World Intellectual Impairment Sport has opened the bids for the 2023 Global Games

World Intellectual Impairment Sport launches search for hosts of 2023 Global Games

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The International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) has opened the bidding process for the 2023 Global Games, the sixth edition of its quadrennial multi-sport event.

Attracting more than 1,000 competitors, the Global Games are the world’s biggest gathering of elite athletes with intellectual impairments.

Featuring sports such as athletics, swimming, table tennis, futsal, hockey, 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.

World Intellectual Impairment Sport President Marc Truffaut said: “The Global Games are our biggest, most prestigious event and one that is constantly growing in size and profile.

“They act as the World Championships for each sport in that year and for the non-Paralympic sports on the programme, it is the highest level those athletes can compete at.

“For organisers there are huge opportunities in staging an event of such importance, not least the chance to create a genuine legacy and attract attention from all over the world.

“With the next edition in Brisbane, Australia, in 2019 expected to raise the bar once again, we are looking for organisers who can take the Games to the next level.

“We look forward to receiving bids from World Intellectual Impairment Sport members who can demonstrate how their knowledge, experience, infrastructure and passion for sport could help them to deliver the best Global Games yet.”

How to bid

Countries wishing to host in 2023 must first submit an expression of interest by 30 April 2018. Candidates will then be announced on 31 May before formal bids are accepted up until 31 January 2018.

All bids will be reviewed by the Global Games Committee and the successful host announced in June 2019.

As part of the bid process, applicants must submit their plans in key areas such as facilities and transport; anti-doping; accommodation; media and digital media; marketing and branding; venues; legacy; staffing and budgets.

They must also be able to provide letters of support from national or local government and the national or local sports authority.

More information, including the expression of interest form and bid documents, can be found on the Global Games page.

 

New events added to Tokyo 2020 programme

Three new events added to Tokyo 2020 Paralympic programme

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Swimmers with intellectual impairments will have three new medal events at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Governing Board confirmed on Saturday (27 January).

The men’s and women’s 100m butterfly S14 has been added, as well as the provisional inclusion of a mixed gender relay.

The 4x100m freestyle S14 mixed gender relay will be confirmed after the 2019 World Para Swimming World Championships. Participation in the event at this competition will determine if it is included at the next Paralympic Games.

The swimming event programme as a whole for Tokyo 2020 will have a balanced stroke programme with no more than six events per class.

In all impairment groups there will be 146 medal events – six less than Rio 2016. These will be comprised of 76 for men, 67 for women and three mixed gender relays.

No change in athletics and table tennis

Athletics remains the same for athletes with intellectual impairments competing in T/F20 track and field. The overall programme will feature 1,100 athletes competing in 168 medal events – nine less than Rio 2016 – and will be made up of 93 events for men and 74 for women.

Table tennis also remains the same with one men’s and one women’s singles event for class 11 players.

Speaking on the Tokyo 2020 programme as a whole, IPC President Andrew Parsons said: “For both athletics and swimming, we have created programmes that ensure a good cross section of events for athletes in all classes. By reducing the number of events in both sports from Rio 2016, we also aim to increase the depth of talent in each field and ensure greater long-term event viability. The addition of mixed gender relays will also enable more countries to participate.”

In relation to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games sport programme, the IPC Governing Board approved which sports and disciplines should proceed to the next stage of the application process. International Federations expressed an interest in November.

The Board decided that the Taekwondo Poomsae discipline (being developed by World Taekwondo and World Intellectual Impairment Sport for athletes with an intellectual impairment) will not proceed to Phase 2. This is because it is not currently widely and regularly practiced in 32 countries, the minimum number required for individual sports and disciplines to be considered for Paralympic Games inclusion.

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will take place between 25 August – 6 September.

Tokyo 2020 mascot designs

Tokyo 2020 mascot voting gathers speed

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The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) announced on Monday (22 January) that almost 14,000 elementary schools in Japan – around 65 per cent of the total – have already registered for the selection process of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic mascots.

