Virtus signs MOU with World Baseball Softball Confederation

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Virtus – the International Sports Federation for Athletes with an Intellectual Impairment is delighted to announce that Virtus has signed the MOU with World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC).  

Virtus and WBSC will now join forces and work towards the development and implementation of strategies and programmes to grow Baseball and Softball for people with an intellectual impairment.  

Following this collaboration, the WBSC will now introduce a new intellectual impairment class as part of future Championships where possible to promote the inclusion of players with an intellectual impairment at World, Regional, National, and other competitions.  

Virtus Executive Director Nick Parr, who will also be part of the Paralympic commission of WBSC which will oversee the activities said,

 “Virtus is really pleased to embark on this new partnership with WBSC to grow baseball/softball for players with an intellectual impairment. We work closely with a number of International Sports Federations and this latest agreement represents an exciting new opportunity for us. ”  

The WBSC Paralympic Commission listed the creation of a Baseball5 version for athletes with an intellectual impairment as one of the priorities among the objectives of the Strategic Plan 2022-2028.

“This MOU with VIRTUS marks a significant step in the WBSC’s continuous effort to grow baseball and softball and increase accessibility to our sport,” commented WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari. 

“We are committed to seeking recognition by the IPC and have baseball/softball a sport on the programme of the Paralympic Games by Brisbane 2032″, he added. 

With the addition of the WBSC, it will be the sixth International federation, including World Karate Federation, World Sailing, World Taekwondo, European Disabled Golf Association (EDGA) and Confédération Internationale Francophone Sport Adapté Culture (CIFSAC), with whom Virtus has partnerships to grow sports for athletes with an intellectual impairment. 

USA dominate medals at Cross Country in San Diego 2022

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After two days of rigorous competition, the 2022 Virtus World Cross Country Championship concluded on Sunday in San Diego, USA. Both long-course and short-course races were offered to the athletes to compete in. Paralympians like Michael Brannigan, Gael Geofrey and Breanna Clark made their way to the championship.

The championship turned out to be of huge success for the host nation, claiming five out of the eight golds from the championship and topping the medal tally.

Winners of Men’s II1 long and short course race. (From left) Adam Angalone, Michael Brannigan and Gael Geoffrey. Picture Credit- Bob Bettancourt

In the II1 category, Paralympian Michael Brannigan (USA) became the host nation’s superstar by winning three golds in 8K long course, 4k short course and overall Men’s team event alongside team mates Adam Angelone, Benjamin Bluemond, Tyler Wingington, Tae Sebastian, Kenneth Noguchi and Ishaan Ramanathan Eye.

Although Spain came second in the Men’s 4K teams event, the team defeated the host nation in the long course 8K event adding gold to their medal tally. The team consist of Adrián Parras Álvarez, Jose Martínez Moron, Raúl Martínez Garri, Ibai Magdaleno Pala and Jesús Fernández Pére.

Gael Geoffrey from France, who competed in 1500m at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, finished third in both the long course and short course. He was also part of the French team who won the bronze in the Men’s team event.

Winners for II1 Women’s long and short course race. (From left) Franziska Dziallas (GER), Kaitlyn Bounds (USA) and Aleksandra Gustaffson (SWE). Picture credit- Bob Bettancourt

In the Women’s short course race, Kaitlyn Bounds from the host nation won the gold (7:34sec) by defeating Franziska Dziallas from Germany (7:51sec). Sweden’s Aleksandra Gustaffson settled for the bronze. The podium finish was repeated by the American, German and Swedish runners in the exact same sequence in the long course.

Two-time Paralympic Champion in 400m Breanna Clark who tried her luck in Cross country for the first time finished fourth in the short course race.

Jason David from France. Picture credit- Bob Bettancourt

In the Men’s II2 category, Jason David from France became the first athlete ever to participate in a cross-country competition. He was the sole participant in both short and long-course events in the men’s category in II2.

Full results are available here.

Tennis to be endorsed by ITF at Global Games 2023

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Virtus, the International Sports Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairment is delighted to announce that the Tennis competition at the 2023 Virtus Global Games, in Vichy from 4th to 10th June, will be endorsed by the International Tennis Federation.

“I am so pleased that the ITF continues to endorse the Virtus tennis competitions and the Global Games 2023 in Vichy, France. Their support and recognition of our tennis programme enhances the competitions we provide for our very talented athletes” said Lesley Whitehead, Virtus Tennis director.

