Wheelchair fencing question

[Greg]

This seems really fascinating. Can someone explain how it is done and what the rules are?

[KD5MDK]

Two fencers sit in chairs. They must keep some part of their rear in contact with the chair seat. They start within extension distance for the fencer with the shorter reach and fence as regular from there.

http://www.iwfencing.com/

[FeatherBlade]

I always wondered why there are no women in saber... ?

[Timacheff]

Here are two galleries of images of wheelchair fencing from Torino.

http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery...lery_id=555971
http://www.printroom.com/ViewGallery...lery_id=555970

[AndrewH]

Do the fencers have to be handicapped to participate? I remember watching a video of world championship wheelchair fencing, and after one fencer won the bout he stood up and celebrated.

[Redblade]

Do the fencers have to be handicapped to participate? I remember watching a video of world championship wheelchair fencing, and after one fencer won the bout he stood up and celebrated.

The nature of the disability can vary significantly and can include spinal injuries, missing limbs, muscle conditions, etc.

Here are some elements to consider: http://www.paralympic.org/release/Su...Classification

[jessicasimpson]

The top chair fencer in the US broke his neck, and is a quadrapaligic, but can still stand and walk

[Fencergrl]

They're called super quads.

Spinal cord injuries are weird... there can be a huge variation in abilities between two people with a break in the same location. Lots of factors, the type and quality of care they receive after their injury... what got damaged during the injury or surgery... and when it happened.

At the time my husband broke his back (30 years ago) there was almost always a greater impairment after surgery. 30 years before that you just died. Today (especially in Vancouver where we lead the world in research) you're much more likely to walk again. Practicing on people like my husband and research money (mostly thanks to Rick Hansen and his world tour and subsequent fund raising) has lead to a much better understanding on how to treat such injuries.