Ipc Reviews Rule Change For 2012

The International Paralympic Committee is considering a rule change that will allow athletes with an intellectual disability to take part at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

A decision on their participation is to be taken at this week’s International Paralympic Committee General Assembly.

To date such athletes have been banned since it was found that most of Spain’s intellectual disability basketball team at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics were not disabled.

A decision is expected at the weekend and if the motion is passed at the meeting in Kuala Lumpur, a limited number of sports, including athletics and swimming, will be included in the 2012 programme.

Intellectual disability athletes were barred from competing at both the Athens Games in 2004 and in Beijing in 2008, but recently they competed at the IPC European Swimming Championships in Iceland – the first IPC-run event at which they were allowed to compete.

A team of seven GB swimmers won 12 medals, including six golds.

The International Sports Federation for Persons with an Intellectual Disability (Inas-Fid) has been working with the IPC on the matter and have jointly proposed a motion to the general assembly.

The motion calls on the assembly to acknowledge the progress that has been made by the joint IPC/Inas-Fid working group, and that the criteria for the reintroduction of athletes with an intellectual disability to Paralympic Games has been met.

It also requests that athletes are eligible to compete in their respective International Federation-sanctioned competition, including London 2012.

‘We’d be disappointed if the decision didn’t go our way,’ said ParalympicsGB chief executive Phil Lane.

‘ParalympicsGB have lobbied long and hard for the reinclusion of ID athletes from the very beginning and that is why we would be delighted to see the IPC announce their involvement in the Paralympics, particularly with London 2012 coming up.

‘When looking at a physical disability, a decision regarding sporting competition is a fairly easy one to make but when looking at an intellectual disability, things are far more complex and careful research must be undertaken to ensure the right course of action is taken.

‘It has taken some time for this decision to come about and while the delay is regrettable, there are many issues to overcome in order to make a decision such as this but things seem to be looking positive.’