News

Following weeks of intensive training, 40 hand-picked participants from 19 countries have completed the Association of Paralympic Sports Organisations (APSO) Women Lead Sports (WLS) programme, which supports the development and active participation of women in decision-making within para sport organisations worldwide.

Created by award winning trainer and professional coach Gabriela Mueller, the programme is designed to give women the tools they require to become effective negotiators, communicators, change-agents and influential leaders in sports governance structures.

WWR is delighted to announce that the 2022 Wheelchair Rugby European Qualification Championship will be hosted by the Norwegian Rugby Association at Skien Fritidspark. 

Four days of competition will commence Wednesday 7th September 2022 with finals day on Saturday 10th September 2022. 10 European Wheelchair Rugby National teams will be competing for places at the European Championship 2023 to be hosted by Great Britain to be held at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales in late April early May 2023.

The FEI has launched The Para Equestrian Digest, an online magazine created for Para Equestrian athletes and the people connected to the sport so they can share – in their own words – their personal experiences and disability stories.

Every month, the Digest will put the spotlight on an athlete or project in Para Equestrian sport with the aim of improving disability awareness and inclusion.

FIBA, the governing body of basketball, and IWBF, the governing body of wheelchair basketball, have announced further steps to intensify their relationship with the common goal to develop and grow basketball across the world.

The two organizations reaffirmed their close collaboration following recent meetings by the IWBF Executive Council and the FIBA Executive Committee, where it was approved by both Executive Boards to intensify the cooperation.

The International Tennis Federation and UNIQLO have today announced that the clothing brand will continue its support of wheelchair tennis for a further three years, committing to a renewal of its title sponsorship agreement for the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour through 2024.  

At the Uganda Para Badminton International 2021 in Kampala (16–21 November), 15 female players were handed the BWF Female Participation Grant to be classified and to participate for the first time at the tournament.

Some of the first-time recipients included athletes from Benin, DR Congo, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

One such athlete was Guillain-Barré syndrome-affected Zimbabwean Yemurai Ngoma, who uses Para badminton as an advocacy tool to raise awareness among fellow female athletes on their sexual reproductive health rights as well as gender violence.

Kenneth Lee, World Wheelchair Rugby Chief Medical Officer has published a book entitled – Concussion Management for Wheelchair Athletes – Evaluation and Examination

BISFed recently held its 4th General Assembly, with the participation of 69 representatives from 37 BISFed Members. The meeting was held online, and the BISFed President gave a full report on progress during the last two years, highlighting the success of the postponed 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. The Treasurer confirmed that BISFed remains financially secure, having managed its affairs prudently during the pandemic.

FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez has been unanimously re-elected President of the Association of Paralympic Sports Organisations (APSO) for the four-year term 2021-2025.

Ibáñez was re-elected at the APSO General Assembly which took place prior to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) General Assembly where Andrew Parsons (BRA) was himself re-elected IPC President for a second consecutive four-year term.

The first ever World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Curling Championship is set to take place in Lohja, Finland from 30 April until 6 May 2022 at the Kisakallio Sports Institute.

This inaugural championship will be played less than three weeks after the Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, allowing for some athletes to compete in both a World Wheelchair Curling Championship and the Paralympic Games in the same year.

The World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Curling Championship plans to feature upwards of 25 teams and will see one female and one male player per team.

The International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) has announced that the 2023 IWAS World Games will take place in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, from 1-9 December.

The city will finally get the chance to stage the multi-sport event after missing out in 2020 because of COVID-19. It will follow the recently announced 2022 IWAS World Games in Sochi, Russia.