In December 2017, Tokyo 2020 published a shortlist of mascot design sets, each containing an Olympic and a Paralympic mascot. They invited schoolchildren across the country and in Japanese schools overseas to vote for their favourite set. As of Monday there is exactly one month until voting closes. The design set attracting the largest number of votes will be declared the winner on 28 February.

The 13,985 schools that have registered to vote so far include a total of 92 Japanese schools. These are in 51 countries and regions overseas. Tokyo 2020 is expecting to receive additional submissions in the final month.

“It was a wonderful opportunity that kids got to choose the mascots. I had fun with my classmates, hearing what they thought about the mascots too,” said Colette Schmidt, a fifth grader at the American School in Japan who voted last Thursday.

Masa Takaya, Tokyo 2020 Spokesperson, said: “The mascot voting is going very well, actually even better than we expected. The number of participating schools keeps growing, but more importantly, we have received positive responses from the children. At every school we have been to, we saw children being completey focused on their mission and feeling involved in the 2020 Games’ preparation. Their memories of this unique experience will be another legacy of Tokyo 2020, as we are aiming to engage a new generation in the Olympic and Paralympic Movement.”

About Tokyo 2020

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will take place from 25 August – 6 September. Three sports – swimming, athletics and table tennis – will feature athletes with intellectual impairments.

Research into pacing for athletes with intellectual impairments

Vital research funded into pacing for athletes with intellectual impairments

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The International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) will receive funding from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to carry out classification research in athletics, swimming, Nordic skiing and cycling.

The project focuses on what impact intellectual impairments have on pacing in endurance sports. It will be carried out by the Leuven University in Belgium.

A growing number of scientists believe that pacing is linked to the brain. Several things affect this area of sport – the ability to plan tactics ahead of, and responding to tiredness during, a race and reacting to the actions of opponents.

Pacing is at least partly influenced by the intellectual capacity of an athlete. Therefore having an intellectual impairment will affect pacing ability and, as a consequence, the outcome of a race.

Insight in this area will help develop a classification system for Nordic skiing and cycling. It will also improve the existing sport specific tests for athletics and swimming.

Speaking about a total of seven research projects funded from across the para-sport spectrum, IPC Medical Director Peter Van De Vliet said:

“I would like to thank all applicants for their submission. It is great to see how an increasing number of IFs [International Federations] and sports turn their attention to a scientific approach of critically reviewing and further developing their classification system.

“Almost all applications made reference to the concepts of classification research currently adopted by the IPC, and I would like to thank the IPC Classification Research & Development Centres in assisting the IPC in promoting these concepts across the Movement.

“In the end, it was a difficult final selection under the available resources of the Grant Scheme, and the IPC is committed to further support this programme in the next years.”

Chelsey Gotell, IPC Athletes’ Council Chairperson, said: “Classification affects all athletes and is heavily discussed within the athlete community. As the Paralympic Movement continues to evolve, it is imperative that every International Federation takes a closer look at their current classification model to ensure that it is appropriately servicing their current and future athletes.

“As each International Federation embarks on critically reviewing their classification process, I urge them to engage their Athletes’ Councils and Athlete Representatives – or the IPC Athletes’ Council if they do not have a current athlete representative model in place – in the process, to ensure that the athlete voice is constructively and effectively incorporated into the future of the sport.”

Applications were reviewed by external scientific experts, and a Selection Committee made the final decision.

The IPC’s Research Grant Scheme was launched in June 2017. International Federations (IFs), International Organisations of Sports for the Disabled (IOSDs) and Recognised International Federations could apply to receive support for the development of sport-specific, evidence-based classification systems as defined in the 2015 IPC Athlete Classification Code.

World Intellectual Impairment Sport celebrates record number of new athletes

World Intellectual Impairment Sport celebrates record number of new athletes in 2017

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The International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) is celebrating a record-breaking year in 2017, with a historic high of more than 5,000 athletes registered to compete across all of its 14 sports.

Almost 600 new athletes were approved for international competition during the year, more than double the figure reached in previous years.

Eligibility to compete is determined on strict evidence provided by the relevant World Intellectual Impairment Sport Member organisation and assessed by experts on a dedicated panel. For the Paralympic sports of swimming, table tennis and athletics, it means athletes can progress to classification by the relevant International Federation. For other sports, once an athlete is approved, they can compete at World Intellectual Impairment Sport competitions.

