Is it sledge hockey or para ice hockey? Depends on who you ask
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 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.
“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. “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 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.”