After the 2019 Global Games in Brisbane, it is the second time that the ITF has recognised the Virtus Global Games. Marc Truffaut, Virtus President and President of Fédération Française du Sport Adapté – FFSA is also excited to see the continued partnership between Virtus and ITF.

 “We are absolutely delighted to receive the backing of the ITF for the second time. It will be an excellent recognition for the outstanding players who will compete in Vichy in June 2023.”

The 2023 Virtus Global Games are happening from 4th to 10th June 2023 in Vichy, France. The multi-sport event will offer competition across twelve sports- Athletics, Swimming, Table Tennis, Basketball, Futsal, Track and Road Cycling, Horse riding, Water and Indoor rowing, Judo, Karate and Taekwondo, along with two demonstration sports- Handball and Indoor Hockey.

More information about the Virtus Global Games can be found at the official website or at 2023 Virtus Global Games. Entries for 2023 are currently open.

Kim Gi Tae steals the show at Andalucia WPTTC 2022

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The 2022 World Para Table Tennis Championship took place in Granada, Spain between 6th and 12th of November.

A total of 32 athletes with intellectual impairment, 16 men and 16 women took part in the competition in the Class 11 category. Players who attracted the greatest attention were the returning Paralympic Champions. However, major casualties occurred in both men’s and women’s matches where many Tokyo2020 medallists failed to progress to the semi-finals.

Australia’s Samuel Von Einem was beaten by Kim Chang Gi by 3-2 in the first round whilst in the quarterfinals, Hungary’s Peter Palos lost to Kim Gi Tae from South Korea 3-0, and Cuesta Eduardo from Spain took down Lucas Creange (FRA) 3-2.

Kim Gi Tae (S.KOR) in action. Picture Credit- ITTF

From not qualifying to the semi-finals at the Paralympic Games last year to becoming the World no.1, South Korea’s Kim Gi Tae made quite a comeback. He emerged as the most successful player of the championship, securing gold in all three possible events – men’s singles, men’s doubles, mixed doubles – the only player to achieve the feat.

In Men’s singles, Gi Tae overpowered Kim Chang and claimed the championship title by 3-0 (11-7,11-7,11-3) whilst in the doubles he and partner Jeong Kyuyoung grabbed the top spot on the podium by 3-0 win over Japan’s Takes Takemori and Kate Koya. Zhao Antoine and Ivaldi Timothe from France settled for the Bronze.

In Mixed doubles, once again South Korea dominated everyone. Kim Gi Tae and Seo Yang Hee (S.Korea) won the Gold by beating Japanese team (Asian Takashi/Furukawa Kanami) and French players Lea ferney and Lucas Creange settled for Bronze.

In the Women’s section, beating Maki Ito from Japan by 3-0, French superstar Lea Ferney secured herself a spot in the finals. Meanwhile, Polish player Lysiak Krystyna ended the hopes of Nowacka Dorota (POL) and entered the finals by 3-0.

In the finals, determined to win the championship, Tokyo 2020 silver medalist from France crushed her Polish opponent Lysiak Krystyna by 3-0.

Lea Ferney smashing in the finals. Picture Credit- ITTF

“I am glad to win the Gold. I started at 3rd rank and I am the first now, its a great feeling. Me and my coach prepared strategies before the competition and watched videos, and tried to do as we decided. This competition was great.” said Lea Ferney.

In Women’s doubles, Hong Kong’s NG Mui Wiu and Wong Ting Ting, defeated Lea Ferney and Anne Divet by 3-0. Turkey and Poland grabbed the final spot on the podium.

Full results can be accessed from ITTF Website.

Hong Kong players ruled the Badminton court

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On the final day of the 2022 Virtus OA Games, a lot of actions were coming from the Badminton courts at the Chandler Theatre where the final matches were being played.

Hong Kong made a strong impression and won three out of four medal events.

In the II1 Women’s singles, Emma Mangan (AUS) was smashed by Ally France Yuet Yeung (HKN) by 21-12 and 21-8.

Men’s Doubles team on the podium (team AUS on the left and team Hong Kong on right) P.C- Hong Kong Sports Association for Persons with Intellectual Disability

Men’s and Women’s double matches too were won by Hong Kong. Pat Kui Tam and Chi Shing Wong (HKG) stayed undefeated by Australia’s Alex baker and Timothy Gould with a score of 21-5 and 21-11 in the Men’s category.

