PyeongChang, Korea, is the setting for the XII Winter Paralympic Games that take place from 9th to 18th March 2018. In the history of the independent SR, our Paralympians are taking part in their seventh WPG as the Slovak Paralympic Team PyeongChang 2018.
Their debut in Slovak national colours was in Lillehammer, Norway, in 1998. In the first four Games, they won an impressive 26 medals, however a “winter” gold was still missing. This long term desire was fulfilled by a young generation of skiers who literally erupted, in terms of medals, at Vancouver 2010. The visually impaired duo, Jakub Krako and Henrieta Farkašová, together with their ski guides, Juraj Medera and Natália Šubrtová, each won three gold medals as well as one silver. Slovakia returned from the western coast of Canada with impressive 11 medals (6 - 2 - 3) and fourth place overall in the medal table. This great success was also continued by the alpine skiers in 2014 at Soči. Here, they won 7 medals in total (3 - 2 - 2) and Slovakia were ranked seventh on the winter sports medal table surpassing several of the great powers. Moreover, the wheelchair curling team debuted in 6th place at Sochi.
In PyeongChang, Slovakia and the Slovak Paralympic Committee (SPC) will again be represented by a strong alpine ski team including all the successful representatives from the last two WPG and the curling team will also have greater ambitions at their second games. The Para-hockey team, which took part in the direct qualification for the games, for the first time in history, remained knocking at the door.
On the occasion of this greatest celebration of winter Paralympians, Slovenská pošta, a. s. has issued an individual postage stamp and a first day cover (FDC). The creator of the stamp design is the artist Igor Piačka and it depicts a visually impaired skier on the track with his guide, both of whom have wings. The FDC depicts the second sport in which Slovakia will compete in Korea - wheelchair curling.
                                                                                                                                                                                                    Roman Végh