Amputation is a medical operation when cutting off the arm or leg is unavoidable.
The patients suffering from bone cancer, blood flow trouble, traffic accident, industrial accident, or war may get the operation.
The handicap remains throuout the life.
However the rehabilitation makes it possible to work and even to enjoy many kinds of sports.
Nagano Winter Paralympic Games start in May after Nagano Winter Olympics in February.
Many skiers with amputation get together from all over the world.
Please watch their wouderful performance.
This poster may help you to understand the typical winter sport, skiing, and the athletes with physical disorder.
Please boost the competition.
Losing the thighs（Fig 1）. Walking becomes impossible without artificial legs. But with them, walking and even skiing is possible after the training (Fig2).
Invention of chair ski made it possible to ski faster than with articical legs.
More and more athletes use chair skis (Fig3).
In Nagano Winter Olympics too, many skiers will use chair skis.
Athlete who lost one thigh may use artificial leg to walk and to work in the daily life.
But skiing is easier and faster with one healthy leg rather than with both legs (Fig5).
In Paralympics LW2 class gathers very strong skiers from the world.
One leg skier needs a lot of muscle training of the supporting leg.
One leg high jumper recorded 1 meter 92 centimeters in Atlanta Paralympics. By now the artificial leg for running is invented. The researchers may invent a leg for skiing in the future.
The athlete who lost their calves compete in LW3 class(Fig6). They ski with artificial legs(Fig7).
Athlete who lost one calf can ski very well(Fig8).
They compete in LW4 class in Paralympics.
It may be difficult to tell their handicap when you watch their skiing tecnique from outside.
Downhill（World Cup1990）winner's avarage speed
The competition is classified depending on the type of disorder. Alpine competition has eight classes. Athlete with amputation belongs to one of them.