SASCOC and CyclingSA are proud to announce the South African National Team for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.
Ernst van Dyk will be competing in his eighth Paralympic Games, Tokyo being his fourth in the cycling disciplines. Current World Champion, Pieter du Preez, will be making his second appearance at the Paralympics but his first in cycling disciplines having competed in the 2012 London Games in the 100m event. Toni Mould will be making her Paralympic debut.
- Ernst van Dyk Men H5 Road Race and Time Trial
- Pieter du Preez Men H1-2 Road Race and Time Trial
- Toni Mould Women T1-2 Road Race and Time Trial
Code Manager and Coach: Elrich Kulsen
Mechanic: Pieter Jansen
INDIVIDUAL TIME TRIAL
Date and Time: Tuesday, 31 Aug. 15:00 – 00:15 SAT
Venues: Fuji International Speedway
- Men’s H5
- Men’s H1-2
- Women’s T1-2
ROAD RACE
Date and Time: Wednesday, 1 Sep. 16:30 – 00:05 SAT
Venues: Fuji International Speedway
- Men’s H5
- Men’s H1-2
Date and Time: Thursday, 2 Sep. 16:30 – 23:45 SAT
Venues: Fuji International Speedway
- Women’s T1-2
For more information, visit olympics.com
CYCLING AT THE PARALYMPICS
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will feature around 4,400 athletes who will compete in 539 medal events.
Recognised as an official Olympic sport at the first modern Games in Athens, Road cycling made its Paralympic debut at the 1984 International Games for the Disabled (now known as the seventh Summer Paralympic Games) held in New York and Stoke Mandeville.
The event consists of the road race, time trial and team relay. Riders compete in one of four classes, depending on the type and degree of their impairment. This also determines the type of bike they use.
There are a total of 34 gold medals up for grabs in the road event alone.
PARALYMPIC QUALIFICATION CRITERIA
Classification provides a structure for Paralympic competition. Athletes competing in Para sports have an impairment that leads to a competitive disadvantage. Consequently, a system has been put in place to minimise the impact of impairments on sport performance and to ensure the success of an athlete is determined by skill, fitness, power, endurance, tactical ability and mental focus. This system is called classification.
Classification determines who is eligible to compete in a Para sport and it groups the eligible athletes in sport classes according to their activity limitation in a certain sport.
The Paralympic Movement offers sport opportunities for athletes with physical, vision and/or intellectual impairments that have at least one of the following 10 eligible impairments: Impaired muscle power, Impaired passive range of movement, Limb deficiency, Leg length difference, Short stature, Muscle tension, Uncoordinated movement, Involuntary movements, Vision impairment, Intellectual Impairment.
Classification systems differ by sport and are developed by the International Federations (IF) governing the sport. The IF is also responsible for reviewing the system from time to time. See below the classification system which will be used for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
For more details about the classification system, download the following document: Tokyo 2020 Qualification Criteria
