Sighted guide

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Helper who guides a blind sportsperson

title: "Sighted guide" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["blindness", "paralympic-sighted-guides", "guides"] description: "Helper who guides a blind sportsperson" topic_path: "general/blindness" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sighted_guide" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Helper who guides a blind sportsperson ::

A sighted guide is a person who guides a person with blindness or vision impairment.

Sports

Paralympic Games

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Pascal_Schoots_Jan_Mulder_I.jpg" caption="Jan Mulder]] (R) won silver medals in [[cycling at the 2004 Summer Paralympics]] in Athens"] ::

At the Paralympic Games there are various classifications of athletes with a visual impairment.

Rules are according to the International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

The sighted guides are such a close and essential part of the competition, that the athlete with a visual impairment and the guide are considered a team, and both athletes are medal candidates.

Winter

At the Winter Paralympics there are three classifications of athletes with a visual impairment:

  • B1 (no useful vision)
  • B2 (minimal useful vision)
  • B3 (some useful vision). A sighted guide is required for B1 and B2, and optional for B3.

Nordic skiing:

The guide can lead, follow, or ski next to the athlete with a visual impairment. The guide assists with voice instruction only. No physical contact allowed.

Alpine skiing:

The start must have an adequate space for the guide.

  • Combined
  • Downhill
  • Giant slalom
  • Slalom
  • Super-G

Summer

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Meeting_d'Athlétisme_Paralympique_de_Paris_-Timothée_Adolphe&_Cédric_Felip_07.jpg" caption="Timothée Adolphe and his sighted guide Cédric Felip"] ::

Athletics: In athletics the sighted guides can win a medal.

Cycling: Pilot

Equestrian:

Football 5-a-side:

Triathlon:

References

References

  1. [https://www.thestar.com/sports/article/779425--visually-impaired-skiers-put-fate-in-guide-s-hands Visually impaired skiers put fate in guide's hands], thestar.com, March 13, 2010
  2. [http://www.universalsports.com/news/article/newsid=456809.html A look at the Paralympic Games], [[Universal Sports]], March 9, 2010
  3. [http://www.ibsa.es/eng/deportes/alpineskiing/reglamento.htm IBSA Alpine Skiing rules 2005-2009], [[International Blind Sports Association]] (IBSA)
  4. [https://www.thestar.com/sports/article/779425--visually-impaired-skiers-put-fate-in-guide-s-hands Visually impaired skiers put fate in guide's hands], [[Toronto Star]], March 13, 2010
  5. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120317184215/http://www.insideworldparasport.biz/insideparasport/9218-guides-to-be-awarded-paralympic-gold-medals Exclusive: Guides to be awarded Paralympic medals at London 2012], insideworldparasport.biz, February 12, 2011

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

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