of equivalent liquid precipitation. This represents 85 % of the climatological accumulation over this period. To illustrate the available data, measurements corresponding to the four precipitation events with the largest accumulation are presented. The synoptic situations of these events were contrasted and influenced the precipitation type and accumulation. The hydrometeor classifications reveal that aggregate snowflakes were dominant and that some events featured significant riming. The combination of dual-polarisation variables and high-resolution Doppler spectra with ground-level snowflake images makes this dataset particularly suited to study snowfall microphysics in a region where such measurements were not available before.

Snowfall Estimation Using Dual-wavelength Radar during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games

Snowfall Estimation Using Dual-wavelength Radar during the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games

The Evolution of China’s Sporting Diplomacy since 1949

The sporting diplomacy in China, as an integral part of China’s overall diplomacy, unswervingly upholds the fundamental foreign policy goal of preserving world peace and promoting common development since New China was founded. After adopting the policy of reform and opening, the sporting diplomacy in China has made historical achievements through intensive participation in international sporting competitions, extensive involvement in international sporting organizations, active hosting of mega sports events, and frequent engagement in cultural sporting exchanges with other countries. In the last decade, with a constant increase in China’s economy, cultural soft power and international influence of sports, China makes an all-round effort in the pursuit of major countrywide sporting diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. Currently, despite the severe challenges outside China, Beijing is making smooth preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, which embraces another milestone in the diplomacy of sport in China. This paper analyzes decision environments, goals, actions and defining features of China’s sporting diplomacy in different periods and follows on to summarize practical experiences in the development of the sporting diplomacy in China. The paper shows that the resounding success of China’s sporting diplomacy can be attributed to its commitment to serving the country’s diplomatic strategy and core interests, its commitment to following the Chinese path of sporting diplomacy, and its commitment to the traditional Chinese value of peaceful development. Finally, emerging issues and promotion strategies are presented.

She’s a Lady; He’s an Athlete; They Have Overcome: Portrayals of Gender and Disability in the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games

She’s a Lady; He’s an Athlete; They Have Overcome: Portrayals of Gender and Disability in the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games

A Case of Leveraging a Mega-Sport Event for a Sport Participation and Sport Tourism Legacy: A Prospective Longitudinal Case Study of Whistler Adaptive Sports

Sport participation legacies are often offered as reasons to host mega-sport events, yet there is little evidence to demonstrate the claim’s legitimacy, thus we examine “What did Whistler Sports do to leverage the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to facilitate a sport tourism legacy?”. Through a prospective longitudinal case study of WAS and application of the temporal extension of the socioecological framework, multiple data sources were analyzed from over a decade beginning before the event until 2019. The findings reveal the situated and embedded nature of mega-sport event legacies i.e., context. These depend upon a network of facilitators such as local, provincial, and federal policies; pre-event and post-event vision and strategies from local communities and sport organizations; the development of a pool of willing and flexible volunteers. Together these were strategically leveraged to overcome sport participation and sport tourism barriers for people with disabilities. The sport, tourism, and sport tourism experience reflected Whistler’s natural and infrastructure advantage and the needs and desires of locals and visitors with access needs that could not have occurred without the capital injection of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Leveraging the mega-sport event opportunities required leadership and a strategic vision for repositioning to a year-round program. This strategic change also opened new sport and sport tourism opportunities for current participants but importantly brought new participants and their friendship groups to Whistler over the post-event decade for year-round sustainable adaptive sport opportunities.

A special tribute to Dr. Jack and Cheryl Taunton

This editorial introduces the special tribute series dedicated to Dr. Jack and Cheryl Taunton. This special tribute includes more than 20 commentaries from leading exercise scientists, academics, athletes, physicians, professional teams and organizations, friends, and family from around the international community. This series outlines the key roles that Jack and Cheryl have played in the creation and implementation of major regional, national, and international events and organizations (like the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Vancouver Sun Run, the Vancouver Marathon, SportMedBC, the Grand Prix of Cycling, and the Canadian Health & Fitness Institute). This series also outlines the influential mentorship roles that they have played in the lives of so many successful physicians, athletes, academics, and students from throughout the world. A central theme of these commentaries is the compassion and consideration that Jack and Cheryl have provided to others. Collectively, these articles highlight the truly remarkable careers of Jack and Cheryl and their influential roles in the lives of others.

