Updated ‘Return To Competition’ Guidance Published

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Virtus has today published an updated version of its ‘Return to Competition’ guidance which explains the steps being taken to deliver safer competition during the ongoing pandemic.

The Virtus competition programme continues to be affected by the evolving situation worldwide and changing national laws and policies surrounding travel and quarantine, however Virtus is committed to providing the most comprehensive competition programme possible in 2021, where this can be done safely.

The guidance has been developed by the Virtus Medical Committee and was discussed during a recent webinar with stakeholders including member organisations and organising committees.

The updated guidance together with any changes to the 2021 event programme can be found on the Virtus website.

Virtus Celebrates International Day Of Sport Development And Peace With #35YourWay Campaign

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The 6th of April marks the International Day of Sport Development and Peace. This United Nations day of recognition is an annual celebration of the power of sport to drive social change, community development and to foster peace and understanding. As the world recovers from the pandemic, this day celebrates the theme of resilience and the need for sport to help communities build back better.

2021 also marks Virtus 35th year following our launch in 1986. To mark the two occasions, Virtus is launching #35YourWay – to promote physical activity and to raise essential funds for Virtus.

#35 Your Way is a way to stay resilient, stay active, healthy, and positive about returning to live events.

 

The 35 Your Way campaign will run online challenges for athletes and friends, and fun ones for the whole family, via Playwaze – the online platform to compete the Challenges.

Registration fee is only £3.5 per person, per challenge. Participants can enter as many challenges; each challenge has a £3.5 fee, so 3 challenges = £10.5​. Funds raised from the entry fees contribute to the fundraising! Follow Virtus Facebook to keep updated on the leader boards.

Join the global effort.

Sport and physical activity are essential to staying fit and healthy, especially during times of uncertainty and social distancing. Physical activity improves mental health, helps beat negative thoughts, lowers stress and depression, and strengthens the immune system.

#35YourWay campaign – it is a celebration of 35 years of Virtus athletes, coaches and officials, staff and volunteers, family, friends, and supporters.

Let’s support athletes to get back into Virtus World, Regional and Global Games.

Here’s how to get involved in #35YourWay

  1. Download the Playwaze app from the usual app store or sign up via the website.
  2. The Registration fee is only GB£3.50 per person, per challenge. You can enter as many challenges as you want; each challenge has a GB£3.50 fee, so 3 challenges = £10.50
  3. Record your attempt, distance, time, or total count using an activity tracking app like Strava or manually.
  4. Challenge family and friends to join in the same challenge and compete on the leaderboard.
  5. Get family, friends, and community to donate to support your challenge.
  6. Blog about your attempts and your challenge on social media using the hashtag #35YourWay

Here’s a list of Virtus 35 Your Way challenges you can join.

  • Walk/Run/Swim 35km in 35 days OR Cycle/Row 350km in 35 days.
  • How fast can you do 35 skipping / 35 star-jumps?
  • Futsal/Football/Soccer – How many successful juggles can you do in 3.5 minutes?
  • Nothin’ but Net – Basketball/Netball – How many goal shots can you do in 3.5 minutes?
  • Racquet Ball – Table Tennis, Tennis, Badminton & Squash – How many ball-rally hits can you do in a 3.5 minute?

Help raise awareness for the positive contribution that sport can have on inclusion and human rights.

Virtus Governing Board Grows To Include A Former Elected Member Of The Michigan Senate.

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Virtus has strengthened its Governing Board by welcoming Mr. Ian Conyers as a co-opted member.  

Ian has a long relationship with Virtus through his involvement in inclusive sport within Virtus Americas region, and his position as Board Member of Athletes Without Limits (AWL) since 2015. He also serves as a board member for the ‘Big Brother Big Sister Metro Detroit’ organisation.  

He brings significant expertise having spent his career at the intersection of community technology, policy and social change in both public and private sectors. 

As a former elected member of the Michigan Senate, Ian served in that role from 2016 to 2019, working as the Minority Vice Chair of the Transportation Committee and was a member of the Economic Development & International Investment, the Energy & Technology, and the Banking & Financial Services Committees. 

In the private sector, Ian focused on early and growth-stage companies, leading Legislative Affairs. At Bright Ventures he strives to raise awareness on the lack of banking and finance and need to shift the ecosystem to drive opportunity and equity. 

