Saturday, October 24, 2009

Athletes with intellectual disabilities will find out next month if they can compete in 2012 Paralympics

From BBC News:

Intellectual disability athletes will find out next month if they can compete at the London 2012 Paralympics.

They have been banned since it was found that most of Spain's intellectual disability basketball team at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics were not disabled.

The International Sports Federation for Persons with an Intellectual Disability (Inas-Fid) has been working with the International Paralympic Committee.

They have jointly proposed a motion to next month's IPC General Assembly.

The motion calls on the assembly to acknowledge the progress that has been made by the joint IPC/Inas-Fid working group and that the criteria for the reintroduction of athletes with an intellectual disability to Paralympic Games has been met.

It also requests that athletes are eligible to compete in their respective International Federation-sanctioned competition, including London 2012.

The General Assembly takes place in Kuala Lumpar from 19-22 November.

"Having the IPC Governing Board so positively associated with this motion will send a very powerful signal to the entire IPC membership," said Inas-Fid president Dr Bob Price.

"However, nothing is guaranteed and we must not be complacent."

Intellectual disability athletes were barred from competing at both the Athens and Beijing Games but a team of seven swimmers are part of the GB team at the IPC European Swimming Championships in Iceland which draw to a close on Saturday - the first IPC event at which British intellectual disability athletes have been allowed to compete.