VISTA 2021 Conference fast approaching

The 10th edition of the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) VISTA 2021 Conference is set to kick off online for the first time on 18 November 2021. 

This year’s theme will be ‘Application to the podium – translating research and development to athlete performance’. Topics at the heart of the Paralympic Movement will be presented over six days, in three-hour long virtual sessions until 16 December 2021.  

Evidence-Based Classification (18 Nov) will open the conference followed by - Health and Medicine (22 Nov), Technology in Paralympic Sport (29 Nov), Socio-Cultural Legacy (1 Dec), Ethics and Integrity (14 Dec), and Paralympic Performance (16 Dec). 

Each session will include a keynote address, presentations, panel discussions with renowned experts and Q&A session and participant engagement with the presenters and experts. To facilitate this engagement, pre-recorded keynote, oral and poster presentations are already available online at www.vista2021.com 

Chair of the VISTA 2021 Scientific Committee Debbie Alexander said: “We are delighted that through this online VISTA 2021 delivery platform the conference, exchanging the latest information, research and expertise and cross-disciplinary interaction between sport scientists, athletes, coaches, administrators and the media, is now much more accessible throughout the Paralympic Movement. 

"As Chair of the VISTA 2021 Scientific Committee, I and Yves Vanlandewijck, Chair of the VISTA 2021 Organising Committee, are eager to welcome you to an exciting, diverse and inclusive 10th VISTA Conference.” 

Designed to provide a platform for sport scientists and researchers to hear from and have dialogue with experts in the field of sport for athletes with impairments, VISTA 2021 will be led by KU Leuven, Belgium; University of Stellenbosch, South Africa; The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden; School of Kinesiology, USA; Western University, Canada; University of Pittsburgh, USA; and Yonsei University, South Korea. 

All Paralympians who participated in the Paralympic Games from Rome 1960 to Tokyo 2020 have free access to the VISTA 2021 conference and the registration fee is waived for delegates from countries on the lower 50 per cent of the UN Human development Index ranking 2020.  

Unlike previous years, no IPC Scientific Award will be presented during VISTA 2021 due to insufficient candidate submissions.  

Further information regarding registration, partial registration and speakers for VISTA 2021 can be found here.