“I look forward to the opportunity to increase awareness and connectivity of the Virtus’ mission to the stakeholders around the world. There is no greater time to innovate inclusively than now, as we head towards our next national and regional events, and towards the 2023 Virtus Global Games in Vichy France,” said Mr. Conyers. 

Ian is a running and skiing enthusiast and enjoys travelling having visited over 50 countries and 47 of the United States and territories.

Poland to host 2021 World Athletics Championships

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Virtus, the international federation for athletes with intellectual impairments has announced that Poland will host the 2021 World Athletics Championship.  

The event will be hosted by the Polish Sports Association Union, SPRAWNI RAZEM, the Virtus member organisation in Poland between 7th – 14th June 2021 at Bydgoszcz–Toruń.  

This will be the second Virtus event to be run under covid-safe protocols following the successful European Indoor Athletics which took place in Nantes earlier this month. It is traditionally one of the biggest events in the Virtus calendar and is expected to be one of the final qualifying opportunities for the Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Jose Costa Pereira, Virtus Athletics Director said “Firstly I want to thank our Polish member Sprawni Razem for their extraordinary efforts to host the event amidst these difficult circumstances. Virtus athletes can be assured of a great event in the beautiful town of Bydgoszcz, and we expect a very competitive atmosphere.” 

Lenine Cunha (Portugal) is the most decorated medalist in Virtus history. ‘In Bydgoszcz, it will be the eleventh Athletics Championship since my first attendance in Tunis 2001. I will try to continue to fly high in this championship too’ said Cunha. Lenine is a bronze medalist from London 2012 Paralympic Games in Men’s Long Jump F20 and is looking forward to qualifying for Tokyo.  He recently won 3 Gold (Long jump, Triple jump and High jump), two silver (4x200m relay and Pentathlon Sh-Indoor) and one bronze (4x400m) at the 2021 Virtus Indoor Athletics Championship. 

France to host Virtus World Judo Championships

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Virtus is delighted to announce that France will host the 2021 World Judo Championships, the first judo event to be run under the Virtus banner, and building upon the recent efforts to grow judo for athletes with an intellectual impairment globally.

The event will be hosted by the Fédération Française du Sport Adapté (FFSA) and will take place on 29th and 30th October 2021 at Maison des Arts Martiaux –Toulouse Judo, Toulouse, France.  

Kerry Tansey, Virtus Sport Director for judo said “Congratulations to FFSA team on winning the bid to host the World Championships this year. I am thrilled to see our judokas coming together to participate in this championship and we are anticipating an upsurge in the number of participants from previous events.”  

“Judo being an official sport with Virtus has opened new opportunities for athletes with an intellectual impairment. We are excited to seeing the returning champions and the new contenders for the titles. I wish all the athletes’ best of luck for the competition, Stay Safe.” 

Inaugural Virtus Americas Regional Games announced for 2022

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The 2022 Virtus Americas Regional Games Will Be Held In Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Virtus would like to congratulate CBDI – Confederação Brasileira de Desportos para Deficientes Intelectuais (Brazilian Confederation of Sports for the Intellectual Disabled) as the successful National Member Organisation.

This multi-sport event will take place at the Brazilian Paralympic Training Center from 18 to 23 September 2022. We hope this first Virtus regional multi-sport event in the Americas region, will help grow our reach and provide access to more athletes in more countries. With 16 countries under the Virtus Americas Memberships, the doors are open for new nations to join our global program of elite sports for athletes with intellectual impairments. This first Regional Games will showcase the very best athlete talents representing their countries, competing for medals and achieving personal best performances.

The 2022 Virtus Americas Regional Games will set a competitive schedule across these Virtus eligibility groups:

  • II1 (athletes with an intellectual disability),
  • II2 (athletes with a significant additional impairment), and
  • II3 (a trial group for athletes with autism who are not eligible in II1).

The sports program is being finalised. The following sports are currently planned for the competition schedule – Athletics, Basketball, Futsal, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, and Swimming. There may also be demonstration events following consultation with Virtus and National Members in the coming months. The Final Sports Program is subject to change and final approvals.

Virtus President, Mr. Marc Truffaut said the 2022 Virtus Americas Regional Games now secures the third Regional Games event, joining Europe and Oceania/Asia Games on the Virtus sports program for 2022.

“Congratulations to Mr. Adilson Pereira Ramos, President of CBDI, and his team for their winning bid,” Mr. Truffaut said

“I am looking forward to seeing a celebration of sport come together in the cultural and vibrant city of Sao Paulo, Brazil.”

