Author: Editor Prime

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has appointed Colleen Wrenn to the newly created role of Chief Paralympic Games Delivery Officer following an extensive global recruitment process.

Wrenn brings to the IPC 20 years of experience in the planning and delivery of major events, including involvement in the 2010, 2012 and 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as the 2019 Panamerican and Parapan American Games.

In addition to multi-sport events, Wrenn helped deliver both the World Para Athletics and IAAF World Championships in London in 2017, the IAAF World Indoor Championships in 2016, and the Modern Pentathlon World Championships in 2002. In recognition of her contribution to the Organising Committee, she was selected as a torchbearer for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Torch Relay.

She joins the IPC from TrackTown USA where she was a Senior Director.

“I’m thrilled to join the IPC,” said Wrenn. “I have been fortunate to see first-hand the tremendous impact Para sport has, not just on the athletes participating, but on all those touched by Para events— media, volunteers, spectators, and even community members who may never step foot in a venue but benefit from improved infrastructure and other legacies long after the last medal is awarded. I am honoured and excited to be a part of this transformational Movement.”

Mike Peters, the IPC’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said: “When we created this position, we knew successfully filling it would require a rare individual. We could not be any more excited than we are to have Colleen joining our team in this capacity. The Paralympic Games are now firmly established as the one of the world’s largest and most impactful sport events, and Colleen will provide our stakeholders with the strategic direction, innovation and collaboration necessary to further grow and reach new heights with the Games.

“Colleen joins at arguably one of the busiest times in our history with two Paralympic Games taking place almost back-to-back for the first time ever. With her track record and experience, we are confident she will meet the challenge and be a fantastic asset for the team and wider Paralympic Movement.”

Wrenn will begin her new role in the week commencing 24 May 2021 and will lead the teams involved in Paralympic Games Delivery; Paralympic Sport and International Federation Relations; and Protocol, Hospitality and Events.

Her primary responsibilities will include providing executive leadership and strategic direction to maximise and enhance the Paralympic Games and its legacies, overseeing the co-ordination of all Paralympic Games delivery, and acting as primary point of contact for the IOC Olympic Games leadership team and executive and key personnel of Organising Committees. She also will join the IPC executive leadership team contributing to the wider corporate strategy of the IPC with CEO Peters, General Counsel Liz Riley, and Chief Brand and Communications Officer Craig Spence.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has reduced the number of people it will accredit as guests for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

The decision follows clear direction from the Japanese government that it requires a very significant reduction in the numbers of accredited participants who do not have essential and operational responsibilities at the Games. The IPC fully respects this decision and endorses the approach to take all necessary measures to ensure safe and secure Games this summer.

Following the approach taken for Olympic Games stakeholders, no accreditation will be granted to any ‘Accompanying Guest’ populations for the Paralympic Games throughout all categories including the IPC, National Paralympic Committee (NPC), International Federation (IF), host Organising Committee (OCOG), future OCOGs and Broadcaster. Accompanying guests that provide care or assistance to delegates that require support for mobility, daily living or other accessibility considerations are not impacted by this move.

The IPC has significantly reduced the number of people it accredits under the IPC category, especially the guest populations for Tokyo 2020. To achieve this reduction, it has taken the following approach:

• No IPC Honorary Board members, with the exception of international dignitaries
• No guests of International Organisations of the Disabled (IOSDs) or IPC Regional Organisations
• No participants from the 14 Recognised International Sport Federations (sports that are currently not on the Paralympic programme) including Presidents or Secretaries General
• No participants from Winter Sport International Federations, including Presidents or Secretaries General
• No IPC Standing Committee Chair and members, with the exception of the ones of the IPC Medical Committee and IPC Anti-Doping Committee who have operational roles at the Games
• A significant reduction in the number of IPC Honoured Guests, Distinguished Guests and IPC Guests
• NPC Guest Passes providing access to the Paralympic Village have been cancelled

In calls with IPC membership organisations at the start of April, the IPC also urged members to take a responsible approach towards their own accredited guest programmes for the Games. Members should prioritise individuals that have an operational or essential need for the Games following the approach and leadership taken by the IPC.

All attending participants will also need to read and abide by the guiding principles of the Playbooks, the first editions of which were published in February. Updated Playbooks will be published in April offering greater information for all stakeholders planning to attend Tokyo 2020.

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will take place between 24 August – 5 September 2021.

-ends-

Further to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA’s) media release of 26 March 2021, WADA wishes to remind stakeholders that Play True Day 2021 will be celebrated on 9 April 2021.

Since 2014, in April of every year, 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.

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.

Like previous years, to engage as many stakeholders as possible, WADA has created a number of branded visuals (available in English, French and Spanish) for participants to incorporate and share their own Play True Day 2021 photos and videos. These include:

• Branded frames that can be layered onto photo or video messages;
• A Play True Pledge that can be either printed and personalized or personalized digitally for various social media platforms; and
• Various GIFs that will be created for the day to be used on Instagram.

Paralympic Games
2021 sees us move into the delayed Paralympic Games year.  A very different Games will be before us.  The first ever during a pandemic with all that entails. The IOC/IPC/Tokyo 2020 have published the first “Playbook” outlining general principles related to going to Tokyo and all the requirements that we as visitors to the Games will have to comply with.  Further “Playbooks” will be published in April and June which will be more specific. The IPC will be working with IF’s to generate sport specific protocols.
 
