Basketball Australia names head coaches for 2019 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games

Basketball Australia names head coaches for 2019 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games

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By Basketball Australia

Image credit: Hamish Patterson

Basketball Australia has announced the head coaches of the Australian Pearls and Boomerangs, the national teams for female and male athletes with an intellectual impairment, as they prepare to lead them at the 2019 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games in Brisbane from 9-20 October.

Dr. Julia Walsh, a senior lecturer in sport coaching at Deakin University, will take over the head coaching role for the Australian Boomerangs.

Walsh has extensive coaching experience from community level through to leading high-performance programmes of both genders and her desire and commitment to the disability sport sector is reflected in her involvement with the Ivor Burge championships.

“I am proud to take on the role of serving Basketball Australia and the current and future Boomerangs,” said Walsh.

“I stand on the shoulder of giants, coaches and players who have progressed the game for athletes with an intellectual impairment and in particular Peter Corr and Simon Robinson and their coaching teams who provided the solid foundation and connections made in the local and international basketball community.”

Basketball Australia thanks Simon Robertson for his contribution to the programme over the past six years as the former Head Coach.

Larry Davidson will return as head coach of the Pearls, having led the team to the world title in November last year in Loano, Italy, in the 3v3 format.

“I am thrilled to be given the task of preparing and guiding the athletes in the programme to strive to excel in the Global Games next year,” said Davidson.

“The depth of talent available is exciting and in the next month we will be selecting a squad to attend a camp in late July /early August. Playing an international event of this nature on home soil will be wonderful for the athletes and their families.”

Robyn Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Sport Inclusion Australia, added: “Sport Inclusion Australia is delighted with its partnership with Basketball Australia and the opportunity to focus on the Boomerangs and Pearls national programmes in readiness for the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games in October 2019 in Brisbane.

“We know both teams will represent Australia with distinction and we congratulate the coaching staff on their appointments and wish them well in their endeavours.”

Basketball Australia, in consultation with both head coaches, is now seeking expressions of interest for Assistant Coaches for both programs. Find out more information here.

About the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games

The 2019 International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) Global Games are the world’s biggest high performance sports event for athletes with an intellectual impairment.

Featuring nine sports, more than 1,000 athletes are expected to travel to Brisbane just under one year ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. The sports contested are athletics, swimming, table tennis, rowing, basketball, futsal, tennis and cycling.

The host nation are expected to be strong, continuing their Global Games record where they have finished on top of the medals table at every edition since 2009.

Around 30 psychologists gathered in Cairo as Egypt focuses on athlete eligibility

Egypt focuses on athlete eligibility through workshop

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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.”

World Intellectual Impairment Sport searches for Championships hosts

World Intellectual Impairment Sport searches for Championships hosts in seven sports

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The International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) has launched a search for hosts of major Championships in athletics, rowing, football, table tennis, swimming and alpine and Nordic skiing until 2021.

Competitions in Europe, Asia and the Americas in athletics and swimming highlight the list as World Intellectual Impairment Sport looks to expand its regional calendar.

Later this year Santiago del Estero will become the first city to stage the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Swimming Championships (Americas) between 29 August – 2 September. The event will be the first competition in any World Intellectual Impairment Sport sport to be hosted in the region and marks the start of a wider campaign for other sports.

Hosts are wanted for the 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Athletics Championships (Asia) and the 2020 editions for Europe, Asia and the Americas. Football and table tennis are searching for bids from countries in Asia and the Americas for their regional Championships.

The 2020 indoor athletics, half marathon, alpine and Nordic skiing and indoor rowing World Championships are also on offer.

Marc Truffaut, World Intellectual Impairment Sport President, said: “In 2018 we are really getting our plans to create an ambitious, more diverse competition calendar underway. It will give the world’s best athletes with intellectual impairments the chance to compete more often at the highest levels.

“We are also opening up the bidding process much earlier so we can secure hosts at least two years before in some cases. This will allow us to work with organisers more effectively, raise the standards of our competitions and provide an all-round high quality experience for everyone involved.

“Hosting an World Intellectual Impairment Sport competition is a very important responsibility. For some athletes it will be the highest level they may compete at and for others it could be their chance to qualify for a Paralympic Games. It is hugely important that we get everything right and we are here to guide and advise organisers at every step of the way.”

Information for organisers

In total, World Intellectual Impairment Sport is looking for hosts for 20 major events between 2018-2021. A full list of competitions, alongside bid documents and deadlines, can be found on the World Intellectual Impairment Sport website.

Bid must meet the specifications for each sport which can be found here.

