Paralympic Inclusion

[Antisocial]

Meant to cover this at the time - its old news now but worth highlighting still.

The ban on athletes with a learning or intellectual disability taking part in the paralympics has been lifted.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/othe...rt/8323369.stm


Congratulations to to Nick Parr from Mencap sport and Karon Nicol and who worked tirelessly behind the scene's to make this happen. Hopefully UK athletes can now access funding in order to prepare for 2012.

[emmilou]

Excellent news.

[Ady In Accy]

Nowt about this on the news tonight when they were on about various swimming & cycling events being chopped.

[Fat Bloke]

It came out a few days (even weeks?) ago.

People with learning (or intellectual, normally as per the States) disabilities were barred a number of years ago, following a Spanish basketball team competing when they turned out not to be learning disabled (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheatin...ralympic_Games)

It's good news that the 'ban' has been rescinded (sp?) - people with LD have a hard enough life as it is, without being denied the (competitive) opportunity for that the rest of us might take for granted.

fb

[Antisocial]

It came out a few days (even weeks?) ago.

People with learning (or intellectual, normally as per the States) disabilities were barred a number of years ago, following a Spanish basketball team competing when they turned out not to be learning disabled (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheatin...ralympic_Games)

It's good news that the 'ban' has been rescinded (sp?) - people with LD have a hard enough life as it is, without being denied the (competitive) opportunity for that the rest of us might take for granted.

fb

FB is right the vote took place in Kuala Lumpur in November, it was very close with some countries especially the states being very anti inclusion of learning disabled athletes..

The thing is it has impacted on a number of ways, elite athletes with a learning disability have been excluded from lottery funding across the board for example. Also initially the school games which the govt pushed as part of the package of events leading up to 2012 as a showcase for up and coming athletes excluded people with a learning disability from taking part as they were run under paralympic rules, though red faced ministers over turned the schools games ban after some behind the scenes lobbying .

The umbrella body for athletes with an intellectual disability is http://www.inas-fid.org/ with Mencap hosting the secretariat and being a major international player in pushing this through.

[Loon Dod]

It is great news, As Athletics Coach for Special Olympics Grampian region I am very happy.