IPC Athletics Committee Meets in Bonn

The Sport Technical Committee (STC) for International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletics met recently at the Gustav-Stresemann-Institut e.V. (GSI) in Bonn, Germany, to discuss and review upcoming events and competitions.

Taking place from 4-6 June, the STC received an update and status overview on key areas with a conference call from the Local Organizing Committee for the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand. Areas included in the conference call were transport, accommodation, competition venue and training facilities.

A review of the competition cycle for the World and Regional Championships also took place, with a discussion of potential host cities. Additionally, a decision was held to extend competition properties to Junior/Youth Championships and Indoor World Championships.

The IPC Athletics STC noted that a significant increase in approved competitions has occurred, with 65 competitions approved in 2009 and 350 competitions approved in 2010. Following this, the competition fee structure for 2011 and beyond was reviewed.

In light of the limited classification opportunities for VI athletes in IPC Athletics, the status of VI classification was also discussed and a review of the World Championships qualification criteria took place.

Representatives from the IPC travelled to Monaco on 7 June, meeting with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to discuss current and future prospects in the Paralympic Sport. IPC Athletics Sport Manager Helen Murphy and IPC Athletics STC Chairperson Jason Hellwig said that it was a successful meeting and constructive relating to areas of future co-operation.