VIRTUS
  • Virtus
  • About Us
    • Virtus Vision & History
    • Virtus Team
    • Virtus Governing Board & Committees
    • Corporate Documents
    • Governance and Policy
    • 2022 Virtus General Assembly
    • Vacancies
  • Athletes
    • The Virtus Awards
    • Virtus Ambassadors
    • Promoting Sport And Competition
    • Applying for athlete eligibility
    • Eligibility Master List
    • Anti-Doping & Clean Sport
  • Competitions
    • Events Calendar
    • Virtus Global Games
    • Results, Rankings & Records
    • Hosting Virtus Events & Bids
  • Sports
  • Support Us
    • Get Involved
  • Member
    • National Member Organisations
    • International Federations
    • Become A Member
  • Virtus Academy
  • Search
  • Menu

Virtus is the global organisation that governs – advocates – organises – promotes

elite sport for athletes with an intellectual impairment.

OUR VISION:

An inclusive world for people with an intellectual impairment.

OUR MISSION:

To drive the development of elite sport worldwide for athletes with an intellectual impairment

From INAS 1986 – To VIRTUS 2030

Virtus World Intellectual Impairment Sport, “Virtus” is the brand name of the International Federation for athletes with intellectual impairment and is a founding member of the International Paralympic Committee.

Formed in 1986, Virtus (formerly INAS) has grown from 14 members to a membership of more 500,000 athletes from more than 90 nations across the world throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South/Central America and Oceania.

In 2020, the Virtus sports programme included 15 annual events across both summer and winter sports with more than 7,000 athletes registered to compete at an international level.

Virtus is the recognised International Organisation of Sport for people with a Disability (IOSD), governing the eligibility of athletes with an intellectual impairment, elite competition and sport development. Over the next decade to 2030, Virtus is committed to advocating inclusion in sport, and building elite pathways for more athletes with an intellectual impairment to compete at the highest levels of international sport.

Virtus now has its sight on more involvement in the Paralympic movement at Tokyo, Paris 2024, LA2028 and beyond – through the quadrennial Virtus Global Games held in the year prior to each Paralympic Games.

“2-3% of the world population have an intellectual impairment. That’s between 178-256 million people worldwide.”

Source: WHO Report on Disability 2011

Through sport, Virtus and its athletes are changing attitudes, challenging perceptions, and strengthening communities locally and globally.

  • 1986

    INAS - FMH

    Established by professionals who want to promote the inclusion of athletes with intellectual impairments. First executives appointed in January.

  • 1988

    First General Assembly

    The first General Assembly is held and the first executives are elected. INAS-FMH is a member of the International Coordinating Committee, which later becomes the International Paralympic Committee

  • 1989

    First Games

    The ‘1st World Games for Athletes with an Intellectual Disability’ are held in Harnosand, Sweden. These later become the Global Games which takes place every four years.

  • 1992

    First Paralympics appearance

    In September, the first ‘Paralympic Games for Persons with a Mental Handicap’ were held in Madrid, Spain. 70 countries competed

  • 1996

    Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games

    A demonstration programme for athletes with an intellectual impairment was included at the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games.

  • 2000

    Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games

    A larger programme of athletics, swimming, men’s basketball, and table tennis were included in Sydney 2000 Paralympics Games. However, the dishonest actions of a small number of people will have a devastating impact on all athletes with an intellectual impairment for many years to follow. 

  • 2004

    1st Global Games are held

    The 1st Global Games are held in Bollnas, Sweden, with more than 1000 athletes from across the world. The event takes place again in 2009 before settling into the year before the Paralympic Games for in 2011, 2015 and 2019.

  • 2012

    London 2012 Paralympic Games

    After a period of absence, athletes with an intellectual impairment return to the Paralympic stage at London 2012 in swimming, athletics and table tennis.

  • 2016

    Celebrating 30 Years

    Virtus celebrates 30 years with a special award ceremony in Paris, France – recognising athletes and key individuals from the organisations history.

  • 2018

    Half a million athletes

    Membership increased to the highest level on record, reaching more than 6,500 athletes on the master list and an unprecedented 500,000 athletes worldwide.

  • 2018

    New eligibility groups introduced

    New eligibility groups are introduced to Virtus competition for the first time in our history promoting inclusion for athletes with multiple and severe impairment, and athletes with autism.

  • 2019

    Becoming Virtus

    INAS becomes ‘Virtus’.

    The aim of the re-brand is to help make the invisible, visible. The Virtus brand is fresh, exciting, and has a modern look, which places the talent and ability of athletes at its core.

  • 2020

    Events disrupted due to COVID-19

    Worldwide sport is affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Virtus moves competition online and develops new services and programmes to support athletes and member organisations through this difficult period.

  • 2021

    Celebrating 35 Years of Inclusive Sports

    Virtus marks its 35 year with the launch of a new Strategic Plan, which aims to reach more athletes in more nations, and include more sports over the next four years.

PreviousNext

Prev 1 of 22 Next
  • Andrew Parsons and Marc Truffaut discussed having more classes for athletes with II.

    Andrew Parsons and Marc Truffaut discussed having more classes for athletes with II.

    People with disabilities constitutes 15% of the world's population. Out of this 15%, 0.13% people have Down Syndrome, i.e., 10.2 million people.
    Virtus launched II2 class- a class for athletes with significant Intellectual impairment, such as Down syndrome, and provided them a pathway to participate in Virtus events.

    This is an exclusive video footage where President of International Paralympic Commitee, Andrew Parsons and Virtus President Marc Truffaut are discussing having more classes for athletes with Intelectual Impairment in the future Paralympic Games.
  • 2022 Virtus Oceania Asia Games- Brisbane Lord Mayor

    2022 Virtus Oceania Asia Games- Brisbane Lord Mayor

  • Robyn Smith's message on International Women's Day 2022 #BreakTheBias #Virtus

    Robyn Smith's message on International Women's Day 2022 #BreakTheBias #Virtus

  • Reece Dunn- The Golden boy from Tokyo 2020 Paralympics

    Reece Dunn- The Golden boy from Tokyo 2020 Paralympics

    Reece Dunn is an athlete with an intellectual Impairment from Great Britain. He won 3 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and emerged as the most decorated athlete with an Intellectual Impairment. He was also the most successful British athlete.
  • Presentation of the Virtus para equestrian video competition 2021 (senior section)

    Presentation of the Virtus para equestrian video competition 2021 (senior section)

  • Presentation of the Virtus para equestrian video competition 2021 (youth section)

    Presentation of the Virtus para equestrian video competition 2021 (youth section)

  • Breanna Clarke (USA) Gold Medallist Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

    Breanna Clarke (USA) Gold Medallist Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

    Breanna Clarke (USA) Gold Medallist Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games 400m (T20) shares her Games experience.
  • MakingInvisibleVISIBLE - Celebrating Tokyo 2020 Paralympians in Intellectual Impairment class events

    MakingInvisibleVISIBLE - Celebrating Tokyo 2020 Paralympians in Intellectual Impairment class events

    The Paralympians who competed at Tokyo2020 in Athletics, Swimming, and Table Tennis in the intellectual impairment class events. 63 Medals. 120 Athletes. You shine like stars!
    Photo credit: OIS Photos
Prev 1 of 22 Next

Virtus: World Intellectual Impairment Sport

Virtus World Intellectual Impairment Sport, “Virtus” is the brand name of the International Federation for athletes with intellectual impairment and is a founding member of the International Paralympic Committee. Registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in the UK (1173901)

Links

  • About us
  • Donate
  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy
© Copyright - VIRTUS 2021
Scroll to top
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT