Sledge Hockey is a variant of ice hockey and can be played on and off ice, using sledges to allow participants to move about the rink at high speeds hitting a puck travelling at speeds of up to 100kph. Players sit in adapted sledges, propelling themselves with sticks adapted to allow propulsion in a manner similar to skiing. As players are strapped to a sledge everybody has the same restrictions, regardless of whether or not the player has a disability.
Sledge Hockey was first introduced into Great Britain in 1981 and the British Sledge Hockey Association (BSHA) was formed in 1995 order to promote and develop the sport. Ice Sledge Hockey is one of the five sports that form the Winter Paralympic Winter Games and a Great Britain (GB) Sledge Hockey team has competed in International events since 1982 including three of the five Paralympic Winter games since Sledge Hockey was included (1994, 1998, and 2006).
Ice Sledge Hockey is a Paralympic sport played using the same rules as ice hockey and Team GB competed in the Paralympic Winter games in 1994, 1998 and 2006. Off-ice Sledge Hockey, officially called Inline Sledge Hockey, is a new variant of Sledge Hockey developed in the UK by the British Sledge Hockey Association and uses specially designed sledges with wheels.
There is no classification points system dictating who can be involved in play within Sledge Hockey (simply an eligibility classification for Paralympic events) unlike other team sports such as Wheelchair basketball, rugby and sitting volleyball. This makes Sledge Hockey the only fully inclusive sport.
Equipment is exactly the same as for ice hockey with the exception of the sledge and an additional stick. Sledge Hockey is a full contact sport and the rules are the same as those for ice hockey with a small number of additions to allow for the difference in equipment.
The main objectives of the BSHA are to expand the number of teams active in the UK (and by association the number or participants), to re-introduce a national league and to develop the national team to ensure qualification for the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.
Sledge Hockey embraces the model of life-long participation, combining active recreation, active travel, competitive sport, and social participation.
Participation in Sledge Hockey meets the health and social agendas specifically being suitable for tackling obesity and promoting inclusion, whilst offering low impact recreational aerobic exercise that builds core stability for a diverse range of participants in a wide range of readily accessible settings.
