Author: Editor Prime

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) invites stakeholders to “save the date” on 9 April to celebrate Play True Day 2021.

Since 2014, in April of every year, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the anti-doping community worldwide have celebrated ‘Play True Day’ — a day that is dedicated to Clean Sport and is intended to raise awareness among athletes, the sporting public and others about the importance of protecting Clean Sport.
 
The inspiration for Play True Day stems from a WADA-hosted Education Conference in 2013, which was attended by 17 South American countries. While the celebration started as a small South American initiative, last year, the Agency’s digital and social media campaign reached over 50 million people worldwide with numerous individuals and organizations taking part from around the globe.

This year’s theme is “What does Play True mean to you?”. Therefore, we invite athletes, National and Regional Anti-Doping Organizations, Sports Federations, Governments, Major Event Organizers and other anti-doping stakeholders from around the world to join the Agency’s social media campaign on 9 April 2021 and let us know.

Similar to previous years, WADA will be providing branded ‘Play True Day’ visuals that can be used by stakeholders as part of their social media campaigns. However, participants are also encouraged to:

• innovate by creating personalized what does Play True mean to you? visuals based on their specific country, language and/or sport;
• use hashtags #PlayTrue and #PlayTrueDay both in the lead-up to and on the day in order to extend the reach and impact of the campaign on social media; and
• follow the campaign in real time via our dedicated Play True Day social media wall on WADA’s website.

Should you have any queries or if you would like to inform WADA of your planned Play True Day social media efforts, please contact Patrick Handfield, Digital Communications Consultant/Webmaster at: patrick.handfield@wada-ama.org.

Finally, as an anti-doping community stakeholder, we would kindly ask you to ensure that this message is conveyed on to the relevant persons within your organization that would like to participate in the campaign.

Thank you and best regards,
 
World Anti-Doping Agency

On International Women’s Day, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the Government of Japan and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) are reiterating their commitment to make the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer a landmark in gender equality on and off the field of play, paving the way for a more equal and inclusive society.

At the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020:

• Almost 49 per cent of the athletes participating will be women, according to the IOC quota allocation. These will be the first gender-balanced Games in history.
• There will be a ground-breaking competition schedule. ensuring equal visibility between women’s and men’s events and featuring nine more mixed events than at Rio 2016, raising the overall number to 18.
• For the first time ever, all 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) should have at least one female and one male athlete in their respective Olympic teams.
• All 206 NOCs and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team will be encouraged to have their flag carried by one female and one male athlete at the Opening Ceremony.

At the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020:

• At least 40.5 per cent of all the athletes will be women, according to the IPC Qualification Criteria. This equates to 1,782 athletes, an increase on the 1,671 women who competed at Rio 2016 (38.6 per cent).
• At the Opening Ceremony, all the competing National Paralympic Committees will also be encouraged to have their flag carried by one female and one male athlete.

Following the appointment of its new President, HASHIMOTO Seiko, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee has increased the size of its Executive Board, bringing the percentage of women to 42 per cent. It has also created a Gender Equality Promotion Team under the leadership of its Sports Director, KOTANI Mikako, in order to further promote gender and inclusion initiatives during the Games.

“The IOC is committed to gender equality in all areas, from the athletes competing on and off the field of play to leadership roles in sports organisations,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “With only four months to go until the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the Olympic Movement is getting ready for a new milestone in its efforts to create a gender-equal sporting world – the first gender-balanced Olympic Games in history.”

“Inclusion is at the core of everything the IPC does,” said IPC President Andrew Parsons.

“We are constantly striving with our members to increase female participation at all levels of the Paralympic Movement, from athletes to administrators, from coaches to Board members. Tokyo 2020 is on course to have more female athletes compete than any previous Paralympic Games. In less than a decade, we will have increased the number of women competing at the Paralympics by at least 18.7 per cent compared to London 2012. Despite this progress we will not rest on our laurels, and we will continue to work hard with our members to increase women’s participation at all future Games until we reach gender equality.”

