Countdown to Global ID Sports Week Continues
Today marks 10 days until Global ID Sports Week – a week-long celebration of sport for athletes with an intellectual disability running from 25 June to 1 July 2016.
World Intellectual Impairment Sport member nations across the world are planning activities to collaboratively raise awareness of sport for intellectually disabled athletes and celebrate their success.
In Colombia celebrations have started early with 100 athletes competing across athletics, football, basketball and swimming supported by more than 40 volunteers. The “National Games FEDES – World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global ID Sports Week” takes place in Chocó, a state of Colombia close to the pacific coast with television and radio coverage showcasing the nation’s athletics talents.
In the UK, Mencap Sport will be hosting the National Athletics Championships to kick off Global ID Sports Week on 25 June in Barnsley. In its 19th year the event will host over 100 athletes each challenging their best.
On 28 June Sport Inclusion Australia are set to announce the next 20 recipients of the NEXT GEN Athlete awards at City Hall – a project to support promising athletes established following the announcement that Brisbane will host the 2019 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games, the worlds largest sport event for elite intellectually disabled athletes.
France will host a series of local and regional events across the country of which the French National Tennis Championships will take centre stage from 27 to 29 May in Mont de Marsan. This is followed by the National Youth Championships in Saint Denis with competition in Athletics, Basketball, 5 and 7 aside Football, Swimming and Table Tennis.
Likewise Portugal will host a series of events across the country celebrating the great partnerships forged between the World Intellectual Impairment Sport member organisation ANDDI and the national sports federations. The week starts on 25 and 26 June with the National Open Adapted Athletics Championships for the Disabled, an IPC approved event in Maia city fully integrated with the Portuguese National Athletics Championships for able bodied athletes. Basketball tips off on 26 June in Lousã with the ANDDI Basketball Final 3 Portugal Cup. Completing Global ID Sports Week in Portugal on 1 July in Setubal, one of “2016 European City of Sport”, will be a Para-Volley Challenge Meeting promoted in partnership by ANDDI and the Portuguese Volleyball Federation.
Inas is the International Federation for sport for athletes with an intellectual disability within the Paralympic movement and is a recognised member of the International Paralympic Committee.
Activities culminate in Turkey with the 2016 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Open Athletics Championships – Europe where a strong field of athletes from across Europe will compete to be crowned Champion, including France, Croatia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Ukraine and Poland. The Championships are being held in Ankara, Turkey where World Intellectual Impairment Sport has previously hosted the 2013 World Basketball Championships.
In addition to activities on the ground World Intellectual Impairment Sport will be working with members, partners and supporters to flood social media with tweets, posts, photos, stories, future event information and excitement about ID sport.
@inassport #Global_ID_Sports_Week #THIS_IS_World Intellectual Impairment Sport
That’s just a snapshot of some of the activities taking place.
