After 20 plus years of ski racing, I can generally work out the result for my race but, for most athletes, they have to wait for the number crunchers at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) HQ in Switzerland to work it out. Sometimes it can take a few days. That’s a long time to wait to find out if you have qualified.
So, using all my years of experience, I am going to do my best to explain how the qualification system works for Paralympic skiing. Let’s hope it makes sense.
Qualification is based on FIS Points, calculated from an athlete’s race results compared to the winner’s time. The smaller the time difference, the fewer points awarded – and fewer points are better. Consistent, fast performances lower an athlete’s average points ranking.
To be eligible to compete at the Paralympic Games, athletes must achieve the set points or fewer within the qualification period. The minimum points threshold is determined by FIS, the sport’s governing body. That number can differ between classes and between disciplines.
The Minimum Points Threshold for the technical disciplines (Slalom and Giant Slalom) in men’s alpine standing (the class I ski in) is ≤ 240 FIS points and ≤ 180 FIS points for the speed events (Downhill and Super-G).
There are several factors that influence a para-alpine skier’s FIS points in addition to their time gap to the winner:
- Each race carries a penalty based on the ranking strength of the field. If many highly ranked athletes compete, the race penalty is lower, improving everyone’s points.
- Beating or staying close to top-ranked skiers improves points more than racing weaker fields.
- Times are adjusted using class-specific factors to allow fair comparison across impairment classes which directly affects point outcomes.
- Rankings are calculated from an athlete’s best results per discipline, so consistency at strong events matters.
Meeting the points thresholds makes an athlete eligible to race at the Paralympic Games but that may not be enough. National teams can set their own points thresholds for selection, and each country is generally allocated a certain number of ‘quota’ spots per discipline, based on the country’s overall performance. Subsquently, competition for a spot on the team can be pretty cut-throat.
Australia’s team will be announced late February.