Where to get involved in winter sports near you
THE Beijing Paralympic Games came to an end this week, as Team Great Britain made room in their luggage to bring back six medals.
With their tally of one gold, one silver, and four bronze medals Team GB finished 14th in the medal table.
Steve Thomas, 45, of Barry, was part of that team and competed in his sixth Paralympic Games, and in his third separate sport.
Initially, he sailed, from the Summer Paralympics in Athens in 2004 until Rio 2016. Then he switched to ice sledge hockey at the Winter Games in Turin 2006, before Nordic skiing in Beijing.
Steve said: “It felt amazing to be on the start line.
“It’s been a pretty quick journey over the last three years, to go from novice to Paralympian in a different sport has been fantastic.”
He was one of Team GB’s five strong Nordic skiing team and alongside the men’s 4×2.5km relay, he competed in the cross-country sprint and middle-distance events.
The relay team came 12th, whilst individually Thomas came 25th in the sprint and 32nd in the middle-distance time trial.
Thomas had previously retired from competitive sport after sailing at the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016. However, in 2018 he was lured out of retirement when he heard about GB Snowsport’s plans.
Thomas said: “One of my colleagues in sailing said Para Nordic skiing are looking to develop a programme and are looking for athletes – would you like to go and try out? So I went and tried it out and loved it.”
Made up of 24 athletes, this was the biggest Team GB has been since Lillehammer in 1994. Steve Thomas was the sole Welsh ambassador, with the other 23 being made up of 12 Scots and 11 English athletes.
This disparity was also present in the Winter Olympics earlier last month, when only two of Team GB’s 50 athletes were Welsh.
Laura Deas failed to follow up on her bronze medal in the Skeleton at Pyeongchang four years ago, whilst the other Welsh athlete, Adele Nicoll, was a reserve for the two-woman bobsleigh.
Where can you get involved?
After the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing, Sport Wales are hoping to see a spike in participation in these sports.
The Winter of Wellbeing is part of £20 million package from the Welsh Government to support children and families. The Outdoor Partnership has teamed up with Sport Wales to provide skiing and snowboarding lessons for ladies at the Ski Centre Llandudno throughout March.
Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden, said: “This programme is another example of how we are working collaboratively to provide our children and young people with opportunities and experiences that will have a positive and lasting impact on their health and wellbeing.”
Across Wales there are six artificial slopes where you can book lessons from about £10.
Throughout March 2022, Snowsport Cymru is putting on discounted taster sessions at centres across Wales, some of which will be half price. Contact your local centre to find out more.
A favourite for Team GB and their fans in the Winter Olympics and Paralympics is always the curling. However, Wales’ curling centre is currently closed due to Coronavirus, as a converted vaccination centre.
Keep an eye on their website for when Try Curling lessons are back on. There is also a campaign to build a new dedicated curling ice rink.