“Tokyo 2020 upholds ‘Unity in Diversity’ as an important concept of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It has been making various efforts for this purpose together with the IOC, IPC, TMG and the Government of Japan. Currently, the Gender Equality Promotion Team is actively working to put together possible further action, including proposals for leaving a lasting legacy after the Games. We resolve to make the Tokyo 2020 Games considered as a turning point in history when looking back many years later,” said Tokyo 2020 President HASHIMOTO Seiko.

“Participation of both women and men in all fields, and the active participation of women will lead to the creation of a prosperous, vibrant and sustainable society and the realisation of a society in which everyone can live comfortably,” said Minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, Minister in charge of Women’s Empowerment and Minister of State for Gender Equality MARUKAWA Tamayo. “To re-acknowledge the importance of unity in diversity throughout the world and to make the Tokyo Games an opportunity to develop a harmonious and inclusive society, the Government of Japan, together with the IOC, IPC, TMG and the Tokyo Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, will pledge to make the Tokyo Games the all-time best in terms of gender equality; promote gender equality in the field of sport; and support women affected largely by the pandemic.”

KOIKE Yuriko, the Governor of Tokyo, said: “The Tokyo 2020 Games uphold ‘Unity in Diversity’ as one of the primary concepts. The TMG has also been engaging in fostering the public’s awareness towards human rights by enacting the ‘Ordinance aiming for realisation of the concept of respect for human rights as stipulated in the Olympic Charter’. Furthermore, the promotion of women’s active participation in society is positioned as one of the vital tasks of the TMG, and we are determined to continue to work on various measures extensively. We would like to make these Games an opportunity for the concepts of diversity and respect for human rights to take further root in society. We will make this a legacy and build a better future based on it. The TMG, together with the IOC, IPC, Japanese Government and Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, will aim to realise Games with the concept of unity in diversity.”

On this day as the world collectively raises its voice towards gender equality, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is lifting up three notable leaders who have done just that to earn the 2021 International Women’s Day Recognition awards.

Kate Caithness of World Curling Federation (Builder category), Iranian Para archer Zahra Nemati (Next Generation Leader category) and World Para Powerlifting (National Paralympic Committee/International Federation category) were named this year’s winners.

The annual recognition, which coincides on 8 March’s International Women’s Day, celebrates primarily women in the Paralympic Movement who have inspired and emulated the Paralympic ideals and are positive role models.

This is the second year the IPC International Women’s Day Recognition has expanded into categories since its inception in 2013. The winners were decided by the IPC’s Women in Sport Committee, chaired by Rita van Driel, who said:

“For 18 years now, one of the central aims of the IPC Women in Sport Committee has been to work to increase the number of women in leadership positions across the Paralympic Movement. Our International Women’s Day Recognition awards are a celebration of those who are breaking down barriers and opening up new opportunities for athletes, coaches, administrators and executives in Para sport.

“The Committee was thrilled with the standard of entries this year and we would like to thank everyone who entered. It’s incredibly important that we find out more about those making a difference and celebrate the best practice taking place. One thing is for certain, our winners today are flag bearers for women in the Paralympic Movement. There is so much to learn from Kate Caithness, Zahra Nemati and World Para Powerlifting. And the more we can identify and harness successes like theirs, the more we will increase the number of women in leadership positions and make our Movement even more diverse.“

KATE CAITHNESS – BUILDER

Caithness has served as World Curling Federation’s President since 2010 and concludes her term after the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. She is one three female International Federation presidents and has worked to develop wheelchair curling even before her presidency. From first holding try-out sessions in Scotland to playing a central part in the sport’s first World Championships in 2002, Caithness saw her efforts pay off when wheelchair curling made its Paralympic debut at Torino 2006.

Caithness said: “I’m stunned to get this. I actually didn’t know I had been put forward until I saw the shortlist. And when I saw the people that were on that, I thought, ‘Oh wow, well at least it’s nice to be considered’.”

“It’s a great honour for wheelchair curling, a sport in which we have gender equality across the board. It’s also the sport that got me where I am to be honest. Wheelchair curling is a big part of my history within World Curling Federation. I’m absolutely thrilled and honoured to be given this recognition.”

