Wheelchair tennis and Iranian archer nominated SportAccord award

The Wheelchair Tennis Development Fund has been nominated for the SportAccord Spirit of Sport Award 2013 in the project category and Iranian archer Zahra Nemati in the individual category. 18 Apr 2013

A picture of person in wheelchairs playing tennis

World Tennis Day celebrations in Gauteng, Limpopo and the Western Cape, South Africa centred on grassroots level camps and tournaments.

ⒸWheelchair Tennis South Africa

By IPC

Each year, the 107 international sports federations and organisations who are members of SportAccord enhance their commitment to using sport as a tool to create change and improve the situation of communities around the world.

The countdown is on for the annual SportAccord Spirit of Sport Awards 2013 with the Awards Commission releasing the shortlist of nominees on Thursday (18 April).

The Spirit of Sport Awards 2013 will be presented to the Laureates during the 11th annual SportAccord Convention in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on 29 May 2013.

Each year, the 107 international sports federations and organisations who are members of SportAccord enhance their commitment to using sport as a tool to create change and improve the situation of communities around the world.

The Wheelchair Tennis Development Fund (WTDF) has been shortlisted in the projects category. It aims to establish long-lasting wheelchair tennis programs, providing children and adults with an impairment with opportunities to enjoy an active and rewarding life. The initiatives all help to grow wheelchair tennis predominately in developing nations where people with an impairment are often excluded or segregated from society and caught in a cycle of poverty and disability.

Other shortlisted nominations in the projects category include

- Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) - From Scream to Victory

- Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) - Out of Africa

- International Aikido Federation (IAF) - Aiki Mundus

- Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) - Riders for Health

- International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) - Ping Pong Paix

The individual nominations for the award include Piotr Borowski and Zahra Nemati.

Nemati competed in archery at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, winning gold in the women's individual recurve W1/W2 and bronze in the women's team recurve open. As a result of her success, the participation in archery has dramatically increased in Iran.

From the shortlist, three projects and one individual will be selected for the Awards Ceremony in May.