Former world champion Jeroen Straathof is working to bring speed skating to the Paralympic Games, following the recent excitement over able-bodied Dutch skaters’ performances.
AD, a Dutch news outlet, reports on the efforts to include Paralympic speed skating in future events.
After weeks of admiration for Dutch speed skaters Jutta Leerdam and Jens van ’t Wout, attention has now shifted to the Paralympics. However, speed skating is currently not part of the Paralympic program. Jeroen Straathof, a former world champion in the sport, is seeking to change this following a chance encounter in a supermarket.
Straathof recognizes the challenges involved, describing the early stages of Paralympic speed skating as somewhat unstable, but he remains committed to broadening the scope of the games to include this discipline. His efforts aim to provide athletes with disabilities the opportunity to compete in speed skating at the Paralympic level.