Locally, she helped form the Scottish Wheelchair Curling Association and moved on to join World Curling Federation as project leader to develop the Para sport. Her latest achievement as President includes supporting efforts to include wheelchair mixed doubles into Milan Cortina 2026. It 2013 Caithness was given an OBE, a British order of chivalry, for ‘Services to Curling and International Disability Sport’.

ZAHRA NEMATI – NEXT GENERATION

Iran’s first gold medallist at a Paralympic or Olympics has used her platform to be an activist for women and people with disabilities in her home country. Since making history at the London 2012 Paralympics, Nemati has been on the forefront of showing what women with an impairment can achieve as she continued collecting Paralympic and World Championship medals.

Nemati said: “The Next Generation award to is not only a reason to leap for joy, but it also means I have a huge responsibility to bear on my shoulders. I am now a woman pioneer who is branded by the IPC not only to inspire her peers and contemporary generation, but also to think, speak and act as a role model for the next generation of ladies who will make this planet a better place to live on an equal basis and more inclusivity than ever.”

Nemati also participated at the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and in May 2018, she was designated as the first Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Ambassador by the president of Global Understanding (GU) Regional Action Centre in Iran.

WORLD PARA POWERLIFTING – NPC/IF

For over a decade now, World Para Powerlifting has sought to advance the role of women in every element of their sport. Through collaboration with researchers, studies were conducted analysing the barriers and facilitators of female athletes, technical officials and coaches, which led to the development of dedicated programmes such as ‘She Can Lift’, that was launched to educate and empower women participants to become technical officials and coaches within the sport. Since 2019, “She Can Lift” has engaged and inspired participants from over twenty-five countries in Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia.

World Para Powerlifting’s Head of Education and Development Dora Szatmari said: “I hope this recognition can provide more visibility to the initiative and women involved in the sport; more opportunities for NPCs and national sport federations to replicate the initiative at the local level; and more opportunities for other IFs to launch a similar project.”

Representation in World Para Powerlifting’s leadership has also improved from no members who were women on the Sport Technical Committee and Advisory Groups to six. In addition, all of these dedicated efforts have helped increase the number of women practising the sport by 138 per cent since 2009.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

2020 – Paulina Malinowska-Kowalczyk (Builder), Maha Bargouthi (Next Generation), and Paralympics Australia (NPC/IF)

2019 – Deepa Malik

2018 – Dr. Hayat Khattab

2017 – Dr. Cheri Blauwet

2016 – Carla Qualtrough

2015 – Chantal Petitclerc

2014 – Rima Batalova

2013 – Sylvana Mestre

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has launched a Tokyo 2020 anti-doping dedicated webpage (https://www.paralympic.org/anti-doping-tokyo2020) with a summary of key information for National Paralympic Committees, National Anti-Doping Organisations and International Federations ahead of this year’s Paralympic Games.

This new webpage includes information about the IPC Anti-Doping Code, the Tokyo 2020 Doping Control Guidebook and other key pieces of information for Games participants about the anti-doping programme and how it will be conducted.

A number of key dates ahead of the Paralympics are highlighted, along with links to a range of Tokyo 2020 resources, to help ensure athletes and support personnel are prepared in the lead up to (and during) the Games. 

The educational resources include the recently launched ‘ADEL for Tokyo 2020 Paralympics’ e-learning course – a collaboration between the IPC and the World Anti-Doping Agency to educate athletes and coaches participating at the Games. 

Also included are ‘PlayTrue2020’ resources , which provide an easy-to-understand explanation of the doping control procedures. PlayTrue2020 is a legacy project for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, led by the Government of Japan and the Japan Anti-Doping Agency (JADA) and focussed on promoting sport values.

IPC Anti-Doping Director James Sclater said: “It’s important that the IPC launches this webpage, as we want everyone, from athletes to coaches, NPCs to IFs and medical professionals to support staff, to understand the significance and intricacies of anti-doping – and to arrive at Tokyo 2020 well prepared.

