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Zoeken Paralympics 2012,
door Bob Price

Gaan onze (top)atleten met een verstandelijke beperking in 2012 ook naar de Paralympics in Londen?

In 2012 vinden de Paralympics plaats in London. Dit 4 jaarlijkse topevenement is sinds 2004 verstoken van deelnemers met een verstandelijke beperking. In 2000 (Sydney) waren zij ook nog van de partij. Na deze spelen werden zij "voorlopig" uitgesloten, totdat er een goed en waterdicht kwalificatiesysteem beschikbaar was. In 2009 lijkt het zover te zijn. Volgens INAS FID (wereldbond voor sporters met een verstandelijke beperking) en de board van de IPC (International Paralympic Comittee) ligt er nu een systeem dat aan deze eisen voldoet.
In november vindt een grote IPC vergadering plaats. Eén van de onderwerpen daar is de stemming over het opnieuw toelaten van atleten met een verstandelijke beperking. Alle lidstaten (dus ook Nederland) beslissen daar over het lot van de VB atleten volgens het systeem meeste stemmen gelden. De board van het IPC adviseert positief nu de landen nog. Natuurlijk gaan wij ervan uit dat ook de Nederlandse en Belgische stemmen positief zullen zijn. Naar ons idee zouden alle NPC's positief moeten stemmen, immers zij vertegenwoordigen in het IPC de belangen van alle sporters met een beperking, dus ook die met een verstandelijke beperking. Helaas is het zo dat onze doelgroep niet mondig is en dus ook niet voor zichzelf op kan komen. Dit is aan ons, ouders, vertegenwoordigers, begeleiders, bestuurders en alle anderen die de VB atleten een goed hart toe dragen.

Hieronder een uittreksel uit de laatste Presidentsletter van INAS FID die nader op dit onderwerp ingaat.

PRESIDENT’S NEWSLETTER – OCTOBER 2009

These are exciting times for the Paralympic movement in general and for INAS-FID in particular, as there are many important events occurring at more or less the same time. This newsletter provides a summary of the achievements of the past few months and looks forward to some of the more significant events taking place during the next few months.

Global Games

..... Global Games are always important, but this year they assumed an even greater significance: providing an invaluable opportunity for IPC/INAS-FID sponsored researchers to test the new systems and procedures that are being developed with a view to securing the re-inclusion of athletes with intellectual disability in future Paralympic Games. By the end of the Games, approximately 420 athletes had been tested and the researchers have asked me to thank all concerned (athletes, coaches and managers) for making this possible. Unfortunately, despite the damage to INAS-FID’s reputation caused by the events of Sydney 2000, there is still a continuing need for vigilance in ensuring that INAS-FID competitions are only available to athletes whose eligibility has been confirmed in advance through registration with our Secretariat. The process of checking and, very often, rechecking athlete registrations prior to this year’s Global Games was both long and complicated and, in the end, 58 athletes from five different countries had to be excluded from competition. None of these decisions was taken lightly and everyone associated with this process felt genuine sympathy for the athletes and nations affected. Sadly, such decisions are sometimes necessary, both in the interests of preserving Games viability and, especially at the current time, of protecting and enhancing INAS-FID’s reputation within the wider Paralympic community. I can only hope that member nations will appreciate the need for such a tough stance and lend their full support to the efforts of INAS-FID and IPC to secure the re-inclusion of athletes with intellectual disability in future Paralympic Games.

London 2012

I have reported many times on the progress that is being made by the IPC/INAS-FID joint working group. In May’s newsletter, I was able to confirm that both the conceptual framework developed by the working group and its proposed action plan had been approved by the IPC Governing Board and the INAS-FID Executive Committee. Since then, there has been another major breakthrough, in that IPC and INAS-FID will jointly propose to this November’s IPC General Assembly that athletes with intellectual disability will be eligible to compete in the Paralympic Games of London 2012. The full text of this motion is as follows:

Motion submitted jointly by the IPC Governing Board and INAS-FID:

The IPC General Assembly (i) acknowledges the progress made by the joint IPC/INAS-FID Working Group in defining and assessing general eligibility, sport specificity and on-site testing and protest management; (ii) notes that the system currently developed uses a scientific approach that is compliant with the IPC Classification Code; and (iii) notes that effective sports input has been ensured.

Thereby, the IPC General Assembly confirms that the criteria and processes for the reinclusion of athletes with an intellectual disability (ID) in Paralympic sport as specified by previous IPC General Assemblies have been met. Therefore, subject to compliance with the sports specific minimal disability scores outlined in the attached rationale, the IPC General Assembly recognises that athletes with intellectual disability will be eligible to compete in the respective International Federation sanctioned competitions, including the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

 Having the IPC Governing Board so positively associated with this motion will send a very powerful signal to the entire IPC membership. However, nothing is guaranteed and we must not be complacent. Every national member of INAS-FID should do everything within its power to ensure that its own National Paralympic Committee travels to Kuala Lumpur in November intent on voting in the right way. Please do not leave this to chance ... talk to your NPC.

And then, in Kuala Lumpur on 21-22 November, the IPC General Assembly will vote on the re-inclusion of athletes with intellectual disability in future Paralympic Games, starting with London 2012. As I have already said, please do all that you can to ensure that your National Paralympic Committee votes in the right way: the future of our athletes, from a Paralympic perspective, is in their hands … talk to them! Although nothing can be taken for granted, I am optimistic that, with your help, my next newsletter will be able to report on the end of nine years of Paralympic exclusion and the beginning of a new era of Paralympic opportunity for elite athletes with intellectual disability.

Dr Bob Price

INAS-FID President