Talking to the reporters of the OA Games, Alex baker shared how important this event was for him-

“I have always wanted to play sport for Australia and the OA Games have been absolutely amazing, to play in your home country or home state against some of the world’s best. It has been absolutely phenomenal.”

On the other hand, in the Women’s category, Emma Mangan and Sabrina Weier from Australia did manage to put on some struggle against Tsz Ying Luk and Ally Grace Yuet Yeung, they had to taste defeat by 21-16 and 21-14.

Meanwhile, in Men’s II1 class, Rintaro Nagano from Japan interrupted Hong Kong’s reign and thrashed Chi Shing Wong with an astounding score lead of 21-3 and 21-4.

Athletes were pleased with their first International Virtus competition.

 “It’s a very fun tournament because you can you can interact with athletes from various countries,” said Rintaro.

Full match stats are available on Badminton Australia’s website.

Watch the highlights from the semi-final matches.

Japan shine in both swimming and table tennis

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While Australia continues to stay on top of the medal tally, Japan yet again proved that it is the powerhouse when it comes to shattering records. They also took two out of three Golds in table tennis.

Swimming

On day-4 of the ongoing 2022 Virtus OA Games, the hungry Japanese relay teams shattered two more Virtus World Records today in the 4x50m medley relay in both men’s and women’s II1 categories. The men’s team consisting of Saito Masaki, Yamaguchi Naohide, Matsuda Anku and Kagose Rei broke the previous record of 1:53.76sec by timing 1:52.20sec. On the other hand, the women’s team of Fukui Kasumi, Serizawa Mikita, Inoue Mama and Kinoshita Aira clocked a new Virtus record time of 2:11.06sec.

In the same event, Australia also broke the Oceania record with 2:16.03sec which was set in 2019. Thompson Kale, Bruzzese Stephanie, Younes Yasmine-Bella and Lucy Jade were swimming for Australia in this race who added silver to Australia’s tally.

In II1 Women’s 200m Freestyle, Aira Kinoshita from Japan broke Asia’s record twice today. Clocking a time of 2:13.70sec, she broke it first in the prelims and later in the finals, she set the new record for 2:11.16sec.

In Women’s 50m Butterfly, Yui Lam Chan from Hong Kong had it all prepared to break her own Virtus record which she set in 2019. While she managed to succeed in her plan by timing 30.25sec, 00.17sec lesser than her previous record time, Corry Taylor (AUS)snatched away the Gold medal from Yui Lam along with the Virtus World Record with a time of 30.06.

Wai Lok Tang from Honk-Kong created a new Asia’s record in II1 Men’s 50m Breaststroke with 31.81sec.

Full swimming results can be accessed here.

Table Tennis

It was yet another exhilarating day at the  Sleeman Sports Complex where the finals of II1 doubles matches were staged.

Japan and Hong Kong made their way into the finals by beating Chinese Taipei and Macau by 3-2 and 3-0 respectively.

The finals couldn’t be more thrilling. Honk kong won the first two sets with a huge lead of 11-4 and 11-9 pushing the Japanese team into the third and deciding set. With tremendous pressure of winning the set to stay in the game, the Japanese team brought their A-game and dragged the third set to deciding points and dramatically won it by 14-12, after which there was no turning back. Miya Yamaguchi and Kawasaki Ayumi (JPN) kept on returning smashes across the table and won the next two sets by 11-4 and 11-7, winning the finals by 3-2 over Wong Put Key and Wong Ka Man from Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Li Lydia Yi-Ya and Li Jing Shaun from Chinese Taipei had a smooth win over Japan’s Wada Natsuki and Ota Ayumi with a score of 13-11, 13,11 and 11-7.

In II1 Men’s doubles, Japan took a head start by winning the first two sets by 11-9, 11-6 against Chinese Taipei. However, winning the third set by 11-9, Chen Po Yen and Hseieh Fei from Chinese Taipei kept their position steady in the match. In the fourth match, Yamamoto Shunta and Hara Hajime started playing aggressively to which the Chinese Taipei team had no defence and lost the Gold to Japan by 11-9. Indonesia and Hong kong took the final podium spot.

