VISTA 2021 announced as an online event

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced that the 10th edition of the VISTA Conference will be organised virtually over six days in partnership with six leading Universities between 18 November and 6 December 2021.

Designed to provide a platform for sport scientists and researchers to hear from and have dialogue with experts in the field of sport for athletes with impairments, VISTA 2021 will be led by KU Leuven, Belgium; University of Stellenbosch, South Africa; The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden; School of Kinesiology; Western University, Canada; University of Pittsburgh, USA; and Yonsei University, South Korea.

VISTA 2021 will address six themes at the heart of the Paralympic Movement: Ethics and Integrity (18 Nov) – Socio-Cultural Legacy (22 Nov) – Health and Medicine (29 Nov) – Evidence-Based Classification (1 Dec) – Technology in Paralympic Sport (14 Dec) – Paralympic Performance (16 Dec).

Each theme will be discussed during dedicated three-hour long online sessions which will include a keynote address (30 min), oral presentations (90 min) and a panel discussion with renowned experts (60 min). Keynotes, oral and poster presentations will be pre-recorded and made available online to all participants on 1 November 2021. In this way, the three hours online session is reserved for Q&A and interaction with the audience.

Sports scientists and experts in Para sport are invited to submit abstracts for oral and poster presentations through the conference website www.vista2021.com which will open on May 15, 2021. Abstract submissions are expected until 10 July 2021, 23:59 WET.

Participants registering for the six-day conference before 15 September 2021 at www.vista2021.com can take advantage of an early bird registration fee of EUR 175. Students can book their places for EUR 80 until 15 September. Partial registration for selected themes is also foreseen at www.vista2021.com. Participation in the conference is free for all Paralympians who participated in the Paralympic Games from Rome 1960 to Tokyo 2020. Registration fee is waived for delegates from countries on the lower 50% of the UN Human development Index ranking 2020. 

VISTA provides a forum for exchanging the latest information, research and expertise related to the Paralympic Movement and promotes cross-disciplinary interaction between sport scientists, athletes, coaches, administrators and the media.

Further information regarding registration and speakers for VISTA 2021 can be found at www.vista2021.com