ENGLISH FOR THE GAMES
Paralympic Sailing
When athletes come together from around the world to compete in the
Olympic and Paralympic Games, they are fulfilling their dreams and competing
at the highest level. Billions of people across the globe join in; watching,
listening to and reading about the greatest global celebration of sport.
To celebrate the London 2012 Games, the British Council is making a wide
range of classroom resources available for learners of English worldwide.
Sailing has been very important, all the way through history, for the development of
fishing, trade, transport, exploration, and war. Paralympic Sailing began to develop
as a competitive sport in the 1980s. The boats have a slightly different design to
make them more stable for Paralympic athletes. Have you ever seen a Sailing race?
One -person keelboat (2.4mR)
Mainsail
Keel
Helmsperson
Spinnaker
Two -person keelboat (SKUD 18)
Cockpit
Three -person keelboat (Sonar)
Jib
To find out more visit www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish
© British Council 2012 Brand and Design/B122
1. Vocabulary
a. Write the correct words in the spaces provided.
a. cockpit
b. spinnaker
d. mainsail
e. helmsperson
g. two-person keelboat
(SKLD 18)
h. jib
c. keel
f.
three-person keelboat
(Sonar)
i.
one-person keelboat
(2.4mR)
3
7
1
8
4
5
2
9
6
2. The rules of Sailing
What is it?
Sailing is the art of using the power of wind to move a boat. Paralympic sailing is similar
to Olympic sailing, but the boats are adapted so that athletes with disabilities can sail
them.
Who can participate in sailing at the Paralympics?
Sailing is open to athletes in the categories of amputee, cerebral palsy, visually
impaired, wheelchair and les autres.
Classifications
An athlete may have the classification MD, which indicates ‘minimum disability.’
Other athletes are assigned points between 1 and 7 based on their ability to carry out
tasks related to sailing. Athletes with 1 point have the lowest level of ability and athletes
with 7 points have the highest level of ability.
 One-Person Keelboat (2.4mR): only athletes classified as MD may compete;
 Two-Person Keelboat (SKUD18): one of the crew must have a 1 or 2 point disability;
 Three-Person Keelboat (Sonar): the total crew is allowed a maximum of 14 points
How is it played?
 There are 3 different classes or types of boat used depending on the number of
sailors:
o The 2.4mR is a single-person boat with a mainsail and a jib.
o The SKUD 18 is a two-person boat with a mainsail, jib and spinnaker.
o The Sonar is a three-person boat with a mainsail and a jib.
 The boats are designed to increase stability and have open cockpits to give sailors
more space. Equipment is also adapted to suit each disability group.
 All classes are mixed, which means that men and women compete together/against
each other.
 One female competitor must participate in each two-person and three-person team.
 All races are held in ‘fleet racing’ format. This means all boats in the class race each
other over the same course.
 Each event consists of a series of 11 races.
 In each race, points are awarded as follows: 1 point for the winner, 2 points for
second, etc.
 Competitors can discard or lose their worst score.
 The final race in the series is called the medal race, and points are doubled: 2 points
for the winner, 4 points for second, etc.
 The winner is the competitor who has least points.
 In the event of two competitors having the same number of points after the final,
then the winner is the competitor who finishes in the higher placed position in the
medal race.
a. Match the words in the table with their definitions below.
a. 2.4mR
b. cockpit
c. jib
d. keel
e. mainsail
f.
g. sonar
h. spinnaker
SKUD 18
1. A small triangular sail on a boat, in front of the main sail
2. The largest sail, nearest the front, used on some boats
3. The long piece of wood or steel along the bottom of a boat that forms part of its
structure and helps to keep the boat stable in the water
4. The place where the sailors sit, which is open in Paralympic boats to allow more
room for the sailors
5. The sail nearest the back of the boat
6. The type of boat used in one-person Paralympic sailing events. It has a mainsail
and a jib.
7. The type of boat used in three-person Paralympic sailing events. It has a mainsail
and a jib.
8. The type of boat used in two-person Paralympic sailing events. It has a mainsail,
jib and spinnaker.
3. Reading
Geoff Holt
In 1984 Geoff Holt was a fit 18-year-old who had just sailed across the Atlantic for the
third time. But then his life changed totally. He had an accident when he was on a beach
called Cane Garden Bay in the British Virgin Islands. He dived into shallow water and
broke his neck. Since that day he has had to use a wheelchair, but that has not stopped
him from achieving his remarkable goals.
It took Geoff a long time to re-build his life. He didn’t just want to go sailing again though:
he wanted to do extraordinary things that nobody else had done before. Thus, in 2007
he became the first quadriplegic yachtsman to sail alone around Great Britain. This was
a 2,325 kilometre journey, in a 4.5-metre boat. He described it as one of his greatest
achievements - like climbing his own personal Mt Everest.
Then, in 2010, Geoff became the first quadriplegic sailor to sail across the Atlantic, in a
boat named Impossible Dream. The journey took years to plan, and even then was not
trouble-free: there were mechanical problems, contaminated fuel, and also a lack of
wind. But 28 days after leaving the Canary Islands he arrived in Cane Garden Bay.
Remember the name? That’s right - it was the place where he had suffered his accident
two decades before.
Geoff has achieved many other things as well. He was one of the founding members of
the Sailability scheme, which helps people with any type of disability to enjoy sailing. In
2006 he became the first wheelchair user to get a powerboat licence, and in 2008 he
published his autobiography, Walking On Water.
When asked why he does these things, Geoff summed himself up with these words: "It's
about demonstrating that disability need not be a barrier to achieving something
positive in your life."
a. Put the events in chronological order.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
He became the first quadriplegic sailor to sail across the Atlantic.
He became the first quadriplegic yachtsman to sail alone around Great Britain.
He became the first wheelchair user to get a powerboat licence.
He broke his neck.
He published his autobiography.
He sailed across the Atlantic for the third time.
b. Type the words in the table to complete the gaps in the sentences.
a. arrive
b. be
c. become
d. break
e. describe
f.
dive
g. publish
h. sum
i.
take
In 1984 Geoff Holt (…..1…..) a fit 18-year-old.
He (…..2…..) into shallow water and (…..3…..) his neck.
It (…..4…..) him a long time to re-build his life.
He (…..5…..) the first quadriplegic yachtsman to sail alone around Great Britain.
There (…..6…..) mechanical problems, contaminated fuel, and also a lack of wind.
He (…..7…..) the journey as one of his greatest achievements.
Twenty-eight days after leaving the Canary Islands he (…..8…..) in Cane Garden Bay.
In 2008 he (…..9…..) his autobiography.
Geoff (…..10…..) himself up in a few words.
4. Solution
Exercise 1a
1. e; 2. a; 3. i; 4. d; 5. c; 6. g; 7. f; 8. h
Exercise 2a
1. c; 2. h; 3. d; 4. b; 5. e; 6. a; 7. f; 8. g
Exercise 3a
6; 4; 3; 2; 5; 1
Exercise 3b
1. was; 2. dived; 3. broke; 4. took; 5. became; 6. were; 7. described; 8. arrived; 9.
published; 10. summed