In the mixed doubles, Shunta Yamamoto paired up with Wada Natsuki for Japan and played against their fellow countrymates Hara anime and Yamaguchi Miya. While Yamamoto and Wada won the first match by 11-9, Hara and Yamaguchi won the next matches by 11-5, 11-9 and went a step closer to the Gold. Winning the next match, Yamamoto and Wada pushed Chinese Taipei into the deciding match. Both the teams gave tough competition to each other and pushed the final set beyond typical match points but Hara and Yamaguchi couldn’t shake the determined mood of Yamamoto and Wada and lost the final set by 14-12. Chinese Taipei’s Chen Po Yen and Li Jing Shiuan and Japan’s Yoshikawa Aoto and Kawasaki Ayumi settled for Bronze.

Full match stats can be accessed from the ITTF website.

Here are some actions from the doubles matches played today.

Highlight stories from Day-3 of 2022 Oceania Asia Games

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Day-3 of the OA Games was another successful day with many records broken and winners being crowned in Basketball and Table Tennis final matches.

SWIMMING

Swimmers heated up the Sleeman Swimming Centre once again today and smashed four more records.

Interesting race was staged in the Women’s II1 50m Freestyle as two records were broken simultaneously in this event. Madeleine McTernan (AUS) was leading the race from the beginning but she faced a tough competition from Karl Thompson from Australia for the Gold medal. However, Madeleine had a strong finish, securing not only the Gold medal for her, but she also set a new Oceania record 28.56 sec. The race was equally important for Kasumi Fukui from Japan who broke the Asia record with a time of 29.07sec and won a bronze for her country.

In another crazy race, two more records were broken in the same event. While Joshua Alford from Australia set a new Oceania record by winning the Gold, Hon Yin Wong  from Hong Kong set a new Asia Record by clocking a time of 9:03.26sec and 9:08.15sec respectively in Men’s II1 800m Freestyle.

Full results is available here.

TABLE TENNIS

In Women’s II1 finals, Li Tung Hiu from Hong Kong succumbed to her opponent Yamaguchi Miya from Japan. Miya had a smooth win over Tung with 3-0 set points. Miya was leading from the very beginning and continued to put the pressure on her opponent Li until she took her out completely by 11-3, 11-1 and 11-4 set points.

In Men’s II1 finals, Chinese Taipei’s Chen Yen Po thrashed Hara Hajime from Japan by 11-7, 11-8 and 11-7 set points. Although Hajime tried to recover from his defeat in the second set but Chen stayed undefeated and won three sets straightaway, adding another Gold to Japan’s basket.

“I am very happy that I represented my country” said Chen Yen Po

In Men’s Doubles, Japan will play against Indonesia while Chinese Taipei will face Hong Kong in the Semifinals matches tomorrow.

Four quarterfinal matches will be played tomorrow between: Hong Kong vs Macau, Japan vs Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong vs Japan and Chinese Taipei vs Japan and it will be thrilling to see who can make it into the semi-finals.

Results can be accessed from ITTF website.

BASKETBALL

Audience were presented with quite a few exciting basketball matches at the Chandler Arena (Sleeman Sports Complex).

In Men’s II1, host nation defeated Japan with a score of 82-59. Although the Japanese team lost the finals, they showed true sportsmanspirit and gave their best.

“We have been preparing for this match for over a year now and it was fun to play” said Watanabe Ryo from Japan

Full match stats can be accessed from Queensland Australia’s website. 

Here are some magic moments from day-3.

Japanese swimmers sets four new records set on Day 2 of OA Games

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Medal tally for new nations and debutants opened yesterday

On Day-1 of the Athletics competition at the 2022 Virtus OA Games taking place at the Queensland Sport & Athletics Centre, many debutant athletes scripted history by winning first-ever medal for their country.

Mohammad Bin Yakub showing off his Gold medal (P.C- SG Disability Sports Council)

Mohammad Bin Yakub added the first medal- Gold to the tally for Singapore at the games. Yakub clocked a timing of 11.59sec in II1 Men’s 100m finals. Coming second was New Zealand’s Josh lush, who also scripted history by opening the medal tally for his country.

In II1 Men’s 400m Hurdles, Mi Ramazani Torkamani claimed Gold for Iran.

In II1 men’s Javelin throw, Hassan Deghani from Iran claimed Gold for his country Iran by covering a distance of 40.17m. In the same event, Cosmol Maefolia representing Soloman Island brought their first Silver medal. He covered a distance of 31.14m.

“I feel very very happy for being the first athlete to win a medal for my country,” said Cosmol.

In Girls, II1 400m (youth), Has Lei Chio won Silver for Macau with a timing of 1:24.74sec.