The figures join a series of other successes in the last 12 months. These include a reach of more than 500,000 people on social media, 230,000+ website visitors and a number of new member organisations

World Intellectual Impairment Sport President Marc Truffaut, himself elected in 2017, said: “The record increases in the number of athletes who joined World Intellectual Impairment Sport last year and the impressive digital figures show that World Intellectual Impairment Sport’ mission is reaching more people than ever before.

“We manage a wide variety of summer and winter sports, the majority of which are outside the Paralympic programme. It is a joy to see so much new potential joining us across the board, even in lower profile sports. We look forward to adding even more depth to the field of athletes. Of course, these figures represent those athletes who registered for international competition – many more got involved at a national level across our Membership.

“We also welcomed our three newest Members, Bahrain, Morocco and the World Taekwondo Federation, our first International Federation Member. This has expanded our reach further and we are fielding enquiries from organisations all over the world who are interested in joining us.”

Promoting and supporting the world’s best athletes

In addition to increases in athlete numbers, Members and its digital following, World Intellectual Impairment Sport made huge progress in a series of other areas.

These included the launch of a new website, a rebranded international day celebrating the achievements of athletes and changes to governance to create clearer lines of management and accountability.

The introduction of two trial groups – II2 (for athletes with a more significant intellectual impairment) and II3 (for athletes with high-functioning autism) also made World Intellectual Impairment Sport a more inclusive sports organisation. These trials will continue into 2018, with II2 provisionally confirmed for the 2019 Global Games in Brisbane, Australia.

A research project into the effects of adaptive behaviour on sports performance – one of the measures of intellectual impairment – also concluded. This was supported by the Agitos Foundation, the development arm of the International Paralympic Committee.

Finally debut international competitions were held for equestrian, hockey and judo with help from partner organisations such as the European Hockey Federation and German Paralympic Committee.

A further 11 World Championships or international events were held in athletics (track and field, half marathon and cross-country), cycling, skiing, futsal, swimming, basketball, tennis, table tennis and cricket. Swimming and table tennis were livestreamed for the first time.

“It is clear that our vision that athletes with intellectual impairments across the world have the opportunity to achieve excellence in sport has taken a huge step forward,” Truffaut continued.

“I and my colleagues on the Governing Board will continue to work tirelessly to ensure we capitalise on our successes in 2018. We have another busy year with the launch of a project to encourage more female athletes and leaders, an eligibility conference, new regions and sports council gatherings and various Championships taking place.

“I would like to thank everyone, especially the volunteers, who make it all possible. We are in a strong position for the coming years, which will no doubt deliver even greater opportunities for para-sport and athletes.”

France to host three major Championships in 2018

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The International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) has announced that France will host Championships in indoor athletics, road cycling and tennis in 2018.

First up is the 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Indoor Athletics Championships from 2-4 March in Val De Reuil. The competition is expected to attract 100 athletes from 15 countries and will be held at the Jesse Owens Stadium. It follows on from the last edition in Ancona, Italy, in 2016.

It will feature athletes with an intellectual impairment (II1) as well two trial groups: II2 – for athletes with a more significant intellectual impairment, and II3 – for athletes with high-functioning autism. These were also introduced in swimming and table tennis in 2017.

World Championships in road cycling and tennis will then take place during the first World Intellectual Impairment Sport European Games in Paris. The multi-sport event is an World Intellectual Impairment Sport Europe competition taking place between 14-22 July. However cycling and tennis is open to countries from outside of the continent.

All three Championships will be organised locally by the Fédération Française du Sport Adapté (FFSA).

Around 30 cyclists from five countries will compete at the Polygone – bois de Vincennes. Forty tennis players from seven nations will go for titles at the Cercle Athlétique de Montrouge. Exact dates for each Championships will be confirmed shortly.

World Championships in both sports are held every year. In 2017 Assen, the Netherlands, hosted road cyclists from around the world. Bolton, Great Britain, staged the 2017 tennis Worlds.