“With the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games fast approaching, we need to ensure everyone involved is well-informed and understand their rights and obligations prior to the Games.”

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has released the shortlist for the 2021 International Women’s Day Recognition, with winners to be announced on 8 March’s global celebration of women and gender equality.

This is the second year, since its inception in 2013, the International Women’s Day Recognition has expanded into categories, awarding primarily women in the Paralympic Movement who inspire and emulate the Paralympic ideals, and serve as positive role models.

Five outstanding female candidates each, make up the Builder and Next Generation categories, respectively. Three organisations have been shortlisted for the National Paralympic Committee and International Federation (NPC/IF) category.

The winners will be decided by the IPC’s Women in Sport Committee, chaired by Rita van Driel, who said:

“The 2021 International Women’s Day Recognition supports one of the IPC’s key strategic objectives, which is to promote gender balance in leadership positions across the Paralympic Movement.  I can say without doubt that the 2021 nominations process has been our strongest to date, and we are hugely encouraged by the number of entries which showed women across the Movement breaking down barriers that restrict participation and implementing initiatives that engage more women at all levels and positions in Paralympic sport.”

BUILDER

This category recognises sustained and consistent leadership over a period of time, advocacy, overall contributions and impact promoting and supporting women in sport:

Batoul Moshref Javadi – The Deputy of Women Students’ Affairs Across the Country in Iran also serves on NPC Iran’s executive board, shedding light on the abilities and challenges for women. She is also the Vice President of Women Affairs for the Iran Sports Federation for the Disabled.

Kate Caithness CBE – The President of the World Curling Federation is one of the two women International Federation Presidents. Caithness has developed wheelchair curling by running try-out sessions in Scotland, before playing a central part in the introduction of the World Wheelchair Curling Championship in 2002 and eventually wheelchair curling’s place at the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games. She was instrumental in the recent introduction of the wheelchair mixed doubles to the Paralympic programme.

Ann Cody – The Paralympic champion currently oversees the International Disability Rights portfolio at the US Department of State, where she works to promote inclusivity and fight discrimination for persons with disabilities globally. She has also held leadership positions at the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee, IPC and International Olympic Committee.

Ming-chu Mu – Having served as the President of the Chinese Taipei Paralympic Committee since 1992, Dr Mu has led the nation to its Paralympic debut at Barcelona 1992 and since, worked towards popularising Para sports at home and increasing women’s participation.

Shaenaz Voss – Through mentoring, Voss has been building a platform for Para sports in Fiji, and her efforts are evident in terms of the growth of women leaders within NPC Fiji, both at executive and operational levels. In her current Presidency role, NPC Fiji has 43 per cent female representation on the Executive Board and is working to elevate female athletes, such as Naibili Vatunisolo, who hopes to be the country’s third female Paralympian.

NEXT GENERATION

This category honours emerging leadership, advocacy, overall contributions and impact promoting and supporting women in sport. Candidates in this category are considered to be in the early stage of their career:

Jenny Ortiz Cardenas – The Colombian is a member of World Para Powerlifting’s Education and Development Advisory Group, a professor at a university, an international technical official and course educator. She supported the creation of a mentorship initiative for women technical official and coaches as well as ‘She Can Lift’.

Fathimath Ibrahim – The Para athlete excels off the tack, volunteering with the Maldivian Red Crescent for the past 10 years and has advanced to a managerial position. Additionally, she has been a member of the blind and vision impaired society of Maldives, Women and Democracy, Cancer Society, Regional Alliance for Fostering Youth and the Maldives Women’s Association.

Zahra Nemati – Iran’s first gold medallist at a Paralympic or Olympics is also a distinguished activist. She participated at the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and in May 2018, she was designated as the first Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Ambassador by the president of Global Understanding (GU) Regional Action Centre in Iran.

Ileana Rodriguez – A former refugee and London 2012 Paralympian, Rodriguez  has worked as the Americas Paralympic Committee Athlete Representative and runs ‘I Design Access’, a design consulting firm looking to create more accessible buildings for persons with disabilities. She will be Chef de Mission for the Tokyo 2020 Refugee Paralympic Team.