“Through sport, Virtus and its athletes are changing attitudes, challenging perceptions and strengthening communities locally and globally” he said.

The Brazilian Paralympic Training Center features indoor and outdoor sports facilities that are used for training and competitions at Paralympic standards. In addition, it has a residential area with accommodation for 280 people, a cafeteria, laundry and an administrative sector with rooms, auditoriums, and other spaces of support.

CBDI President, Mr. Adilson Pereira Ramos said hosting the first Virtus Americas Games in Sao Paulo, with the use of world class facilities built for Paralympic training, allows athletes to experience the same stage as Paralympians.

“This event will contribute to the nation’s goal to help massify Paralympic sport in Brazil and help in the inclusion of people with disabilities in our society”, Mr. Ramos said.

“I would like to thank our key supporters in this bid – Brazilian Paralympic Committee, Municipality of São Paulo, Government of the State of São Paulo, Ministry of Sports, Brazilian Swimming Confederation – CBDA and Liga Nacional de Futsal.”

“Our vision for this event, is to shine light athletes from every part of the Americas region, where even a young man or woman, from a small town, can become a national athlete on a world stage.”

“Sport and competition is in our DNA and my team and I will be calling on our current Regional Members and hopefully new nations to bring their best athletes to put on a great competitive multi-sport event,” he said.

More information about the event program, sport, and eligibility will be shared when available.

Virtus invites interest nations and partners to stay up to date about this event via social media and website. Governments, International Sport Federations and Partners are also invited to be part of the Inaugural 2022 Virtus Americas Games.

For more information visit www.abdem.com.br and follow @ABDEMCBDI and @virtus.sport to stay updated.

Photo of Virtus Academy Manager

New Virtus appointment will help make the invisible – visible, through research and education.

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Virtus is delighted to welcome its newest member to the team. 

Ms. Debbie van Biesen joins as the Virtus Academy Manager – a new initiative to develop a global hub of research, training and education to be launched in 2021. 

After seven years of full-time postdoctoral research at KU Leuven (Belgium), Debbie will divide her time across both organisations, leveraging on international, and evidenced-based knowledge of elite athletes with intellectual disability and autism. She has published more than 25 peer-reviewed scientific articles in top journals in her field.  

Debbie said her most important value is being able to generate impact with her work and helping to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities.  

“I am excited to join Virtus and to apply my life’s work to generate advancements in the pursuit of greater access and development of sports pathways for athletes with an intellectual impairment,” she said. 

Virtus Executive Director, Nick Parr, said the appointment of the Virtus Academy Manager is part of Virtus’ next four-year strategic plan and a demonstration of the global effort to raise awareness and grow opportunities for elite athletes with an intellectual impairment. 

“I congratulate and welcome Debbie to Virtus. Her experience as part of KU Leuven is highly valued towards raising the profile of the eligibility and classifications for athletes with an intellectual impairment.” 

Debbie specialised in the domains of ‘Adapted Physical Activity’ and ‘Disability Sport’. The focus of her research was on the role of cognition on sports performance, among elite Paralympic athletes with intellectual disabilities. 

During her PhD, she contributed to the development of evidence-based classification systems for elite athletes with intellectual disability (ID), that led to their re-inclusion in the Paralympic Games. Afterward, she was appointed as the coordinator of the “International Research and Development Centre for Classification of Athletes with Intellectual Impairments”, which was officially recognised by the International Paralympic Committee. In that position, she coordinated a collaborative network of national and international research groups and representatives of sports organisations, to perform cutting-edge research with an impact on society. 

Debbie has broad expertise as a researcher, beyond evidence-based classification. She was involved in numerous projects related to coaching para-athletes, psychosocial aspects of disabilities, health-enhancing physical activity, and performance optimisation.  

Besides research in the field of adapted physical activity, she is also passionate about teaching & coaching. She is an experienced teacher, with expertise in academic settings (Bachelor Rehabilitation Sciences, Master Physical Education and Movement Sciences, International Master Adapted Physical Activity) and non-academic settings (Flemish Trainers School, Center of Adapted Sports). 

Results of the 2019 Para-Equestrian video competition announced

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Maximilian Abing (GER) has topped the results of the 2019 Para-Equestrian video competition it was confirmed today. Riding ‘Sir Rubenstein’, the German rider collected an overall score of 67.586%, ahead of Sonia Villalba (ESP) in silver place with a score of 67.500% and Ekaterina Kirienkova (RUS) who collected bronze scoring 66.461%.