Marc Truffaut, World Intellectual Impairment Sport President, said: “France have hosted World Intellectual Impairment Sport Championships in the past and have always put on a good show. I have no doubt that these three competitions will meet and exceed the standards set in the past.

“This is a great opportunity for the media and public to experience sport for athletes with an intellectual impairment across the country. That is especially true for the European Games being held in Paris – the host city of the 2024 Paralympic Games.

“As President of World Intellectual Impairment Sport and a French citizen I am extremely proud to welcome some of the world’s best athletes to France in 2018.”

Zakopane will host the 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Alpine and Nordic Skiing Championships

World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Alpine and Nordic Skiing Championships heading to ‘winter capital of Poland’

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The International Federation for Athletes with Intellectual Impairments (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) has announced that the 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Alpine and Nordic Skiing Championships will be held in Zakopane, Poland, from 27 February – 2 March.

Around 60 athletes from 10 countries are expected to compete at the Suche ski resort and on the trails of the CentralnyOsrodekSportuZakopane.

Known as the ‘winter capital of Poland’, Zakopane is located in the southernmost region of the country, near the border with Slovakia. It is the second time the city has hosted the Championships, following on from 2016.

Alpine skiing will feature slalom, giant slalom and super-G. Nordic skiers will compete in the cross-country sprint, short and long distance races as well as a 3×2.5km relay.

Zakopane 2018 is being organised by the ZSS Sprawni-Razem, the Polish Union of Sport Associations for People with Intellectual Impairments. Technical support will be provided by the Polish Skiing Federation.

Marc Truffaut, World Intellectual Impairment Sport President, said: “World Intellectual Impairment Sport is excited to work with the ZSS Sprawni-Razem once again on the biggest competition on the alpine and Nordic skiing calendar for athletes with intellectual impairments. Winter sports fans will get to enjoy the world’s best skiers competing in one of Europe’s best destinations.

“With the thrills and spills of alpine and the speed and endurance of cross-country, we expect a very entertaining Championships indeed.”

“We are pleased that for the second time we can host in Poland the best skiers with intellectual impairments,” said Dariusz Mosakowski, ZSS Sprawni-Razem President.

“On the organisational side, we will do our best to provide athletes with the excellent competitive conditions, and fans with a great sport spectacle.

“We also hope that the organisation of the World Championships in Zakopane will contribute to the popularisation in Poland of sport for people with intellectual impairments”.

The 2018 World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Alpine and Nordic Skiing Championships will feature athletes with an intellectual impairment (II1) as well two new trial groups: II2 – for athletes with a more significant intellectual impairment and II3 – for athletes with high-functioning autism. For more information, visit www.inas.org.

The Championships open on 27 February with the slalom and short distance races.

A blind footballer weaves between two people

Tokyo 2020 launches medal design competition

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By Tokyo 2020

The competition to design the official medals for Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games is now open to Japanese nationals and residents of Japan over 18 years of age.

The competition is aimed at those with design experience – young and old, design students and professionals. Applicants will be asked to submit their personal profiles and examples of previous design work for evaluation by 19 January 2018.

Entry criteria

Applicants must:

  • have previously created 3D art work in their academic or professional careers
  • be 18 years or above on 1 April 2017
  • reside in Japan during the selection period (between January and August 2018)
  • communicate in Japanese. It will be necessary to liaise with the production company at various stages during the mock-up production process

Competition guidelines are available for download from the Tokyo 2020 website (available in Japanese only).

Those judged to meet the necessary criteria will be invited to submit designs for the Olympic medal (rear side) and for the Paralympic medal design (front and rear sides). Designers must submit their proposals for all three designs as a set.

A Tokyo 2020 selection panel (to be confirmed) comprising members of the Tokyo 2020 Brand Advisory Board, former athletes and professional designers will review all entries. They will select a shortlist of designs by April 2018. The designers of these and a manufacturing institution will create three-dimensional mock-ups of the shortlisted designs. The winning design set will be selected in August 2018. The new medals will be unveiled in 2019.

