International Day of Sport for Athletes with an Intellectual Impairment announced

The International Federation for Intellectual Impairment Sport (INAS) has relaunched its dedicated day for celebrating and raising awareness of high performance and grassroots sport worldwide.

The occasion – formerly known as Global Intellectual Disability Day – has been renamed the International Day of Sport for Athletes with an Intellectual Impairment. It will be held on 3 December 2017.

This year’s edition will have a theme of ‘the world’s best athletes’. The aim is to showcase and promote the incredible abilities of the sportspeople INAS supports.

The organisation is encouraging its 80+ member organisations, the wider Para sport movement and the public to get involved on a national and international level.

“From arranging meet and greets with athletes and trying out sports with them, to sharing memories, photos and videos on social media of their favourite stars, there is something everyone can do to celebrate the new International Day of Sport for Athletes with an Intellectual Impairment,” INAS President, Marc Truffaut, said.

“There is no better way for people to get to know the most successful athletes from their country and to raise awareness of their achievements. It is also a great way to promote grassroots sports for people with intellectual impairments, autism and Down’s syndrome.

“We are timing this year’s celebrations to coincide with the 2017 INAS Swimming Championships – one of our biggest competitions – as well as the United Nations’ International Day of Persons with Disabilities to really maximise the reach of the event.

“We want as many people as possible to know about high performance sport for athletes with intellectual impairments, to follow them during their careers and share their favourite moments and memories using #SupportTheBest.”

At the 2017 INAS Swimming Championships, which begins on 28 November and closes on 3 December in Aguascalientes, Mexico, a range of digital content, videos, images and athlete stories will be shared to celebrate the day.

INAS will also be posting updates from member organisations and athletes. As a charity it aims to use the day to raise funds to support its work.

Aguascalientes 2017 is expected to attract around 150 athletes from 20 countries – the biggest gathering of swimmers with an intellectual impairment this year.