Interview With Xu Jicheng, Director General of the Media Operation Department, Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

Interview With Xu Jicheng, Director General of the Media Operation Department, Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

Content Strategy and Fan Engagement in Social Media The Case of PyeongChang Winter Olympic And Paralympic Games

Content Strategy and Fan Engagement in Social Media The Case of PyeongChang Winter Olympic And Paralympic Games

Evaluation of Simulated Winter Precipitation Using WRF-ARW during the ICE-POP 2018 Field Campaign

AbstractThis study evaluates the performance of several cloud microphysics parameterizations in simulating surface precipitation for two snowstorm cases during the International Collaborative Experiment held at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics and Winter Paralympic Games (ICE-POP 2018) field campaign. We compared four different schemes in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model, namely the double-moment 6-class (WDM6), the WRF single-moment 6-class (WSM6), and Thompson and Morrison parameterizations. Both WSM6 and WDM6 overestimated the precipitation amount for the shallow precipitation system because of the substantial amount of cloud ice, mostly generated by the deposition process. The simulated precipitation amount and distribution for the deep precipitation system showed no noticeable differences in the different cloud microphysics parameterizations. However, the simulated hydrometeor type at the surface using WSM6 and WDM6 showed good agreement with observations for all cases. The accuracy of the mean mass-weighted terminal velocity of cloud ice applied in WSM6 and WDM6 is ±20%. The number concentration of cloud ice and the ice microphysics processes are newly retrieved with 1.2 times increased . For the shallow snowstorm, the precipitation amount was reduced by approximately 8% because of the inefficient deposition and its effects on the subsequent ice microphysical processes, such as the accretion of cloud ice by snow and the conversion from cloud ice to snow.

Automated high-throughput analysis of tramadol and O-desmethyltramadol in dried blood spots.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Testing Agency (ITA) recently announced the development and implementation of dried blood spot (DBS) testing for routine analysis in time for the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing. Following the introduction of a ban on the use of tramadol in competition in March 2019, the Union Cycliste International (UCI) started a pilot study for the manual analysis of tramadol in DBS for antidoping purposes. In this context, we present a fully automated LC-MS/MS-based method with automated sample preparation using a CAMAG DBS-MS 500 for the analysis of tramadol and its metabolite O-desmethyltramadol in DBS. The presented approach reduces manual handling in the laboratory to an absolute minimum, only requiring the preparation of calibration and quality control DBS cards. The method was developed, optimized, and validated before performing cross-validation with a liquid blood-based analysis method using authentic samples from forensic cases. During the validation process, the method showed an extraction efficiency of 62%, linearity r2 > 0.99, accuracy and precision (within ± 15% and ± 20% at the LLOQ) for the determination of tramadol and O-desmethyltramadol. Method comparison in liquid blood with 26 samples showed good agreement (90 ± 19% for tramadol and 94 ± 14% for O-desmethyltramadol). In conclusion, automated analysis of tramadol and O-desmethyltramadol in DBS provides a fast and accurate solution for antidoping screening. It is suited for high-throughput analysis, having a run time of about 4 min per sample. Furthermore, with the automated approach, manual sample extraction becomes obsolete.

Microphysics and dynamics of snowfall associated with a warm conveyor belt over Korea

Abstract. On 28 February 2018, 57 mm of precipitation associated with a warm conveyor belt (WCB) fell within 21 h over South Korea. To investigate how the large-scale circulation influenced the microphysics of this intense precipitation event, we used radar measurements, snowflake photographs and radiosounding data from the International Collaborative Experiments for Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (ICE-POP 2018). The WCB was identified with trajectories computed with analysis wind fields from the Integrated Forecast System global atmospheric model. The WCB was collocated with a zone of enhanced wind speed of up to 45 m s−1 at 6500 m a.s.l., as measured by a radiosonde and a Doppler radar. Supercooled liquid water (SLW) with concentrations exceeding 0.2 g kg−1 was produced during the rapid ascent within the WCB. During the most intense precipitation period, vertical profiles of polarimetric radar variables show a peak and subsequent decrease in differential reflectivity as aggregation starts. Below the peak in differential reflectivity, the specific differential phase shift continues to increase, indicating early riming of oblate crystals and secondary ice generation. We hypothesise that the SLW produced in the WCB led to intense riming. Moreover, embedded updraughts in the WCB and turbulence at its lower boundary enhanced aggregation by increasing the probability of collisions between particles. This suggests that both aggregation and riming occurred prominently in this WCB. This case study shows how the large-scale atmospheric flow of a WCB provides ideal conditions for rapid precipitation growth involving SLW production, riming and aggregation. Future microphysical studies should also investigate the synoptic conditions to understand how observed processes in clouds are related to large-scale circulation.

