Six months to go: First peek at World Abilitysport Games look
The logo for the 2023 World Abilitysport Games has been unveiled with six months to go until the world’s biggest gathering of athletes with physical impairments opens in Nakhon Ratchasima Thailand, on 3 December.
The countdown is firmly on for the Games which is expected to attract more than 1,000 competitors from 50 countries competing in a provisional programme of 13 sports.
The logo for Nakhon Ratchasima 2023 features a contrasting yellow and red flower emblem as its main feature, reflecting some of the iconic imagery traditionally associated with Thailand.
The centre of the flower displays the World Abilitysport emblem. The 2023 Games will be the first to be held since the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) and the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA) joined forces to become World Abilitysport in the year.
As two historic International Organisations of Sport for the Disabled – the founding members of the Paralympic Movement – the World Abilitysport Games represent both an important development opportunity for new athletes as well as a chance for those with more experience to compete on their road to the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
The provisional programme for Nakhon Ratchasima 2023, hosted by the Sports Association for the Disabled of Thailand, is a mix of Paralympic sports and demonstration sports.
Athletes competing in athletics, swimming, table tennis, powerlfiting, road cycling, archery, badminton, shooting, snooker, lawn bowls, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis and wheelchair fencing will all do so with just months until Paris 2024.
Esports and petanque – both hugely popular sports in Thailand – will be held as demonstration events.
The Opening Ceremony will take place on 3 December followed by six days of action in venues across Nakhon Ratchasima.
These include some of the city’s most famous landmarks. His Majesty the King’s 80th Birthday Anniversary Sports Complex, the Chatchai Hall, Terminal 21, The Mall, the Central Nakhon Ratchasima Convention Hall and the Liptapanlop Hall will all host competitions. This will bring the action directly to the community, allowing them to experience Para sport up close.
The World Abilitysport Games follow a rich history of multi-sport competitions held by both IWAS and CPISRA since the 1950s. They are the biggest event on the World Abilitysport calendar and their forbears have featured the international debut of many athletes who have gone on to become Paralympic, world and regional champions and medallists over the years.