In II2 Men’s 100m, Fiji’s Wise Togotogorua, who debuted in Virtus events today, won the Bronze for his country. Fiji is a new member nation of Virtus.

II1 Women’s 100m, Rica Oktavia won Bronze for Indonesia.

Japanese athletes set four new records

The powerhouse Japan has broken three records already in the pool.

Anku Matsuda from Japan smashed the Para World Record in Men’s II1 200m Butterfly yesterday at the 2022 Virtus OA Games with a time of 2:08.45sec.

Japanese II1 women’s team set a new Virtus World Record in II1 4x100m Medley relay with an outstanding timing of 4:28.23sec.

Storming towards the end with a timing of 4:05.97sec, their counterparts did the same in the Men’s II1 4x100m Medley relay set new Virtus World Record. 

Clocking a time of 2:21:26sec, Naohide Yamaguchi set a new Virtus Asia Record in the Men’s 200m Breaststroke II1 category.

 

Here is a highlight video from Day-2 of the OA games.

Australia leads the medal tally on Day-1 of the OA Games

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What a successful start for the host nation at the 2022 Virtus OA Games today at both the Road Cycling competition at RACQ Mobility Centre and in Rowing at the Queensland State Rowing Centre.

Results from Cycling

With a clean swipe of the podium, Georgia POWNING, Montana WHITELEY and Molly THATCHER took a whole set of medals from Australia from the Women’s II1 6Km race.

In II1 Men’s 10Km race, Australia’s Cameron MARSHALL thrashed his opponents with a timing of 16:47.31sec and took the Gold. Haruki OTANI from Japan came second, interrupting the trio win of medals for the host nation, with a timing of 17:38.85sec. And, Harry MEZGER from Australia took the final podium spot.

In the Mixed II1 12Km Teams event, Australian cyclists continued to add more medals to the tally. Nathan BROEREN and Georgia POWNING representing ‘The BP Express’ put another Gold to Australia’s medal bag followed by the ‘Whiteley Aussies’ consisting of Jamieson WHITELEY and Montana WHITELEY with Silver followed by Molly THATCHER and Oliver HUTCHISON with the Bronze.

In Men’s II1 20Km teams, ‘A & H Earthquake’ (Andre ASCUI and Harry MEZGER) and ‘The Brovvers’ (Carlo MANOLITSAS and Finn HARVEY) won another Gold and Silver respectively for Australia while the ‘International’ team with Neel Yadav from India and Haruki OTANI from Japan grabbed the final podium place.

Results from Rowing 

Team Australia dominated the podium in all Rowing events. With breathtaking performance, Australian women took another set of medals in the II1 2000m Women’s race where J.Story, B.Marshall and S.Walker with a timing of 7:51.88sec, 8:14.85sec and 8:50.77sec claimed the Gold, Silver and Bronze respectively.

In II1 2000m Men’s, clocking 7:51.88sec, Australia’s Mac Russell snatched the gold from A.Skinner (AUS).

Mac Russell from Australia

“It’s been a very exciting day. I had two races and I both the races. In the global games in 2019, I got 7 gold all on the water then I got 2 silver and 1 bronze all on the erg which is a rowing machine indoors. I have more rowing later in the week so hopefully, I can get more medals in those.”

Mac is aiming for 8 medals from all his 8 events at the OA Games. In the II1 Mixed 2x 500m race, Australia’s S.Walker and Mac Russell lost the Gold to L.Webber and A.Skinner by just 6sec and claimed the second spot.

India wins its first-ever medal in Rowing 

Anyatam Rajkumar had a historical moment by winning India its first-ever Bronze medal in Rowing. Anyatam came third in the Men’s II1 2000m race.

Here is a video with the highlights of Day 1 of 2022 Virtus OA Games.

The event schedule can be accessed here.

Full results for rowing can be accessed on the Rowing Queensland website and for Cycling from the AUSCYCLING website.

Live-Stream links can be accessed from OA Games Youtube channel.

2022 Virtus Oceania-Asia Games declared open

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The 2022 Virtus Oceania-Asia Games were declared open today at King George Square, Brisbane by Robyn Smith OAM, CEO of Sport Inclusion Australia, Virtus Vice President and IPC Governing Board Member at Large, Member-elect Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Brisbane 2032 and Patrick Chan, President of Virtus Asia and Governing board member of Virtus.

