 Para @-@ snowboarding : On 2 May 2012 , the International Paralympic Committee officially sanctioned " para @-@ snowboarding " ( commonly known as adaptive snowboarding ) as a medal event in the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games under Alpine Skiing . There will be men 's and women 's standing snowboard @-@ cross competitions . The IPC currently recognizes two broader sport classes , one for competitors with lower @-@ limb impairments and one for those with upper @-@ limb impairments . Visually impaired classes are not currently recognized and the sport 's debut in the 2014 Sochi Paralympics will feature events for only athletes with lower @-@ limb impairments , who will be permitted to wear a prosthesis . The events will be run in a time trial format ( one rider on course at a time ) , and results within each broad class calculated without factors that adjust raw times based on disability classification ( for example , a hypothetical athlete with a single above @-@ knee amputation will not receive any adjustment to his or her start @-@ to @-@ finish time , even though the lack of a knee and functional quadriceps in one leg can result in an impairment much greater than a hypothetical athlete with a single below @-@ knee amputation but two functional quadriceps ) . However , as the sport develops , the classes will be expanded and / or refined in the future . 
