Argentina, India, Japan and Mexico will progress to the final stage of bidding for the 2023 International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) Global Games.

In what was a highly competitive first stage of the bid process, World Intellectual Impairment Sport members were asked to submit expressions of interest before being shortlisted by the Global Games Committee.

The four countries will now have until the beginning of 2019 to submit their formal, full bids before the successful host is announced in June 2019.

“We have been hugely encouraged by the response to host the Global Games, showing that more and more countries are keen to stage the world’s largest elite sports event for athletes with intellectual impairments,” Marc Truffaut, World Intellectual Impairment Sport President, said.

“Each of the candidates has recognised the unique opportunity to not only host more than 1,000 of the world’s best athletes in a variety of sports, but also to change perceptions in their countries and regions. We are delighted to be taking this number of bids forward to the next stage and I would like to thank each one of them for their efforts so far.”

This edition sees more regions than ever before vying to stage the Games. Europe has hosted four of the five editions and the last event in 2015 was hosted in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Brisbane, Australia, will host in 2019.

Bollnas, Sweden; Liberec, Czech Republic, and Liguria, Italy, staged in 2004, 2009 and 2011, respectively.

Truffaut continued: “The locations of the final four bids shows the growth in profile and prestige of the Global Games around the world, and each country has something very unique to offer.

“The next stage will allow us to see exactly how they plan to build on previous editions. I encourage them to think carefully about how they can do that. We aim for each Global Games to be different and better than the last and we are very excited to be standing on the edge of history once again.”

The official bid countries must now submit their detailed plans in key areas such as facilities and transport; anti-doping; accommodation; media and digital media; marketing and branding; venues; legacy; staffing and budgets by 31 January 2019.

All bids will be reviewed by the Global Games Committee before a successful host is chosen by the Governing Board.

About the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games

The World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games feature athletics, basketball, swimming, table tennis, futsal, indoor and outdoor rowing, road cycling, taekwondo and tennis. Organisers can also submit applications for demonstration sports.

The event always takes place in the year ahead of the Paralympic Games. Many medallists have used the Global Games as a springboard, going onto make the podium at the Paralympics. For those athletes competing in non-Paralympic sports it is the highest level they can reach.

More information is available at the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games page of inas.org.

Australian tennis player Archie Graham will be one of the faces to watch when his home 2019 International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) Global Games get underway in Brisbane in 500 days’ time.

Graham’s impressive record features three World Championships titles, including one from the Global Games which also act as the Worlds for tennis. In addition he is a five-time national champion.

Unbeaten since his maiden title from the Global Games in Guayaquil, Ecuador, in 2015, Graham is excited about attempting to defend his gold medal at home:

“The home territory makes it more easier for me because it’s around where all my friends are, and supporters will be just buzzing there. I hope to be the Australian team again and just keep winning at the top level.”

Before Brisbane 2019, Graham will compete at the 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Tennis World Championships in Paris, France, in July. The competition is being held as part of the World Intellectual Impairment Sport European Summer Games.

Currently training six hours a day for six days a week, Graham is feeling good about his chances in Paris.

“I’m very confident that I will retain my title for the fourth straight time because I have nothing to lose and I can just go out there, give it my all and just do my thing and just do my best,” he said.

But the Australian is also aware that new players are emerging all the time. He believes his attitude will be the key to success and having confidence in all elements of his game.

“Truth be told, and this is the way I see it, anyone can beat me because I always go into a match thinking it’s going to be tough,” he said. “If I don’t have the right attitude they could beat me if my game is off and that’s the sort of mindset I have before a match – thinking that it’s going to be tough.

“My whole game, basically everything about my game, would be strong because I possess an all court game and I have all the weapons necessary to win matches.”

So what is the secret to Graham’s success?

“There’s really no secret about it. I just train hard, put in the work and that delivers the results for me. It’s great.”

About the 2019 Global Games

The Global Games will feature athletics, basketball, swimming, table tennis, futsal, indoor and outdoor rowing, road cycling, taekwondo and tennis. Competition runs from 11-20 October.

The event always takes place in the year ahead of the Paralympic Games. Many medallists have used the Global Games as a springboard, going onto make the podium at the Paralympics. For those athletes competing in non-Paralympic sports it is the highest level they can reach.

More information is available at the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games page of inas.org.

Delegates can now register for the third International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) Eligibility Conference being held in Paris, France, from 18-19 July.

Aimed at National Eligibility Officers (NEOs) but open to anyone with an interest in the area, the conference coincides with the 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport European Summer Games.

Professor Jan Burns MBE, World Intellectual Impairment Sport Head of Eligibility, encouraged members to get involved:

“As part of our strategic goal to develop a gold standard for athlete eligibility, we are planning what we hope will be a useful and insightful programme for the conference. We believe it is a great chance to share best practice and help to build a stronger system in the future.

“By inviting all NEOs and anyone else who has an interest, we are aiming to build on the two previous editions. These helped deliver real improvements because we were able to deliver education face-to-face, and openly discuss the challenges and benefits experienced at a national level.

