Slots, Disciplines, Events and
Sports: Technical Issues on the Sports Agenda
An evaluation and review of the Summer events programme
has been initiated. In order to comply with the Athens
2004 Contract, the events programme will be finalized
by 30 October 2002. The same date has been targeted for
the distribution of the 2004 Paralympic Games Qualification
Guide, which shall include a list of all events. The Qualification
Process is under review to ensure that the most elite
athletes qualify and that regional distribution is considered.
For the Paralympic Winter Sports, a review is due with
regards to the sports and disciplines that will be on
the programme in 2006. The criteria for a sport or discipline
to be included in the Paralympic Winter Games in Torino
in 2006 is that it needs to be widely practiced in at
least two continents and eight countries for the men's
events and in two continents and six countries for the
women's events. Enquiries for possible inclusion have
been received from two sports, but no official application
has been submitted yet.
A Code of Conduct for Sports Assembly Executive Committees
(SAECs) and technical officials is presently developed.
It will be similar to the one, which is already in place
for classifiers. The reason for developing this code is
to ensure the acceptance and practice of standards with
regards to ethical behaviour while carrying out the specific
roles of SAEC member of Technical official.
For the Athens 2004 Paralympic Summer Games, sport specific
allocations of athlete slots are presently planned. Whereas
the overall quota for individual sports will be almost
the same as for the Sydney 2000 Games, the number for
team events will rise slightly due to the inclusion of
5-aside-soccer for visually impaired athletes. The IPC
Paralympic Programme Review Committee, under the direction
of Fred Jansen, currently conducts an event-by-event analysis
of all summer sports to ensure that the principles of
quality, quantity and universality are met. Details will
be announced in the next edition of "The Paralympian".
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