News

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.

The first ever International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) Blind Football Women’s European Championships will be held in Pescara, Italy, in 2022, just ahead of the next men’s edition in the same location.

The women’s Euros join the recently announced first Americas and Asian Championships for female players in Argentina and India, respectively.

Four teams are expected to compete in Pescara from 2-7 June as women’s blind football takes off around the world, whilst 10 countries will go for the title in the men’s from 8-18 June.

An independent working group of experts and medical professionals, tasked by the ITF to review the current Minimum Impairment Criteria (MIC) within the ITF’s Wheelchair Tennis Classification Rules, has delivered its final report which has now been approved by the ITF Board and the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) Classification Committee.

The International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) Executive Board have appointed the Chairs for seven sport committees following a call for applications.

The committees are responsible for elements of the management of the sports such as the competition calendar, rules and development.

World Wheelchair Rugby (WWR) is excited to announce, that Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby (GBWR) have been awarded the hosting rights for the 2023 World Wheelchair Rugby European Championship Division A Tournament.

BISFed is pleased to announce the city of Vila do Conde in Portugal as the host of the first World Boccia Youth World Championships, which will be held between 7 and 16 July 2023. (Vila do Conde is adjacent to Povoa de Varzim where many international boccia competitions have been held over the last 10 years.)

On 27 October 2021 the World ParaVolley Board unanimously approved the first official Beach Development Centre that is located in Florida, USA – the Hickory Point Beach Sand Volleyball Complex.

This is an exciting development for the progress of beach paravolley which is planning to be included in the LA 2028 Paralympic Games as it will serve as a Centre for upcoming competitions, events, clinics, camps and training/education opportunities for athletes, coaches and officials.

Dr. Stephen Giugni OAM, Assistant Sport Director (Beach) said:

Beijing’s Kuntai Group has been named as the title sponsor of the World Wheelchair Curling Championship 2021 being hosted in the National Aquatic Centre from 23–30 October. The National Aquatic Centre will also be the curling venue for the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and is known as the Ice Cube.

Established in 1992, the Kuntai Group is a state owned real estate and property management enterprise committed to urban space development and operation in the Chaoyang District of Beijing.

The International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) has announced that the IWAS World Games 2022 will be hosted in Sochi, Russia, from 2-9 October.

The Games, which will return to the impressive venues of the 2015 edition, will once again host an exciting provisional sports programme comprised of archery, athletics, cerebral palsy football, ParaVolley, swimming, table tennis & Para badminton.