President of Liguria Region, Claudio Burlando today officially declared the 3rd Inas Global Games open in front of many thousands of spectators packed into Ferrari square in Genoa, Italy and an incredible display of sound and colour.

The 7-day long sporting event is the largest for elite athletes with an intellectual disability and comprising almost 700 athletes competing in 8 sports.

After a parade through the town of Genoa, the President of the Italian National Paralympic Committee Claudio Burlando welcomed the 35 nations taking part in the Games to the Liguria region. Dr Bob Price, Inas President thanked the organisers and hosts for their efforts and wished success in the Games. “Let us look forward to seven days of sporting excellence. I wish all concerned… the organisers, the support staff and especially the athletes… every success and a truly memorable 2011 Inas Global Games”.

Competition begins on 27th September – further details, results and photos are available on the event website.

Inas would like to invite bids to host the 2013 Inas Conference and General Assembly.

Bids should be made in accordance with the specification set out in the Inas Handbook.

Bids should be submitted to the Inas Secretariat by email or post no later than 31^st January 2012 and will be considered by the Executive Committee at their next meeting. The winning bid will be announced no later than May 2012.

Entry forms are now available for the 4th Inas Open European half-marathon championships which take place in Portugal between 11 & 14  November. Please note that the closing date for the first entry is 15th August 2011.

Final Entry information and instructions for the online entry system for the 3rd Inas Global Games is now available.

Please remember that to particpate in the event, athletes must appear in the Inas Classification Master List no later than 30th June. The Eligibility Committee are working as quickly as possible to review the remaining applications ahead of this date.

Member nations should also ensure that they have paid membership fees for 2011 and are in good standing with Inas.

Questions regarding final entry should be addressed to the organisers.

The Inas Youtube site now features the speeches made by Lorraine Landon (Australian Paralympic athlete) and Steve Holland (former athlete and father of Nerice Holland – elite swimmer with an intellectual disability) to the 2011 Inas conference and general assembly.