Global ID Sports Week 2016 launched
Global ID Sports Week 2016 – a week-long event – has begun across the World, celebrating sport for athletes with an intellectual disability.
Launched by World Intellectual Impairment Sport, the International Association of Sport for para-athletes with an intellectual disability, the project runs from 25 June to 1 July 2016 and this year celebrates World Intellectual Impairment Sport’ 30th anniversary. The organisation was launched in 1986 by a small group of people who realised that there were limited opportunities for elite athletes with an intellectual disability. There were just 14 nations in membership, but this has grown to 79 today, supporting more 130,000 athletes globally. The first 1st World Games for Athletes with an Intellectual Disability were held in Harnosand, Sweden in 1989 and today the programme has grown to include 15 sports and an annual programme of 12 world and regional championships per year.
Amaury Russo, World Intellectual Impairment Sport President said “This is a very special year for our organisation. It has a long and very proud history and whilst we have faced challenges along the way, our vision of a world where athletes with an intellectual disabled athletes can compete to the highest level has never waivered. Of course we still have some way to go in achieving this, but in 30 years we have made some fantastic progress”.
GIDSW 2016 will be recognised across the world:
- Colombia will see 100 athletes competing across athletics, football, basketball and swimming in the “National Games FEDES”.
- England will host the National Athletics Championships
- Australia will announce the next 20 recipients of the NEXT GEN Athlete awards – a project to support promising athletes ahead of the 2019 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Global Games
- France will host a series of local and regional events across the country including the National Tennis Championships and National Youth Championships in athletics, basketball, 5 and 7 aside football, swimming and table tennis.
- Portugal will host a series of events across the country celebrating the great partnerships forged between ANDDI and the national sports federations including the National Open Adapted Athletics Championships for the Disabled, and the ANDDI Basketball Final 3 Portugal Cup.
- Completing Global ID Sports Week 2016, Turkey will host the 2016 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Open Athletics Championships
Throughout the week World Intellectual Impairment Sport will be making a series of announcements including the confirmation of events hosts in 2017, new athlete ambassadors and other exciting news.
You can support the day by:
- Telling us about your activities
- Posting stories and photos to the World Intellectual Impairment Sport Facebook page (World Intellectual Impairment Sportsport)
- Liking and re-tweeting our many social media posts using the hashtags