World Intellectual Impairment Sport is also looking for hosts for the 2023 edition of the Global Games – the world’s biggest high performance sports event for athletes with intellectual impairments.

2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Football Championships group draw

Groups drawn for 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Football Championships

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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.

Players compete in the World Intellectual Impairment Sport European Football Championships

Stefan Schwarz to draw teams for 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Football Championships

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Sweden’s former midfielder Stefan Schwarz will carry out the draw for the 2018 International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) World Football Championships in host city Karlstad on Friday (20 April).

The draw will be shown live at World Intellectual Impairment Sport Youtube channel from 3pm (CEST).

Eight teams including hosts Sweden, Argentina, France, European title holders Poland, defending champions Saudi Arabia, Japan and Russia will go into the draw for the competition being held from 5-18 August.

They will be separated into two groups with the top two teams from each advancing to the semi-finals.

Players will get to experience five stadiums across four different cities in Sweden – 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. The third place game and final take place in the same stadium on 18 August.

Sweden will get to kick-off the Championships in the opening game, also at Tingvalla, on 5 August.

Schwarz is not the first high profile Swedish player to lend his support to football for players with intellectual impairments.

For the last World Championships in Sao Paulo in 2014 striker Zlatan Ibrahimović paid for the Swedish men’s team’s travel to Brazil.

A Russian equestrian rides her horse

Second World Intellectual Impairment Sport Para Equestrian video competition to be held

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The International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments has announced that the second World Intellectual Impairment Sport Para Equestrian video competition will be held in 2018, in the latest phase of the sport’s development.

Following the success of the first competition held in the innovative video format in 2017, countries have until 7 October to submit their entries.

Last year 14 riders from four countries were filmed completing the Grade IV Novice A test. Russia’s Ekaterina Kirienkova was crowned the winner on her horse Lady Lux.

In 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport is hoping for even more entries.

Uta Rindfleisch, who is leading the development of Para Equestrian for athletes with intellectual impairments, said: “The first video competition was very much a trial to see what interest is out there for the sport. We were pleased to have four countries taking part and the standard was very high.

“This year we are encouraging even more entries. We know that there are riders in a lot of countries but they may not have the funding to be able to travel to events. That is why we are running the competition in a video format, to make taking part as simple as possible.”

The 2nd World Intellectual Impairment Sport Para Equestrian Video Competition is open to World Intellectual Impairment Sport members and non-member countries to aid the development of Para Equestrian for athletes with intellectual impairments.

Horses are required to wear bandages to indicate that the test has not been performed and judged at another competition. Tests will be assessed and scored by a panel of International Federation for Equestrian Sport (FEI) Para Equestrian judges.

About World Intellectual Impairment Sport Para Equestrian

Equestrian was added to the World Intellectual Impairment Sport sport programme in 2016 in the form of dressage. The organisation wants to offer the best riders with intellectual impairments the chance to compete regularly.

More information about the sport, including the rules and history, can be found at the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Para Equestrian page.

A table tennis player with an intellectual impairment

What is an intellectual impairment?

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Sport for athletes with an intellectual impairment can sometimes be confusing for onlookers.

Some ask ‘why do people who are able bodied get to compete at the Paralympic Games?’ or ‘why does there need to be separate competitions for these athletes?’

The simple answer is that there are many adaptations athletes with intellectual impairments need to make in both training and competitions.

So in order to create a level playing field, like other athletes with impairments, they must meet a certain criteria and compete against others who have a similar level of functioning.

“In basic terms an intellectual impairment means that a person finds it harder to learn, understand and communicate. This has a significant impact on their abilities within sports,” Jan Burns, World Intellectual Impairment Sport’ Head of Eligibility and resident expert, said.

“Things which able-bodied athletes consider routine, such as race tactics, pacing or learning where the best take-off point is for jumps, are harder to for athletes with intellectual impairments.

“For example in a 10,000m race you would ideally want to save yourself for the final few laps. But athletes with intellectual impairments may not be able to manage and adjust to a consistent pace and to resist the impulse of setting an early high pace if the runner beside them sets off fast.

“It also extends to training – if you find it harder to learn from any mistakes or remember what your coach has told you, by the time you get to the track, field or pool you might not be as prepared as someone who can.”

So who decides who is eligible to compete?

There are 14 sports on the World Intellectual Impairment Sport programme. Athletes can compete at the Paralympic Games in three of these – athletics, swimming and table tennis.

For the Paralympic sports there is a two-step process. The first is know as ‘eligibility’. This stage is managed by World Intellectual Impairment Sport and means that an athlete has an eligible impairment.

