Members of the research project which helped to secure the re-inclusion of athletes with an intellectual disability into the Paralympic Games are celebrating today after their programme triumphed at the first ever Podium Awards for London 2012 inspired projects.

The project fought off fierce competition from more than 230 nominated projects to win the gold medal in the RCUK Award for Exceptional Research Contribution in front of over 350 attendees and dignitaries including London 2012 organising committee (LOCOG) CEO, Paul Deighton and Xavier Gonzalez, Chief Executive of the International Paralympic Committee .

The black tie ceremony, held close to the Olympic stadium, was a one-off event to celebrate UK colleges and universities contribution to the Olympic and Paralympic Games and their legacy.  The projects recognised ranged from education, research and sport to culture, volunteering and international collaboration

The sports classification project was put forward by Professor Jan Burns of Canterbury Christchurch University who is also Head of Eligibility for Inas, and a member of the research project team. The research project, supported by Inas – the International Federation for Para-Athletes with an Intellectual Disability and IPC – the International Paralympic Committee, was a collaboration between a number of European and North American Universities. Its aim was to develop a method of classification – the process which measures an athlete’s impairment on sport performance – to enable athletes with a learning disability to compete in the Paralympic Games, beginning with London 2012.

Paul Deighton, CEO LOCOG said; “Colleges and Universities have played an integral role in supporting London 2012.  I congratulate all involved with the Sport Classification for Paralympic Athletes with intellectual disabilities project on winning a gold medal at the Podium Awards. This project is a tremendous example of how the power of the Games is being used to inspire people to make a real and lasting difference.”

On receiving the award, Xavier Gonzalez, IPC Chief Executive said “ I am very happy and proud to receive this award for the classification research, but more than anything I am happy that athletes with an intellectual disability are back in the Paralympics’.

Dr Bob Price added “This award recognises the huge commitment of the research team – all of whom worked on this project in a voluntary capacity – but it also recognises the huge contribution of the many athletes and Inas member organisations who supported the project and worked with us to put in place the procedures needed to secure Paralympic re-inclusion”.

Athletes with an intellectual disability will participate in the London Paralympic Games for the first time since Sydney 2000, and will compete in Athletics, Swimming and Table Tennis.

The London 2012 Paralympics have the potential to change public attitudes towards people with intellectual disabilities, according to research presented in a symposium at the British Psychology Society Annual Conference held in London last week.

Joanna Ferrara and her colleagues from Canterbury Christ Church University asked 120 student volunteers to complete a questionnaire about their attitudes towards people with intellectual disabilities – also known as learning difficulties and previously known as mental handicap. The same students were then asked to read about and watch footage of elite athletes with intellectual disabilities performing at a Paralympic level of sport and complete the questionnaires again.

The researchers found that the students’ attitudes towards people with intellectual disabilities were more positive regarding beliefs about empowerment.  Attitudes were influenced by the amount of prior contact respondents had had with people with intellectual disabilities. This adds to previous research suggesting that the more positive contact people have with those with intellectual disabilities, the more likely they are to have more favourable attitudes.

Professor Jan Burns from Canterbury Christ Church University, who has convened the symposium, says: “It is rare for people with intellectual disabilities to be portrayed in the international media doing something that is beyond the competence of the watching millions. So the inclusion of athletes with such a disability provides a unique opportunity to influence public attitudes on a grand scale.”

Another paper in the symposium looks at the possible benefits to people with intellectual disabilities themselves of taking part in sport.

The other paper in the session looks at how the inclusion of athletes with intellectual disabilities has moved on since the events at the Paralympics in Sydney, where the victorious Spanish basketball included athletes who were not intellectually disabled at all. As a result, the whole category was removed from subsequent Games. The paper outlines the eligibility and classification processes now in place for the London 2012 Paralympics.

Professor Burns a Professor of Clinical Psychology at Canterbury Christ Church University and is Head of Eligibility for the International Sports Federation for Para-Athletes with an Intellectual Disability. In this position she oversees the eligibility processes for those athletes with intellectual disabilities who wish to compete at an elite level.

In 2011 Professor Burns received a British Psychological Society Public Engagement Grant for her work to promote online resources about athletes with intellectual disabilities.

The Czech Open Swimming Championships are offering Inas member nations the opportunity to compete and access sports classification. Details can be found here.

The 7th Inas World Indoor Athletics have closed with a total of 4 World Records broken.

Karolina Kucharczyk (Poland) took the 60m hurdles in 9.37seconds, Barbara Niewiedzial (Poland) took the 1500m in 4 minutes 40.13 seconds. Croatia’s Mikela Ristoski’s triple jump was 11.25m and Poland’s Krestina Zhukova’s long jump was 5.50m.

The event took place in Manchester, UK with many competing athletes hoping to return in August to compete at the 2012 Paralympic Games.  A total of 80 athletes representing 12 nations participated.

Full results can be found on the Results page.