Nur Syahidah Binte Alim – Singapore’s first female Para archer and first world champion currently serves as a member of the Asian Paralympic Committee Athlete’s Committee and was the Chairperson of the Singapore Para Athletes Commission from 2018-2020.

NPC/IF

This category recognises the leadership and impact of National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) and International Federations (IFs) who promote and support women in sport:

World Para Powerlifting – Through collaboration with researchers, studies were conducted analysing the barriers and facilitators of female athletes, technical officials and coaches, which led to the development of dedicated programmes such as ‘She Can Lift’ that was launched to educate and empower women participants to become technical officials and coaches within the sport. She Can Lift engaged women in 25 countries and World Para Powerlifting has seen a 138 per cent increase in women participating in the sport since 2009.

Paralympics New Zealand – Through its commitment in being an equal opportunities employer, PNZ’s staff is comprised of 80 per cent female senior leadership and has many involved in advocacy for women and girls in sport. The achievements of its athletes have opened up numerous opportunities to promote diversity and inclusion; for example, Sport NZ media research project reported 57 per cent of Paralympic coverage includes women compared to 33 per cent of Olympic coverage.

NPC Peru – The growth and development of the NPC has involved and promoted not only the development of Para sport at the national level, but specifically the inclusion of Para female athletes.

The 2020 winners were Poland’s Paulina Malinowska-Kowalczyk (Builder), Jordan’s Maha Bargouthi (Next Generation Leader) and Paralympics Australia (National Paralympic Committee and International Federation).

Today, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) publishes a new Question and Answer (Q&A) document for athletes related to anti-doping and COVID-19, which is an update to the last version that the Agency published on 25 May 2020.
 
The Q&A addresses matters such as the following — reflecting the evolving nature of the pandemic; the changing testing environment; and, the fact that a growing number of Anti-Doping Organizations (ADOs) have resumed normal testing.

• Testing during COVID-19
• Minimizing the risk of contracting or transmitting the virus
• Filing of whereabouts information
• Validating Therapeutic Use Exemptions
• Maintaining the integrity of the global anti-doping system
• Impact of COVID-19 vaccines
• Confidence in the anti-doping system

The Q&A will continue to be updated to provide the latest information to athletes on how testing programs may evolve by integrating further health precautions to protect both clean sport and the health of athletes and sample collection personnel alike. WADA has also provided extensive guidance to ADOs, to ensure that testing is carried out in a secure manner, while respecting regional public health guidelines. The latest such document is the Agency’s ADO Guidance for Testing during COVID-19 Pandemic of 25 November 2020. Athletes who wish to know more about what specific measures their International Sport Federation (IF) or National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO) are taking in the face of this unprecedented challenge are encouraged to contact them directly.
 
WADA also invites athletes and others to register for the upcoming webinar, titled 2021 COVID-19 and Clean Sport Update, which will be held on 25 February from 13-14:00 EST; and, will focus on the impact of COVID-19 on athletes and the anti-doping system.
 
Athletes can rest assured that WADA and the anti-doping community will continue to meet the challenges with their health, and that of all involved in clean sport, front-of mind.
 
Best regards,
 
World Anti-Doping Agency

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is pleased to launch its 2021 series of athlete-led webinars for athletes, which is an initiative started last year by WADA’s Athlete Committee that enables interactive engagement by the Agency with athletes worldwide. 
 
WADA invites athletes and others to register for the first webinar of the series, titled 2021 COVID-19 and Clean Sport Update, which will be held on 25 February from 13-14:00 EST; and, will focus on the impact of COVID-19 on athletes and the anti-doping system.
 
During this webinar, WADA Athlete Committee Chair Ben Sandford and the following athlete and expert panelists will discuss the ongoing effect that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on anti-doping for athletes; including, an open Q&A regarding its impacts on testing, the role of vaccines and the way forward.