“We used the World Health Organisation definition to create criteria within which athletes are considered eligible to compete,” Burns explained. “These include an IQ of 75 or less, significant limitations in adaptive behaviour in social and practical situations and the impairments must have been diagnosed before the age of 18.”

Countries submit psychological assessments and other paperwork to World Intellectual Impairment Sport which they think shows that an athlete meets the criteria. These are then assessed by the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Eligibility Panel – made up of a group of expert psychologists from around the world.

Athletes with intellectual impairments compete in the II1 group at World Intellectual Impairment Sport competitions. This is also known as S14 in swimming, T/F20 for athletics and class 11 in table tennis.

For those three sports, once an athlete is found eligible by World Intellectual Impairment Sport, they must then be classified by the relevant International Federation (World Para Athletics, World Para Swimming and the International Table Tennis Federation). Classification determines whether or not an athlete’s impairment affects their sport performance in that particular sport.

“In the other sports not on the Paralympic programme, World Intellectual Impairment Sport uses eligibility to determine whether they can compete,” Burns explained. “We are developing classification systems in other sports, like basketball, but there is a huge amount of research that needs to be done to make them specific to each sport.”

“I think it’s quite incredible how athletes with intellectual impairments compete,” Burns said. “When you think about how hard they have to work mentally just to tune in to the most basic of athletic instincts, it’s so impressive.”

World Intellectual Impairment Sport also has eligibility groups for athletes that include other impairments, such as Down syndrome and autism. More information on all the groups can be found on the World Intellectual Impairment Sport eligibility and classification pages.

 

World Intellectual Impairment Sport Governing Board meets in Cairo

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The International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) Governing Board gathered for their first meeting of 2018 in Cairo, Egypt, between 21-22 March.

During the meeting, hosted by World Intellectual Impairment Sport Egypt member ESFID, a number of key items were agreed, setting-up 2018 as another year of progress.

The board have agreed to create a Neutral Athlete Policy to allow the participation of athletes from countries with no member organisation to compete at World Intellectual Impairment Sport competitions in exceptional circumstances. The full policy will be developed and published in the coming months.

The group also reviewed the progress of the project to introduce additional eligibility groups in World Intellectual Impairment Sport competition.

The trial groups – II2 for athletes with more significant impairments and II3 for athletes with high-functioning autism – were introduced in 2017 at the swimming and table tennis Championships.

Following the further inclusion of II2 and II3 medal events at the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Indoor Athletics Championships and World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Alpine and Nordic Skiing Championships in early 2018, it was agreed to continue with the trial. II2 has initially been limited to athletes with Down syndrome but research is underway regarding expanding the group to athletes who have an intellectual together with a further impairments.

From a strategic perspective the board discussed the World Intellectual Impairment Sport events programme and how competitions can be improved from an athlete and stakeholder perspective. This included the role of the sports committees and the Official Representative – the Governing Board member assigned to each event. The ideas put forward will be discussed at the Sports Council meeting in July.

The annual accounts for 2017 were presented and approved, and these have now been published in the Annual Report.

The first quarter management accounts for 2018 were also discussed alongside the need to generate more income through partnerships and fundraising. Projects such as #WeAreSport and the new World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Athlete Foundation have seen early success but more work is required to support other initiatives.

Revisions were agreed to a number of policies and provisions which follows on from governance changes agreed at the 2017 General Assembly.

Suspensions of World Intellectual Impairment Sport Members in Indonesia and Great Britain were lifted and the Confederation Internationale Francophone Sport Adapté Culture (CIFSAC) was added as a provisional member. If formally approved at General Assembly, CIFSAC will be the second member in the International Federation category alongside World Taekwondo.

A number of appointments to sub-committees were also signed off. Catherine Fayollet (FRA) was confirmed as chairperson of the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Medical Committee and Dave Harman (ECU) has been appointed to the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games Committee.

A reorganisation of the Anti-Doping Committee is also currently being implemented to ensure greater accountability and focus on individuals strengths/experience.

Finally updates were received on the planning and delivery of the 2019 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games in Brisbane, Australia. Reviews were also undertaken of the 2017 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Swimming Championships, indoor athletics and alpine and Nordic skiing.

The next World Intellectual Impairment Sport Governing Board meeting will take place in Madrid, Spain, in September.

Santiago del Estero

World Intellectual Impairment Sport expects Santiago del Estero swimming Championships will break new ground

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The International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) is confident that the 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Swimming Open Championships (Americas) in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, will set the standard for future events.

A site visit by World Intellectual Impairment Sport Swimming Committee Chairperson Dave Harman took place between 19-23 March. Harman was shown around the venue and was introduced to a variety of dignitaries from local and state government. He also met key personnel from the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and National Federation.

The media launch was also held during the four day visit.

“I have returned from Argentina with great confidence that Santiago del Estero has the potential to raise the bar for our swimming Championships, led by the Argentina Federation for Sports for People with Intellectual Impairments [FADDIM],” Harman said.

“I am very impressed with the newly built venue, Madre de Ciudades, but I was also introduced to a range of people who demonstrated a clear commitment to staging an excellent event.

“I was struck by the enthusiasm from the National Swimming Federation, from the clear interest of the State Governor, Dr. Gerardo Zamora, and the positivity of the Chief of the State Cabinet and the various ministers I met. This kind of support is unprecedented but crucial to the success and reach of the competition.

Progress in Americas as Argentina to host first swimming Championships

“The work that Technical Manager Patricio Ramallo, Argentinian Swimming Confederation Secretary Sergio Antonini and Aquatic Complex Director Professor Claudio Mentenego have already considered and put into place reassures me that theses Championships will be yet another milestone in the rising quality of World Intellectual Impairment Sport Swimming events.

“My thanks must also go to Professor Carlos Dapello, the State Secretary of Sport, Professor Franco Petta, the President of FADDIM, Professor Gabriela Viglino and Dr. Julian Britez for their work towards Santiago del Estero 2018. There is a great deal of experience of organising major international events within the group which I am sure will provide huge benefits.”

Harman discussed a variety of topics with the LOC and their supporters including logistics, transport, media and marketing, accommodation and broadcast. Organisers have committed to livestreaming the competition, the plans for which will be reviewed over the coming months.

About Santiago del Estero

The competition, which runs from 29 August – 2 September, is the first regional competition of its kind in any World Intellectual Impairment Sport sport in the Americas. Around 160 athletes from 10 countries are expected to compete. World Intellectual Impairment Sport has applied to World Para Swimming for sanctioning and classification.

Santiago del Estero 2018 is one of the last major events ahead of the 2019 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games in Brisbane, Australia. The Games are the world’s biggest gathering of elite athletes with intellectual impairments. They will a;so be a major step on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Progress in Americas as Argentina to host first swimming Championships

Progress in Americas as Argentina to host World Intellectual Impairment Sport swimming Championships

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The International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) has announced that Santiago del Estero, Argentina, will host the 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Open Swimming Championships (Americas).

The competition, which will run from 29 August – 2 September, will be the first regional event of its kind for athletes with intellectual impairments in any World Intellectual Impairment Sport sport in the Americas.

Around 160 athletes from 10 countries will gather at the newly built Madre de Ciudades swimming pool.

World Intellectual Impairment Sport President Marc Truffaut said: “These Championships represent a huge step forward in the development of our swimming programme and is something we are working towards in other sports. With a solid World Championships programme in place, athletes now have another high-level competition to train for.

“It will help the development of the sport in the Americas, meeting our commitment to build our regional event programme. It will also help to improve the capacity of competition organisers, reflecting the fact that swimming is one of World Intellectual Impairment Sport’ biggest and most popular sports.

“The Local Organising Committee have shown a great commitment to hosting a successful event. Not only do they want to deliver a fantastic competition, they also want to focus on the bigger picture including promotional activities and the overall athlete experience. I am sure it will set the standard for the future.”

A word from the organisers

Santiago del Estero 2018 is being organised by the Argentina Federation for Sports for People with Intellectual Impairments (FADDIM). They will work with the national swimming federation on delivery of the competition. World Intellectual Impairment Sport have also applied for the competition to be recognised by World Para Swimming and for their classifiers to attend.

“FADDIM is getting prepared for an historic moment, when we will welcome great figures from the world of World Intellectual Impairment Sport swimming.  This will also be our first international swimming tournament,” Professor Franco Petta, President of FADDIM, said.

“We are taking huge pride in being able to organise such an important event, and above all, know the great responsibility when receiving young elite athletes who we hope achieve enriching experiences and can gain and share the values ​​of sport and life.

“We hope that this event will be also a great tool to raise awareness of the potential of people with intellectual impairments.

“We expect to receive here many countries from all over the world, from different religions and races. This will allow us to demonstrate once again, that the World Intellectual Impairment Sport movement is a great boost towards the inclusion of our athletes.

“This celebration of sport is a great dream of all the Argentines and we are sure that Argentina can be recognised by the world.

“I personally would like to thank those who are making a great effort to come along with us on our journey.”

Santiago del Estero 2018 will be one of the last major events ahead of the 2019 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games in Brisbane, Australia. The Games are the world’s biggest gathering of elite athletes with intellectual impairments and will be a major step on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.