World Intellectual Impairment Sport membership celebrate Global ID Sports Day
Member organisations and partners across the world are coming together to support the inaugural event, with the aim being to raise awareness and celebrate intellectually disabled sport.
Across the 77 World Intellectual Impairment Sport member nations support is being shown for the event with highlights including Portugal hosting an International Indoor Rowing event, USA announcing their team for the upcoming Global Games and Brazil hosting a Futsal event in Sao Paulo.
Amaury Russo, Inas President “Global ID Sports Day is a fantastic opportunity to promote sport for athletes with an intellectual disability. 2015 is an exciting year for World Intellectual Impairment Sport with growth in membership, the 2015 Ecuador Global Games and 13 international and regional events already hosted this year.
With the support of clubs, sports organisations, governments and media around the world getting behind Global ID Sports Day we can continue to make real progress to help break down barriers and grow awareness of our athletes, members and programmes.”
Global ID Sports Day will become an exciting annual focal point in the calendar using the scale of multiple events and activities to raise awareness, and harness corporate and media support for its members and athletes.
Why not show your support this year by going on social media and using the hashtag #GlobalIDSportsDay @Inassport.
100 days to go until the 2015 Ecuador Global Games
12 June also marks 100 days to go until the 2015 Ecuador Global Games in Quito. The World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games are the world’s largest elite sporting event for athletes with an intellectual disability.
The opening ceremony will take place on 20th September 2015 with competition commencing the next day across 10 venues.
Taking place just a year ahead of the Rio Paralympic Games, it will be a fantastic opportunity for athletes aiming for qualification to Rio as both the Athletics and Swimming events are sanctioned by the IPC.
Great Britain multiple medalist, Peter Millar, said of competing, “It is an honour to represent Great Britain at Tennis. I have enjoyed lots of success over the years at World Intellectual Impairment Sport competitions and I am training hard to continue doing so at future events.”
The 1st World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games were held in Bollnas, Sweden in 2004. To date more than 2500 athletes have competed at the event over the three editions. 2015 is set to be the biggest yet with more than 1000 athletes across nine sports: athletics, swimming, table tennis, rowing, basketball, futsal, tennis, taekwondo and cycling.
It is the first time the event will have been held outside of Europe, following Sweden, Czech Republic and Italy who have hosted the prestigious event in the past.
As part of 100 days to go celebrations FEDEDI (Federacion Ecuatoriana de Deportes para Personas con Discapacidad Intelectual) in conjunction with the Ecuadorian Paralympic Committee will be hosting a multi sport event giving intellectually disabled athletes opportunities to try sports they have not competed in before.
For more information on the 2015 Ecuador Global Games visit the official event website www.inasgg2015.org
