IWAS Games Finish in India

The 2009 International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) World Games have officially finished their run in Bangalore, India.

In the Men’s Shotput 4kg (F56), Olokhan Musayev from Azerbaijan took first, followed by Russia’s Alexey Ivanov and Poland’s Krz Smorszczewski. In the Women’s Discus 1kg (F44), Germany’s Michaela Floeth took first, followed by China’s Jin Yajuan and Thailand’s Ladee Wanna respectively.

In the Men’s 200m Individual Medley (SM9), Indian athletes took the top two places with Prashanta Karmakar in first and Sachin Verma in second. In the Women’s 400m Freestyle (S9), China’s Yuqingyan Cai took first, and was followed by Thailand’s Wongpaka Jantawong and Piyanuch Buapun respectively.

In the Men’s Powerlifting (over 100kg), Iraq’s Faris Al-Ajeeli took the gold. Al-Ajeeli was followed by Ahmed Albaloushi (UAE) and Cristiano Pacheco (BRA) respectively. In the Women’s Powerlifting (over 82.5kg), Adeline Ancheta from the Philippines took the gold. Brazil’s Edilandia Rodrigues Araujo and Fatmah Alkaabi from the United Arab Emirate took the silver and bronze medal respetively.

For the Men’s Shooting (Air Pistol P1), Evnipidu Georgiou from Cyprus took the gold medal. Thailand’s Sub. Lt. Sommai Atsa and Tanong Channam took the silver and bronze respectively. Tanut Sumetarat from Thailand took the gold medal in the Women’s Shooting (Air Pistol P2).

Starting on 24 November, and going through 2 December, a total of nine sports were on the schedule, including Badminton, Golf, Powerlifting, Shooting, Sitting Volleyball, Swimming, Table Tennis, and Wheelchair Fencing. A demonstration of Wheelchair Rugby was also carried out for fans of the Paralympic Sport.

A total of 1,000 athletes from over 60 countries participated in the big event. The Opening Ceremony on 24 November was just two days after the closing of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) General Assembly and Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The IWAS World Games are an international sporting event taking place every two years. The IWAS World Junior Games also take place every two years and are a fundamental opportunity for young athletes with aspiration for an international career in their chosen sports.