Rebranding ‘a step backwards’: Westlake
Sledge hockey now officially known as para ice hockey
Greg Westlake has been telling people since 2003 he plays sledge hockey. Now he’s not sure what to say when people ask about his sport.
Six months ago the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) made a decision to rebrand the 10 sports it governs. The changes, which officially came into effect Nov. 30, 2016, mean Westlake’s sport is no longer to be recognized globally as sledge hockey.
He now plays para ice hockey and is currently participating at the first official world para ice hockey championship, in Gangneung, South Korea.
But Westlake, who’s been the Canadian national team captain since 2010, wonders if rebranding is beneficial for his sport after pushing the old name for so long. The sport made its Paralympic debut at the 1994 Lillehammer Games as sledge hockey.
“I spend the majority of my time as an advocate for Paralympic sport and try to draw positive change for the athletes, no matter what sport you play, and I just feel like (rebranding) is a step backwards with explaining what we do,” said Westlake.
The IPC laid out its reasons for rebranding the 10 IPC sports on its website at the time
of the change.
“Firstly, we hope using para will make the sports more distinctive from the equivalent Olympic or able-bodied sports,” Alexis Shaefer, IPC commercial and marketing director, said in November. “Secondly, the new look for each sport allows for a more consistent and uniform promotion of para sport. Finally, this move ensures that the Agitos (Paralympic symbol) and the word Paralympic is only used in association with the Paralympic Games.”
The IPC’s statement also said the word sledge, specifically, had to go following “requests from the sport’s community and due to the fact that it has different meanings across various languages.”
Westlake isn’t alone with his uneasiness, though. Veteran national team member
Brad Bowden, a pioneer for para ice hockey for two decades, fears much of his work could go to waste.
“It’s been really hard just to get people to know what sledge hockey is,” said Bowden.
“I try to do stuff on the social media side, video blogs and stuff like that trying to promote the sport, so I’m pushing sledge hockey. For years no one knew what it was... It took years for people to know what it is.” Westlake also thinks confusion already exists with the word para and that branding every sport with the label won’t help the athletes and their identities as individuals.
The Paralympics got its name because the Games runs parallel with the Olympics, but Westlake, a 30-year-old with prosthetic legs, said he’s often left explaining to people the sports are for athletes with wide-ranging disabilities, and the word “para” is already misleading to the general public.
“I already have to explain to people why I play in the Paralympics when I’m not paralyzed and now I have to explain why I don’t play paralyzed hockey,” said Westlake.
“I’ve done media stuff where I’ve shown up and there’s a chair for the reporter and no chair for me and they go, ‘we just assumed you’re in a wheelchair.’ So now we take our sport and change it to para ice hockey and I just feel like I’m going to have to explain on another level now.”