This is the 3rd annual video competition which allows riders to compete at their local club or competition.

Read the full results here.

 

 

#Brisbane2019: Final fever hits the basketball, track cycling makes debut

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One of the most hotly anticipated events of the 2019 INAS Global Games – the men’s and women’s basketball finals – delivered drama galore on the closing day in Brisbane, Australia, on Saturday (19 October).

Going into the women’s gold medal match, the general impression was that world champions Australia Gold would take the win over Japan.

However the Japanese turned the tables on the hosts in a close game.

Determined to make their mark early on, Australia Gold opened the scoring in the first 30 seconds. Japan soon replied in a gripping match where both teams matched each other point for point.

But it was Japan that found their inner beasts and scored the final point to win the game by the slimmest of margins.

Tempers flared in the bronze medal game between Australia Green and France.

In a brutally physical tie, players went flying all over the court. However Australia emerged the victors from the tense battle, wiping out France 12-7.

Australia also had interest in the men’s final, taking on Worlds silver medallists Portugal.

The players wowed the crowds with the quarter totals being 28-12, 44-24, 83-39, 94-68.

Australia did not stand a chance against the full force of a Portuguese side on the march. Star players from Portugal were Fabio Pinto Soares scoring 22 points and Ruben Xavier Couto Santos with 19.

Australia’s best male player of the match was again Jake De La Motte with 16 points.

The final score was 94-68.

World champions France regrouped from the disappointment of missing out on the final to win bronze against Poland 88-48.

Standout players were France’s Junior Ndelo Maduka with an impressive double-double consisting of 20 rebounds and 12 points scored. Team-mate Lorenzo Moonca shone in the points department scoring them 23 of their total score.

Poland’s Patryk Nowakowski scored the highest points for his country totalling 17.

Basketball reporting from Aleasha Bliss

Booth and Tufino sweep track cycling golds

An exciting morning at the Anna Meares Velodrome saw Great Britain’s Lauren Booth and Ecuador’s Eric Tufino claim all three golds in the historic Global Games debut of track cycling.

Booth kept her focus and her head down throughout her trio of events, cementing her incredible performance in the road events earlier in the week.

One win came after another in the time trial, sprint and pursuit.

Tufino also started the day hoping to add to his gold medal from the road race. He rode to his limit to step onto the top step of the podium three times.

INAS transforms into Virtus: World Intellectual Impairment Sport

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The International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (INAS) revealed a new look, name and values on Saturday (19 October) that will take it into an exciting new era.

Virtus: World Intellectual Impairment Sport was unveiled at the closing ceremony of the 2019 Global Games in front of hundreds of athletes, coaches and dignitaries.

The new brand was presented by the organisation’s President, Marc Truffaut.

“Times are changing,” Truffaut said. “Awareness of Para sports is at an all-time high. The global movement for sport for people with intellectual impairments is becoming more professional. The standard of competition is improving all the time.

“But one thing never changes: the character, excellence, courage and integrity of the athletes we serve.”

Truffaut was referring to the characteristics which Virtus, a Latin word, embodies. These are being used as the values that motivate Virtus: World Intellectual Impairment Sport to carry out its work.

Virtus is also the name being given to the new emblem of the organisation. This combines the athlete values with the role that it carries out on a global stage.

“As one of the leading bodies for the governance, advocacy, organisation and promotion of sport and athletes with intellectual impairments, our new identity reflects our important work in helping them reach their best,” Truffaut said.

“We must own the important place we have within Para sport as well as the Paralympic Movement, as one of the founding members.

“We are proud to launch our new look and values which represents both the characteristics of the athletes and the work that we, and all our members, do in helping them to live those values.”

INAS announced it would be rebranding in 2018 to make its role and purpose clearer, as well as gain a more exciting image.

The closing ceremony of Brisbane 2019 was chosen for the launch to reflect the fact that the Global Games have become the world’s biggest high performance sports event for athletes with intellectual impairments.  Nearly 1,000 athletes from 50 countries competed in 10 sports this year.

Many will follow in the footsteps of competitors who have gone on to win medals at the Paralympic Games. For others the Global Games are the highest level they can compete at.

More information about the new brand can be found at www.virtus.sport/newbrand