Tuesday, 10 November 15

PRESS RELEASE

USA wins bid to host two World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Championships in 2016

World Intellectual Impairment Sport are pleased to announce the awarding of the 2016 World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Cross Country Championships and 2016 World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Tennis Championships to USA.

Barry Holman, Co-Founder of Athletes Without Limits, said “over the past five years Athletes Without Limits has taken US athletes to dozens of Inas championships. In 2014 alone, US athletes competed in six countries across three continents, bringing home two world championships, multiple national records and many personal best performances. We are very proud to bring the first-ever Inas World Championships to the United States.”

8^th World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Cross Country Championships

New York, USA will play host to 8^th edition of the Inas World Cross Country Championships in 2016.  The event will take place at Sunken Meadow State Park Cross Country course on 2 and 3 April 2016.  With 6 of the previous 7 editions of the World Cross Country Championships being held in Europe, it will be a first for the event to be in the Americas.

The Cross Country Championships will be organized by Thunder USA who are committed to making the Championships not only a memorable competition; but an exciting and fun experience for the international field of competitors.

Sonja Robinson, Director of Thunder USA said “Thunder USA is dedicated to delivering an exceptional Championships for the athletes, coaches, dignitaries, and spectators. While we have assembled a team that has organized and staged hundreds of world class events we look forward to working with the World Intellectual Impairment Sport officials for these championships.”

Jose Costa Pereira, Inas Athletics Director said “It will be a big challenge, but at the same time very exciting to organize this great championship in a fantastic and cosmopolitan city as New York. I’m sure it will be a great event at all levels, organisational and by the outstanding performances of the participating athletes.”

7^th World Intellectual Impairment Sport World Tennis Championships

Bethany Beach, Delaware, United States will play host to 7^th edition of the Inas World Tennis Championships in 2016.

The event will take place at Sea Colony Beach and Tennis Resort from 12 to 18 June 2016. Boasting some 34 tennis courts and voted 2012 US Tennis Association Outstanding Facility of the Year, the venue offers great facilities for the athletes to excel.

As hosts USA will be looking to build on their performances at the 2014 Inas World Tennis Championships in France where they picked up a gold in the Women’s Singles and a silver and bronze in the Mixed Doubles competitions.

Lesley Whitehead, Inas Tennis Director said “Sea Colony Beach & Tennis Resort in Delaware, USA will be an excellent venue for the 2016 World Tennis Championships. I look forward to seeing many of our nations supporting this event which will provide excellent tennis competition for our players.”

ENDS

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Notes to the editor:

Inas is the International Federation for sport for athletes with an intellectual disability within the Paralympic movement and is the recognised member of the International Paralympic Committee.

It is a global organisation that manages the eligibility process for intellectual disability sport, hosts an extensive programme of world and regional championship competitions and, through its members and partner organisations, promotes inclusion in sport around the world.

Inas’ vision is that athletes with an intellectual disability across the World have the opportunity to achieve excellence in sport and high-level competition.

Inas is a not-for-profit organisation registered in the UK (1144903).

Athletes Without Limits is the USA member organisation of Inas.

For more information regarding this press release please contact Inas.

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Medal table by sport

 

Today, delegations from across the World begin to return home following their participation in the 2015 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games.

Over the past week, Ecuador has witnessed some fantastic performances from the world’s best athletes with an intellectual disability.

Almost 600 athletes from 32 nations competed in the 4^th edition of the Games which included competition in athletics, basketball, cycling, futsal, indoor rowing, swimming, table tennis, tennis and – for the first time in the Games – Taekwondo.

We would like to congratulate all athletes on a fantastic week of sport.

However, away from the field of play, delivery of the Games has been beset by multiple and substantial problems following the collapse of the host organisation and Local Organising Committee (LOC), the Federación Ecuatoriana de Deportes para personas con Discapacidad Intelectual (FEDEDI) who were contractually responsible for the full financing and delivery of the Games.

With support from the World Intellectual Impairment Sport team together with incredible efforts of delegations, officials, technical staff and more – competition began as planned on Tuesday 22^nd September. However on that same morning, the LOC informed World Intellectual Impairment Sport that they were no longer in a financial position to deliver the Games through to their conclusion on Sunday 27^th September.

Despite our extensive efforts to get competition underway, the Games were once again threatened.

The World Intellectual Impairment Sport Governing Board met and agreed that in the interests of the organisation and most importantly the athletes we represent, the 4^th Global Games must continue. All 32 delegations present have worked tirelessly to secure the funding to enable their participation in the Games and athletes have trained hard to qualify and compete. The World Intellectual Impairment Sport Governing Board was determined that this would not be denied.

World Intellectual Impairment Sport therefore immediately assumed a full operational delivery role and began to put in place strategies to ensure successful delivery of the full competition programme. However with such a fundamental failure of the LOC, this was both difficult and at substantial cost to World Intellectual Impairment Sport.

World Intellectual Impairment Sport also requested the intervention of the Ecuadorian Sports Ministry who immediately began to assemble a team to help support the operational delivery of the Games but also assist World Intellectual Impairment Sport to more fully understand the circumstances surrounding the catastrophic failure of the LOC.

At times it seemed the mission to deliver the Games was impossible – such was the level of failure of the LOC – but on Saturday 26^th September (following some small programming changes) competition across the entire programme came to its successful conclusion.

This was a remarkable achievement and was only possible thanks to the combined efforts of so many people. World Intellectual Impairment Sport is indebted to every single person who supported the Games this week in whatever their capacity. To all of these people, we thank you on behalf of the delegations present and all elite athletes with an intellectual disability.

We particularly thank the Ecuadorian Sports Ministry for their involvement and assistance. Without this help the Games simply would not have been possible.

In the days, weeks and months ahead there will be much analysis of the 4^th World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games. World Intellectual Impairment Sport is already taking legal advice in respect of the failure of the Local Organising Committee, the circumstances surrounding the host organisation (FEDEDI) and in particular, the actions of its President, Juan Carlos Araujo.

As delegations begin to leave Ecuador, we want to thank you for your participation in these Games. To the medal winners and all the athletes, we congratulate you on your performances, and to our many friends who made these Games possible in the most difficult of circumstances we say thank you.

World Intellectual Impairment Sport will continue and will grow stronger, and in just 4 years time, we look forward to the opening ceremony of the 5^th World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games in Brisbane, Australia.

Yesterday marked the first day of competitions at the Ecuador 2015 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games. Cycling, Futsal, Tennis and Basketball events took place and the Games had its first medallists on the Cycling Team Time Trial event; France and its athletes M. Collin and J. Pereira took the highest spot on the podium, followed by D. Merten and J. Duinkerke representing Holland, and E. Sarango and A. Jacome snapped the last chance for medals taking the 3^rd place.

Basketball competition was packed with emotions delivered by the Portuguese and Venezuelan teams. This was the opening game in the men’s competition and from the get go a very enthusiastic Venezuelan squad was able to cause some troubles for Portugal in the first quarter and they went into the break winning 13 – 10. Nonetheless, Portugal was able to come back in the game and was able to take the lead 35 – 32 after the 3^rd quarter. But in the last interval of the game a highly spirited Venezuelan team was able to gain a break with 3 minutes left on the clock and took the lead which they held on to win 43 – 37.

 

 

Also, other competitions that took place on Day 1 were Futsal and Tennis which will carry on today along with Basketball and the beginning of competitions for Athletics. Cycling will take a short break today to get back in action tomorrow, as will Swimming but with its first day of competitions at the Diana Quintana Sport Club.

 

 

 

 

 

More results and information about the events competitions coming ahead, so make sure to check our social media portals.