The Olympic and Paralympic medals are something very special for all athletes. London 2012 Olympics boxing gold medallist and current WBA middleweight champion Ryota Murata commented, “The medals need to last for ever. A simple design that you never tire of is better. The Tokyo 1964 and Nagano 1998 medals were impressive in that they had a Japanese feel to them.”

In 2017 Tokyo 2020 commenced the nationwide collection of discarded and obsolete electronic devices for the metal they contain, in the production of medals. It is the first time such an innovative, environmentally-friendly approach has been adopted by an Organising Committee.

A cross-country runner celebrates winning gold

Candelier bags double gold at cross-country Worlds

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Marion Candelier put on an impressive show for hosts France at the 2017 World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Cross-Country Championships in Epernay on 8 and 10 December, sweeping the board in women’s events.

In the short distance on Friday Candelier was dominant despite freezing temperatures, crossing the line in 7:53.15. The Czech Republic’s silver medallist Katerina Husakova (8:22.44) could not match the Frenchwoman over 2km. South Africa’s Bonang Modise (8:28.86) was third.

Making the most of the 24 hour break, Candelier then tackled the long distance 5km course on Sunday.

Improving on her silver medal from 2014 she finished in 21:53. Smangele Tembe (25:21) claimed another medal for South Africa in second. Husakova (26:23) stepped onto the podium again in third.

Portugal’s Cristiano Pereira also doubled-up in the men’s, taking his first gold on the 4km course on Friday.

Pereira (12:31.09) was in the sights of France’s Rashid Boutasghount (13:02.80) but just nudged the host’s favourite into second.

Defending champion Daniel Pek (13:17.96) was pushed into third for Poland.

France took some consolation by winning the team event, courtesy of a combined performance from Boutasghount, Renaud Brelik and Quentin Foratier.

Pereira, Jose Azevedo and Paulo Benevente joined forces to seal silver for Portugal. The South African trio of Fathuwani Mushiana, Kamogelo Moncho and Reggie Segobaetso completed the podium.

The same result in the short distance was then repeated on the 8km course.

Pereira (30:12) impressed once again to finish ahead of Boutasghount (30:28) in second. Pek (32:06) rounded-off the podium but lost his world title.

The men’s team gold went to France, followed by Portugal and South Africa.

About World Intellectual Impairment Sport

World Intellectual Impairment Sport represents more than 300,000 athletes with intellectual impairments around the world. We give elite athletes the chance to compete at an international level and on the Paralympic stage. But we cannot continue our work towards the inclusion of the people with intellectual impairments in society without your support.

We are a registered charity and your help can make a big difference. Find out more.

A line of female runners with an intellectual impairment begin a cross-country race

Pek headlines field for World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Cross-Country Champs

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Poland’s returning double champion Daniel Pek headlines the field for the 2017 World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Cross-Country Championships which get underway in Epernay, France, on Friday (8 December).

Pek, a double Paralympian and European champion in track and field, will try to defend his two titles from 2014 in the short and long distance races. He picked up double gold at the last World Championships in Ostrzeszów, Poland.

His main challengers are expected to be Portuguese teammates Cristiano Pereira and Jose Azevedo.

Pereira and Azevedo will be hoping for podium finishes having missed out at the 2017 World Intellectual Impairment Sport European Half Marathon Championships in September. Pereira is the 2014 cross-country long distance silver medallist. Azevedo took second in the short distance three years ago.

In the women’s hosts France have a strong medal chance. Marion Candelier claimed silver in the long distance in 2014.

In the absence of Poland’s defending champion Barbara Niewiedzial, Candelier will look to claim gold for her country.

The men’s and women’s short distance event will take place on Friday. The men and women will race over 4km and 3km, respectively.

The long distance will be contested on Sunday (10 December) with the men tackling a 8km course and the women 6km.

About World Intellectual Impairment Sport

World Intellectual Impairment Sport represents more than 300,000 athletes with intellectual impairments around the world. We give elite athletes the chance to compete at an international level and on the Paralympic stage. But we cannot continue our work towards the inclusion of the people with intellectual impairments in society without your support.

We are a registered charity and your help can make a big difference. Find out more.