• Dr. Olivier Rabin, Senior Executive Director, Sciences and International Partnerships, WADA
• James Sclater, Director of Anti-Doping, International Paralympic Committee
• Dr. Lenka Wech, Olympian in rowing and member of WADA’s Health, Medical and Research Committee

Over the last year, WADA and its Athlete Committee have provided stacy.spletzer@wada-ama.org.

As part of its continued efforts to use sport to drive social inclusion for the world’s one billion persons with disabilities, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has signed a Co-operation Agreement with the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC).

Under the terms of the Co-operation Agreement, the two organisations will partner on several initiatives that will further the rights of persons with disabilities. The IPC will support the delivery of UNAOC’s One Humanity initiative which calls for solidarity, compassion and unity in the face of discrimination and divisiveness. Meanwhile, UNAOC will join a growing roster of international organisations to partner with the IPC to deliver a global communications campaign around the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games that aims to change global attitudes towards disability.

The IPC and UNAOC will also explore possibilities for closer co-operation with regards to strategy and policy development, research, communication and the promotion of persons of disabilities, and events, including the IPC Inclusion Summit that will be held during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Andrew Parsons, IPC President, said: “The IPC is greatly excited to partner with UNAOC as we share a passion for combating stereotypes, misperceptions and discrimination and showing that diversity is a strength and not something to be feared.

“Through sport, the IPC wants to transform the lives of the world’s one billion persons with disabilities and bring communities together as one. We appreciate we cannot do this alone and that is why we are partnering with several organisations such as UNAOC to breakdown barriers and deliver seismic change for the world’s largest marginalised community.

“In a world dominated by influencers, we must use the platform of our major sport events and our athletes to change society’s view of disability and there is no greater platform to do this than the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. With billions of TV viewers around the world set to watch the Games, we can use sporting performances to change global attitudes towards disability and work with governments, businesses and the pubic to create further opportunities. We can show that Change Starts with Sport.”

Miguel Moratinos, High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations, said: “We are really proud to have signed this collaboration agreement with the International Paralympic Committee, as we are sure that it can add a lot of value, expertise and experience to our mission. The IPC is the perfect travel companion for UNAOC’s #OneHumanity programme, as we both share the same vision of a more integrated, respectful and cohesive world. For decades, the IPC has been fighting prejudice and inequality, standing as an example on how to use sport, one of the most powerful voices there is, to do so. We are sure that this collaboration will bring amazing results, and I want to thank the IPC and its president, Andrew Parsons, for their immediate interest and support.”

As part of the IPC’s push to use Para sport to advance the human rights agenda for persons with disabilities, the organisation has also signed Co-operation Agreements with the International Disability Alliance (IDA), The Valuable 500, and UN Human Rights with more partnerships set to be announced in the coming months.

UNAOC was established in 2005 and maintains a global network of partners including states, international and regional organisations, civil society groups, foundation and the private sector to improve cross-cultural relations between diverse nations and communities. Its four priority areas for action are: Education, Youth, Migration and Media.

Founded in 1989, the IPC is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. Its vision is to make for a more inclusive world through Para sport, while its mission is to lead the Paralympic Movement, oversee the delivery of the Paralympic Games and support members to enable Para athletes to achieve sporting excellence.

The Sport  

This is what “Wheelchair Rugby” is all about: 

View Video

The Organisation 

As an International Federation, we are professionalising the organisation, developing and putting in place strong governance and aiming to position the sport of wheelchair rugby as a “world leader in Para sport”. We have a great product and with strong and diverse leadership this can benefit athletes with a disability as well as their families and an amazing volunteer base of which the organisation is massively reliant on.  We have an ambitious strategic plan in place: 

IWRF Strategic Plan 2019 – 2024 Executive Summary

The role 

• This is a voluntary role on a non-executive Board. 

• The successful candidate will be the lead on the board in terms of financial matters, providing oversight to the operational financial management which is currently being delivered by a service provider.  
• It involves being chair of the Audit and Risk Management Committee, providing advice to the board. 
• The position would also contribute to all strategic matters. 
• Candidates would be expected to scrutinise board papers, support the CEO and provide challenge constructively. 
• We host board meetings six weekly at 8/9 PM UTC time. Approximately 2 hours duration. 

