SOCHI, Russia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS), Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation, Russian Paralympic Committee, and Russian Federation of Sports for Persons with Physical Impairment are hosting the IWAS World Games in Sochi on 26 September – 3 October 2015. The Games is a biennial summer sport event for athletes with physical impairment.
“The event is rightly considered to be the most large-scale competition after the Paralympic Games. The IWAS World Games are held in Russia for the first time. Undoubtedly, it is a great honor and responsibility to host this sports forum in Sochi - the capital of 2014 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games” (Minister for Sport of the Russian Federation Vitaly Mutko).
Six sports will be included on the program: Armwrestling, Athletics, Para-Taekwondo, Table Tennis, Swimming, and Archery.
“The IWAS World Games has a long history and traditions. Year after year the Games go from strength to strength. We are proud that the Russian Federation is hosting the IWAS World Games this year. Russia has huge organizational experience in bringing together high level international sporting events” (President of IWAS Paul De Pace).
The Games General Partner is Paralympic Sports Support Foundation “Parasport”, founded by Oleg Boyko.
Pavel Rozhkov, IWAS Vice President, Chairman of the Board, First Vice President of the Russian Paralympic Committee, is in charge for the Games development on the territory of Russia on behalf of IWAS.
“The IWAS World Games is a major event for athletes with physical impairments after the Paralympic Games. The Games will give a new impulse to the development of Paralympic Movement and contribute to the strengthening of international relations and disability sports awareness” (President of the Russian Paralympic Committee Vladimir Lukin).
The Games Athletics and Swimming events are included in the IPC official sports calendar, the Para-Taekwondo and Armwrestling events – in the respective IFs official calendars.
“The IWAS World Games 2015 illustrates the meteoric rise the Paralympic movement has enjoyed since it began more than 40 years ago. With more than 800 participants from 34 countries this is a truly global event and one that Parasport is delighted to support. Sochi proved itself an ideal host city during the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic games and we look forward to similarly intense competition“ (General Partner – Oleg Boyko, founder of the Paralympic Sports Support Foundation “Parasport”).
The Games is one of the stages for preparation of athletes for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio-de-Janeiro (Brazil). Athlete results at the IWAS Games will be included in the IPC and IFs rankings, which will be taken into account for World Championships athlete selection and getting quotas the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
The IWAS Executive Board meeting and the IWAS General Assembly will be held within the 2015 IWAS World Games, about 100 delegates from the National Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federations will participate in the meetings.