“I am looking forward to welcoming delegates to Paris in July for yet another great World Intellectual Impairment Sport Eligibility Conference.”

The programme will include:

– An update on eligibility from World Intellectual Impairment Sport Executive Director Nick Parr

– A session on the latest research findings in the trial eligibility groups. These are II2 (for athletes with a more significant impairment) and II3 (for athletes with autism)

– A presentation from KU Leuven University, Belgium, on classification research

– Information about the Intellectual Disability and Equal Opportunities for Active and Long-term Participation in Sport (IDEAL) project being run in Europe

– A workshop on eligibility and a question and answer session

Registration closes on 20 June.

The 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport European Summer Games are being organised by World Intellectual Impairment Sport Europe and will feature eight sports between 14-22 July.

Cycling and tennis is open to athletes outside of the region. Those competitions will act as the World Championships for those sports in 2018.

About eligibility

To be considered eligible to compete, athletes must meet the eligibility criteria as defined by World Intellectual Impairment Sport. These are based upon the World Health Organisation and American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) research and guidance.

Eligibility is applied for through the World Intellectual Impairment Sport member in a country. All World Intellectual Impairment Sport members have an NEO whose job it is to provide World Intellectual Impairment Sport with evidence of the athlete’s impairment.

 

Around 30 psychologists attended an athlete eligibility workshop run by the International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) in Cairo, Egypt, between 27-28 April.

Professor Jan Burn MBE, World Intellectual Impairment Sport Head of Eligibility, delivered the session to train the group in the basics, including an introduction to the organisation, the differences between eligibility and classification, how World Intellectual Impairment Sport defines its criteria for athletes and the process for registering competitors.

The National Eligibility Officer (NEO), Hoda Mohamedy, also joined the workshop which saw both qualified and trainee psychologists attend. Each World Intellectual Impairment Sport member must have an NEO who is responsible for ensuring that athletes meet the eligibility criteria before an application is submitted to the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Eligibility Panel. They must be a qualified psychologist and are supported by a group of other professionals.

“I really enjoyed working with the Egyptian psychologists, they were very enthusiastic to learn about the eligibility processes and how they can ensure that they implement robust systems,” Burns said. “They were particularly keen to learn about the new groups (II2 and II3) and how athletes with Down syndrome can be included. It was also encouraging that so many psychologists in training wanted to get involved in this early stage of their career.

“The attendees of the workshop feedback was that they enjoyed the event and now felt much more knowledgeable.”

The II2 and II3 groups are for athletes with a more significant impairment and for athletes with high-functioning autism, respectively. World Intellectual Impairment Sport introduced these groups in 2017, both as trials, which will continue into the future while further research is carried out.

Art and culture mix with business with pleasure

The workshop was hosted by ESFID, the World Intellectual Impairment Sport member for Egypt, following the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Governing Board meeting in the previous month. It also coincided with an international exhibition of art from people with impairments.

“The facilities and arrangements were excellent, so many thanks to ESFID and the rest of the team,” Burns continued. “The workshop was one of a number of events happening as part of the 2nd Awladna International Forum for Arts of the Gifted, which had 30 nations attending, so it was fantastic to see so many people with disabilities from around the world, and their art.”

The group draw for the 2018 International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments was held in host city Karlstad in Sweden on Friday (20 April).

Hosted by ex-national midfielder Stefan Schwarz, the draw saw eight teams and the opening fixture decided.

Hosts Sweden will play Germany in their opening match. They are joined by South Africa and France in group A.

Group B is made up of defending champions Saudi Arabia, European title holders Poland, Japan and Russia.

Schwarz, who is also an ambassador for Karlstad 2018, said: “The draw is amazing because it’s quality games, all of it, and it’s the top nations in the world. It’s going to be very competitive games. Everyone must prepare in the best way because there is no opportunity for mistakes.

“It will hopefully be a football festival as well because at that time of year, Tingvalla is a fantastic place. I hope with the nice weather and nature around as well will bring a lot of football fans to participate to give the teams the support they need.”

On the morning of the draw Schwarz also went to check-out the Swedish team’s preparations at a training session.

“We are only in April so there is still four or five months to develop and get better as a team. What I saw today was amazing, high quality, a lot of skills,” he said of the national team. “But what most impressed me was their play on the big open field. The timing, the change of position, the depth, was very impressive. How they work as a unit together. They are looking good, looking strong, it’s a couple months still to improve.”

Karlstad 2018 will take place from 5-18 August.

Players will get to experience five stadiums across four different cities – Karlstad, Kil, Arvika and Kristinehamm.

In Karlstad the Tingvalla idrottsplats and Orsholmen’s idrottsplats will host group matches.

Group matches will also be held in Sannerudsvallen, Solviksvallen and Sannaheden stadiums in Kil, Arvika and Kristinehamm respectively.

The semi-finals will be held on 14 August at Tingvalla as well as the third place game and final on 18 August.

One more team, Argentina, may also compete. A separate draw for which group they will join will be held once the team have confirmed their participation. World Intellectual Impairment Sport and the organisers want to give as many teams as possible the chance to take part in this event.