• There may be one in-person meeting per year.  
• Audit and Risk Management meetings will take place 2 or 3 times a year to link with board meetings. 
• There may be occasions where an additional day or two may be required to pull together yearly financial reports. 
• Attendance at international events is minimal. 

The person 

• Strong and varied experience within finance is mandatory (Certified Public Accountant or recognised equivalent). 
• Some knowledge of the sporting landscape would be favourable. 
• Committed to the values of the organisation. 
• Expenses are provided where travel or achieving the above is required. 

Deadline for receipt of interest – 26th of February 2021 

Interviews – 1st of March 2021 (week commencing) 

Board Meeting – 9th of March 2021, 20:00 UTC 

Contact the IWRF CEO, Steve Griffiths for more information via the office@IWRF.com  

My message at the start of 2021 is about looking forward. This feels obvious as we go through the current pandemic. I was hoping to start the year with a clear vision towards how we may be re-starting international competition after a year of no wheelchair rugby. The situation is still serious in many parts of the world and I was saddened recently to hear that the UK had suffered 100,000 deaths from this non-discriminatory virus. This unfortunately is not isolated and we are seeing high levels of infection globally.

The hope of a vaccine being successful in battling the virus is no doubt high on everyone’s thoughts but we must maintain the guidance of our national governments, particularly for those of us that are still isolating and possibly in a national lock-down. It’s encouraging to see how some nations have successfully contained the spread of the virus.

Our vision of being a “World Leader in Para Sport” is still very much alive. It was not through choice but the pandemic has allowed the organisation to review what we do and how we go about it. It has not diminished my ambition and the collective belief of all involved in the IWRF in driving towards our vision. We mean this in many ways and as the year unfolds, you will see the IWRF growing from strength to strength with several initiatives across the whole range of our activities including governance, education, anti-doping, disciplines, classification, rules, competitions. We will keep the communication channels open and if you wish to contribute on any matters, we encourage you to let me know.

I would like to expand on two areas, competition and disciplines.

Firstly, guiding the sport through the need to re-evaluate its international competition structure for the next four years. Whilst the postponed Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games defined a large part of the structure, there was a need to keep a firm focus on the World Championship in Denmark in 2022, our Zonal Championships and our inclusion of the low point game in The World Games, Alabama 2022.

Also, the exciting International Wheelchair Rugby Cup in Paris 2023. Our sport partner, World Rugby continue to be supportive and we are working with them more closely to ensure our competition is successful and complements the “mega event” that is the Rugby World Cup, France 2023.

Secondly, by continuing how we approach engaging and developing with disciplines in addition to the Paralympic wheelchair rugby game. It is an exciting concept and also one that for some are either concerned or unsure about. For me, this is about providing the opportunity for more people to play wheelchair sport. Since I first started playing the game in the early 1990s, people have come along to training and wanted to be included. I always tried to provide the opportunity but it was always tainted with having to tell people that they couldn’t compete either nationally or internationally. Having this pathway from training to competition is central to giving people the inspiration and the aspiration to “have a go”.

Developing alternative disciplines provides more “Rugby for All”. Our classification system is one of the best in the Paralympic Movement and we should be proud of this. It is not perfect and we know that for some individuals we provide the opportunity of “protests” to try and ensure we provide consistency in their final sports class.

Classification defines which individuals can compete but only in the Paralympic discipline. I know that there is room within our organisation to be more inclusive and attract people with functional abilities that can compete in disciplines such as Rugby 5s.

This is how we can grow the sport not just internationally but nationally at the grassroots. We can create stronger club teams that can have both disciplines with an overlap so that some players can compete in both disciplines. At our membership conference last year in October we saw that approximately 42% of Rugby 5s athletes can also compete in the Paralympic discipline.

I continue to wish everyone their best in how they as individuals and their countries tackle the pandemic. Keep active as much as is safely possible.

Kind regards Richard

Richard Allcroft

IWRF President