PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — The delegations ruling the medal table at the Paralympics share a common trait: During the past decade they decided to invest the resources necessary to afford their athletes the same respect, coaching, equipment and opportunities that able-bodied athletes receive.
From the Wasatch Range in Utah to the Canadian Rockies and the Korean Peninsula, they have transformed what had recently been a modest endeavor into a professional pursuit.
“It’s not just five months on the snow and then you go home and kick back and drink mai tais on the beach,” the American snowboarder Jimmy Sides said.