INAS-FID Suspension:
Suspension of INAS-FID Reaffirmed
The IPC Executive Committee, on the recommendation of the IPC Legal Committee, reaffirmed the suspension of the International Sports Federation for Athletes with an Intellectual Disability (INAS-FID) at its meeting on 28 April 2001 in Kuala Lumpur. The Committee also determined that provisional recognition of eligibility for intellectual disability (ID) athletes wishing to compete in IPC-sanctioned events is not achievable at the present time.
The Committee had agreed in January 2001 that ID athletes would have the opportunity to obtain provisional certification of their eligibility in order to be able to participate in IPC events. However, as pointed out by the IPC Legal Committee, provisional recognition of eligibility for participation in IPC-sanctioned events would have been in conflict with the IPC Constitution and thus, the earlier decision had to be revised.
This reaffirmation of the sanction has the following key implications:
- In the absence of a viable ID eligibility verification system, athletes with an intellectual disability will not be eligible to compete in the Salt Lake City 2002 Paralympic Winter Games, specifically, in the Nordic Skiing cross country events originally open to athletes with an intellectual disability.
- Athletes with an intellectual disability will not be eligible to participate in IPC Championship Sport sanctioned competitions, including the IPC World and Regional Championships, until at such time when a viable ID eligibility verification system is developed and the suspension of INAS-FID is lifted.
- Athletes with an intellectual disability are eligible to participate in events on the INAS-FID international competition calendar, provided that they meet the necessary requirements as stipulated by INAS-FID.
The IPC commends INAS-FID on the recent decisions taken by their General Assembly to address several of the IPC Executive Committee resolutions. The IPC will continue to work closely with INAS-FID to re-develop a new eligibility verification process for ID athletes seeking to compete in future IPC competitions. |
