The 1st World Abilitysport Guttmann Games will be held from 10-14 July 2024 in the birthplace of the Paralympic Movement, Stoke Mandeville, Great Britain.
The Games, aimed specifically at sports and events not on the Paralympic programme, will host a competition programme of powerchair hockey and para dance sport with a development forum and showcase to be held in wheelchair cricket.
In a groundbreaking moment for FIS, the first-ever FIS development camp dedicated to para-snowboarding was held in Landgraaf (NED) at the end of November. Uniquely tailored as a women-only event, its aim was to encourage greater female participation in the sport. The event marked a successful debut, attracting 13 potential new competitors from 8 different nations.
In an unexpected announcement, the World ParaVolley President, Barry Couzner OAM, revealed his retirement from volleyball and paravolley activities, effective 31 December 2023. He had another year to serve as President, but a health issue has prevented him from continuing in the role which he began in October 2014, making this the 10th year of his Presidency.
Vice President Lori Okimura will automatically take over as President until December 2024 and meanwhile a new Vice President will be sought by the Board.
The World Wheelchair-B Curling Championship 2023 will take place in the Kisakallio Sports Institute in Lohja, Finland from 5–10 November.
11 teams will play for spots in the World Wheelchair Curling Championship 2023 line-up. The three podium-finisher teams in Lohja qualify for the world championship, taking place in March 2024 in Gangneung, Korea.
World Abilitysport and World ParaVolley have signed an agreement which will see the two organisations work together on the development of the sport, athletes and officials over the next four years.
World Abilitysport offers a range of sports and development opportunities for people with physical impairments, headlined by its biennial World Games. It has a long history of supporting sports and disciplines both on and off the Paralympic programme.
The International Tennis Federation has announced that wheelchair tennis’ longest standing sponsor, NEC, will continue as title sponsor of the NEC Wheelchair Singles Masters and as an international partner of Japanese tournaments on the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour for an additional three-year period from 2024 through 2026.
Tim Reddish, 66, former chairman of the British Paralympic Association, was elected by the IBSA Executive Board, as chairperson of the IBSA Legal and Ethics Committee (LEC).
The five-time medalist in three Paralympic Games (Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, and Sidney 2000) explained what his role will be in the near future.
World Boccia are delighted to announce that Mr Jon Morgan OBE has been appointed as President and Mr Richard Boele as Treasurer, following elections at the recent General Assembly in Portugal. Jon was nominated by UK Boccia and Richard by Boccia Australia. Both have previous World Boccia Board experience. World Boccia would also like to thank Dr Ahmed Adam for his interest in the role of Treasurer. Mr David Hadfield OBE (Immediate Past President) was given the role of Honorary Vice President of World Boccia in appreciation of the incredible amount he has done for our sport.
Recently, all eyes were on Para Table Tennis Development as a groundbreaking initiative took place in Giza (EGY) in the form of the first ever Para Table Tennis Training Camp organized within the framework of the ITTF Development plan. Simultaneously, selected Para Table Tennis athletes from Member Associations around the world were embarking on their own journeys, propelled by the support of ITTF's PTT Grants for 2023.
Para-cyclists from south-east and west Asia trained last week at the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) Continental Development Satellite in Yeongju, Korea.
The first-of-its kind training camp was coordinated by the UCI World Cycling Centre in Aigle, Switzerland, financed by International Paralympic Committee (IPC) funding, and run by the UCI WCC Korean Development satellite. Athletes from Lebanon, Laos, United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Thailand made the most of this opportunity.
World Triathlon’s Executive Board has approved the inclusion on the 2023 season calendar of a new event, the World Triathlon Para Cup Taranto (Italy), to be hosted on Sunday October 29, 2023. With this new race included on the calendar, World Triathlon is adding another opportunity for Para triathletes to obtain Paralympic ranking points on back to back weekends, with the Malaga Para Cup (Spain) taking place just the week before.