Athletes from 25 countries marched in their colourful national uniforms from Reddacliff place, down Queen Street Mall and into King George Square for the opening ceremony. The ceremony was attended by Helen Croxford, President of the Sport Inclusion Australia Board and Chair of the OA Games 2022 Organising Committee, Duane Kale Vice- President of the International Paralympic Committee, Counsellor Angela Owen, from Brisbane City Council who was also representing the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Jessica Pugh representing the Premier of Queensland, Barry Holman, Secretary General of Virtus, Patrick Chan, President of Virtus Asia and Governing board member of Virtus and Robyn Smith OAM, CEO of Sport Inclusion Australia, Virtus Vice President and IPC Governing Board Member at Large, Member-elect Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Brisbane 2032.

The celebration was started by Shannon Ruska who performed a traditional ‘smoking ceremony’ of the stage for the official welcome to the country. This was followed by the Australian National anthem recitation by Emma Tomlinson and the DLDC choir and an exhilarating gymnastic performance by the Dynamite studios.

Welcoming the athletes and officials from OA regions, Jessica Pugh mentioned, “It’s really, really special to be here on the land of the oldest continuing living culture here in Australia. For me, sport is always about being part of something bigger than yourself. We absolutely love to see how sports contribute to Australia and the Queensland Government and are really proud to be able to provide a bit of a contribution financially“.

Angella Owen, who also attended 2019 Global Games, was thrilled to come back to the OA Games and expressed how significant both the 2019 Global Games and the 2022 OA Games are for the city of Brisbane, especially at this point in time when the city is gearing up to host the 2032 Olympics and Paralympic Games. She further added,

Angela Owen, Councillor of Brisbane City Council

“We have been working extremely hard to make sure our city is accessible and inclusive and I know that as we go into the lead-up for 2032. We have more things to do but we are up for the challenge, just like each one of you has taken on a challenge in your sport to be the best that you can be. We all speak one language – sport. It has a capacity for inclusion and achievement and these games are recognised for all the hard work, dedication and effort each and every one of you has put into your chosen sport. I’m looking forward to seeing many of you participate and compete. I think it’s going to be wonderful when you get that opportunity to stand on those medal podiums and actually receive the reward for your efforts. We recognise each and everyone of you for your ability, for your determination. And for your success, welcome to Brisbane“.
Duane Kale, the Vice-President of the International Paralympic Committee was also delighted to be attending the games. 

Duane Kale, Vice-President International Paralympic Committee. P.C- Paralympic New Zealand

“It’s an absolute privilege to see the nations run in the true spirit of inclusion. It has not been limited to Oceania in Asia and as you’ve seen from the flags behind me, we have representatives here from many parts of the world and that’s what inclusion is about. IPC is delighted to see the pathways that your countries and your governments are providing about opportunities for people with an intellectual impairment to participate in sport and not just participate to make a career out of a sport, and to change your lives and to change the lives of others that will follow in your footsteps.”

Robyn Smith emphasised how important this combined regional game is for both the Oceania and Asia regions, and how this event will provide an opportunity for athletes to not only compete but also to get classified in their region without requiring them to travel to a different continent.

Robyn Smith OAM, CEO of Sport Inclusion Australia, Virtus Vice President and IPC Governing Board Member at Large

“We’re really honoured to have you all here in Brisbane, Australia. It wouldn’t be possible if not for the three tiers of government that have supported us in such a substantial way, the Federal Government, the Queensland Government and the Brisbane City Council who after our success in the 2019 Global Games and a horrible pandemic, decided to support us again to allow us to do this.”
Further, she also stated, “We’re also delighted to be able to work with the International Paralympic Committee and offer classification for many of you. So in the three pathways that go through to the Paralympics, it’s been wonderful to have the classifiers from all around the world be here in Australia to offer that opportunity for you where you strive for Paris 2024 and as Duane said, LA 2028 and potentially Brisbane in 2032.”

The OA Games athlete ambassador Alberto Campbell and Caitlin Papworth took the athlete’s oath which was followed by technical officials Patricia Terrarium and Patrick Kellen who took the official oath for the OA Games. For the next seven days, the multi-sport event will offer competitions in eleven sports: Athletics, Basketball, Judo, Swimming, Table Tennis, Triathlon, Sailing, Cycling and Rowing, and a demonstration of Taekwondo as well as Badminton.

Virtus wishes the athletes all the best for the events ahead. For those who missed it, here is a recording of the spectacular opening ceremony.