Development and application of PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games Accessibility Manual

Introduction In this study, the process of development, application, and evaluation of the PyeongChang Organising Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games(POCOG) Accessibility Manual was introduced and the basic data for accessing venues and ways to improve accessible sporting event management were suggested. Methods Analysing and comparing the IPC Guide and Korean accessibility laws with eight advisory meetings were held to develop “POCOG Accessibility Manual”. To verify the Manual standards, accessibility assessment of the Paralympic Test-event, Olympic and Paralympic Games was conducted. Results POCOG Accessibility Manual was developed based on the best practice of accessibility standards and feedback from various experts. Throughout the three-step verifications, many findings have resulted in the final recommendations for the improvements in the operation of the Olympic and Paralympic Games accessibility. Conclusions The study provided fundamental data to develop an inclusive game operation manual for future international sports competitions, and it could ultimately serve as a cornerstone for integration and inclusion through sports. Implications for Rehabilitation Ensuring accessibility can secure equal opportunities to participate and enjoy the events for everyone in mega-sporting events including persons with disabilities. However, the current Korean construction law does not adequately address the accessibility requirements for the Paralympic Games. Therefore, the study of the development of the 2018 Pyeongchang Accessibility Manual based on IPC guidelines was important. In this study, the 2018 Pyeongchang Accessibility Manual was applied and evaluated according to the planning stage of the 2017 Paralympic test-events, PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic and paralympic Games. The result derived from our study will provide a strategy to ensure the accessibility for persons with disabilities to countries hosting future sports events.

Sports-Related Injuries Sustained by Disabled Athletes in Winter Paralympic Games: A Systematic Review

Purpose: This review aimed to analyze and summarize current literature related to the characteristics, incidence of injuries of different winter Paralympic sports events and to discuss the key aspects that can be used to develop possible prevention strategies for future Winter Paralympic Games. Methods: An electronic search was performed in Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science databases using the following key words: “Paralympic” AND “winter sports” AND “injury” OR “prevention strategy.” Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to screening all the identified studies. Of 446 identified studies, 11 studies were included. Results: Most studies reported the injuries of disabled athletes in alpine skiing/snowboarding and ice sledge hockey, few studies reported injuries in cross-country skiing/biathlon and wheelchair curling. For these Winter Paralympic athletes, acute, traumatic injuries seem to be more common than overuse or chronic injuries, and alpine skiing and ice sledge hockey have always been the most dangerous winter sports events. However, the rates and injury locations appear to be disability and sport dependent. Results of this review demonstrated that there are 2 key areas in which specific prevention strategies would influence sports injuries and performance in Paralympic winter sports, namely, equipment in winter sports and physical condition of disabled athletes. Conclusion: According to the results, it is apparent that the overall injury rates sustained by disabled athletes are high and can be comparable with injury rates in able-bodied counterparts. While with few studies reported the pattern of injuries and possible prevention strategies, it is difficult to further understand the injury mechanisms and determine effective prevention strategies. Further longitudinal and disability specific studies are much needed.

Pre-Signal and Influencing Sources of the Extreme Cold Surges at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Competition Zones

The 24th Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will take place in Beijing in 2022. All three competition zones are vulnerable to extreme cold surges (ECSs), owing to the occurrence of the East Asian winter monsoon. In this paper, a representative competition domain (37.5–42.5° N, 110–120° E) is adopted, with a view to avoiding the differences in both the geographies and the thresholds of ECSs among different zones by considering the probability of simultaneous occurrences. Since 2009, the ECSs in the domain have displayed higher frequency and extremity. Based on all ECS cases in the domain, the dominant circulation is revealed by a quasi “reverse-Ω” pattern, with two strong ridges over the east of the Ural Mountain and the Okhotsk Sea, and a broad, deep trough in East Asia. The influencing sources of the ECSs at the domain could be traced to the Novaya Zemlya by a day-by-day backward analysis. The oblique latitude/longitude–time profiles of both the 500 hPa geopotential height and the 850 hPa air temperature anomalies from the source to the domain clearly indicate that the pre-signal could have a leading influence that exceeds ten days, with a slow accumulation in the first stage and a rapid outburst in the second stage.

Understanding local residents’ responses to the development of Mount Gariwang for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games

ABSTRACT Formerly a protected area, Mount Gariwang in South Korea was partially bulldozed and developed into an alpine ski venue for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, displacing local residents. I explore their responses to understand how mega-event-related environmental transformations and inequalities are experienced by differently situated stakeholders. Interviews with twelve local residents indicate that the ‘local response’ was anything but monolithic. Different perceptions about the development were entangled with individual relationships (geographical and metaphorical) to the mountain, and their views of the state, as well as understandings of what it means to be a ‘citizen,’ influenced by broader historical memories. Understanding different stakeholders’ experiences lends insight into how consenting to this development may have been unavoidable for some.