Paralympics 2018: Dates, Sports, Location For Games

The Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, are in full swing after Day 7 got underway Tuesday. The Games are scheduled to continue until Feb. 25 when they conclude with the Closing Ceremony.

Less than two weeks later, the Paralympics are scheduled to begin with 670 athletes who are set to compete in 80 medal events, according to the Paralympic Committee. Athletes will compete in six different sports including alpine skiing, ice hockey and snowboarding. The Games begin in Pyeongchang on March 9 and continue until March 18.

Athletes who compete in the Paralympics are placed into various categories based on their level of impairment to prevent the least impaired athlete from automatically winning, according to the Paralympic Committee. Certain types of impairment make an athlete eligible for competition including limb deficiencies, impaired muscle power, and visual impairments among others.

There are classification rules on level of impairment for each sport, meaning some athletes could be eligible for one sport but not for another. Once an athlete is determined eligible for a sport, then they are assigned a sport class, or level, after an evaluation.

The first Paralympic Games were held in 1960 and since the first Winter Paralympic Games in 1976 the tradition has been carried on for both Winter and Summer Games. The number of athletes who compete and the amount of women who take part has increased over the years to reach record levels.

For the 2018 Winter Games, NBC Sports will broadcast more of the Games than ever before. The plan is to broadcast 94 hours of the games — close to double the number of hours during the 2014 Sochi Games. Coverage will be available online, as well.