Final IWAS World Games programme released

The International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) has revealed that athletics, powerlifting and cerebral palsy (CP) football will form the final programme for the 2021 IWAS World Games in Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Portugal, from 7-13 October.

The confirmation comes after countries were invited to register their interest in the sports on the preliminary programme which also featured swimming, as well as wheelchair cricket and beach ParaVolley for the first IWAS Guttmann Games. 

As a result of this survey the three sports were determined and IWAS made the decision to delay the first Guttmann Games until a later date, when the global situation has improved and more countries and athletes can benefit from it.

IWAS President Rudi Van Den Abbeele said: “It has been an incredibly tough 18 months for our members and athletes around the world but we remain determined to fly the flag for development in Para sports by continuing with our plans to host the IWAS World Games in Portugal. It has never been more important to give aspiring athletes the chance to compete on an international stage.

“The IWAS World Games has a track record of helping to produce some of the world’s biggest stars, many of whom will compete at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics this summer. Our members know this and we are grateful for their support, and we are doing everything we can to put on another great IWAS World Games in October.

“The IWAS Guttmann Games also remain firmly in our plans. There is a gap for non-Paralympic sports that we can help to fill. We have been fortunate enough to showcase them in the past, and assist them on their road to applying to be included at the Paralympics. Watch this space for more news about how we will move forward with these plans.”

Entries for the 2021 IWAS World Games are now open here. Information has also been sent to the IWAS Membership.

As well as competition from 10-12 October on the athletics track and football pitches of the Complexo Desportivo de Vila Real de Santo Antonio, powerlifting will take place in a hybrid format at the team hotel. This will be a mix of in-person and online competition, to follow on from successful World Para Powerlifting World Cups held online in the last year. It will also be a qualifier for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Countries can choose whether their athletes will travel to Portugal or compete remotely, and the normal official rules will apply.

The CP Football competition will be played without ranking points, but the winner will get the honour of taking home the trophy on the sport’s IWAS World Games debut.

All three International Federations – World Para Athletics, World Para Powerlifting and the International Federation of Cerebral Palsy Football (IFCPF) – have confirmed they will recognise the results and appoint officials. More information about classification opportunities for athletics and powerlifting will be available shortly.

About the IWAS World Games

Designed to give aspiring Paralympians and emerging athletes their first taste of international competition, the Games have helped produce many of the world’s big name stars.

These include the USA’s seven-time Paralympic track champion Tatyana McFadden, Great Britain’s double gold-medallist sprinter Jonnie Peacock and South Africa’s men’s 200m T42 Rio 2016 silver medallist Ntando Mahlangu. Germany’s long jump T64 world record holder Markus Rehm and Italian world and Paralympic wheelchair fencing title-holder Beatrice Vio have also competed.