Return to Competition
Preparations are ongoing for other competitions being held in 2021, these events will be challenging and it will be important that all the necessary precautions outlined in the four IWRF documents (Return to Train and Play, Athlete Checklist, Referee Checklist and Return to Competition Model) related to play and competition are followed as a minimum standard.  Irrespective of our desire to return to competition the most important thing is the safety and welfare of all involved in wheelchair rugby.
 
Anti-Doping
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has launched a new education course on its Anti-Doping Education and Learning platform (ADEL), specifically designed for athletes and coaches aiming to attend the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

The new course, entitled ‘ADEL for Tokyo 2020 Paralympics’, was developed by WADA in collaboration with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). This collaboration was established as part of WADA’s ongoing work to support the implementation of the International Standard for Education (ISE), which promotes the principle that athletes and their Athlete Support Personnel (ASP) should be educated prior to arriving at a Major Games or event.  All wheelchair rugby athletes and support staff will be required to complete the online course before attending Tokyo 2020 later this year.
 
Governance
The Governance project group has been reviewing the IWRF Statutes and Bylaws so that the governance model for the organisation is fit for purpose and reflects the best practice for sport governance.  The amendments will be presented to a General Assembly of the IWRF membership.
 
Ongoing Communication
Newsletters – There will be three more Newsletters this year.
IWRF Member Nation Meetings – Apart from the General Assembly it is intended to have 3 more virtual meetings with National Member Organisations.

Kind regards

Steve

IWRF Chief Executive

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I have been pleased to see the weather getting warmer in the UK over the last week. This has helped me get out and exercise a lot more easier. The past three months have been cold, wet and dark and this has certainly dampened my spirit. I have been thankful for those moments where I get to see friends and family albeit virtually. Having a focus on wheelchair rugby has also provided me with the much-needed mental challenge that the daily business of an International Federation provides.

I will also hopefully see the country opening up in the next few months although this will be very reliant on receiving positive data in terms of infection and hospitalisation rates continuing to decrease. This is of course very different for many other countries and I wish you all the best as you deal with your local situation.

In terms of competition, one of our long-standing events Canada Cup has had to be cancelled. Our European Championship Division B in Poland continues to work through the many challenges and I’d like to thank all involved for their huge efforts in trying to make this happen.

Tokyo 2020 continue their plans and I’m pleased to see that the playbooks that outline Covid-19 countermeasures are not dissimilar to the “Return to Competition” models that the IWRF have developed.

A large portion of the work that I have been looking at over the last few months relates to our governance review and our vision of being a world leader in Para sport. Of course, this has included many other people. In particular, expertise from an independent consultant as well as ensuring we have sound legal advice throughout the development of various documents. The outcomes of this will ultimately come to fruition at the General Assembly.

The IWRF Board were very aware that this was postponed from 2020 and I’m pleased to announce that we will be hosting a virtual GA on July 17th (18:00 UTC). Perhaps more importantly are the two membership conference calls that we have planned for 29th March and 23rd June (9am & 9pm UTC). The first one will be a full consultation and the opportunity to understand any proposed changes with the second providing final clarity and any last questions. The intention is to ensure that the membership can enter the GA with a full understanding and support of any proposed motions.

More detailed information will be sent directly to Member Nations.

Good luck with whatever your personal circumstances are and I hope you can continue to stay safe and healthy.

Kind Regards

Richard
IWRF President

Many of you are thinking about planning your local leagues, championship events and other tournaments.  Given the Competitions Committee has adapted the qualification calendar to respond to the change in the 2020 Paralympics and Covid-19 impact we wanted to provide you with an overview of the upcoming event dates.  Please note these dates are currently what we know now and may change due to extenuating circumstances.

2021 IWRF European Championship Division B Poland – June 27 – July 5

2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games – August 24 – Sept 5, 2021

2021 Mazovia Cup – October 13 – 17 October

2022 IWRF Americas Championship – Colombia, January 26 – 31

2022 IWRF Asia Oceania Championship – New Zealand, April 24 – May 2

2022 IWRF European Championship Division A – February 21 – 27 February 

2022 World Games – Low Point Tournament, USA –

2022 IWRF European Championship Division C – TBD Proposed time frame to host is July- August 

2022 IWRF World Championships, Denmark – Oct 8 – 17th 

2023 IWRF European Championship Division B – TBD- Proposed time frame to host is Feb-March 

2023 IWRF Americas Regional Championship – Proposed time frame to host is February – March 

2023 IWRF Asia Oceania Championship – Proposed time frame to host is September – October 

2023 IWRF European Championship Divisions A – TBD  – Proposed time frame to host is June – August 2023 (Note: we do have interest to host in June 

2023 International Wheelchair Rugby Challenge, France – Oct 6 – 13th

2023 Parapan Am Games – IWRF Americas Championship, Chile – November 17 – 26

2024 IWRF Paralympic Qualifier – TBD – Proposed time frame to host is March

2024 Paralympic Games – August

Call for bids

The Competitions Committee is announcing the call for bids to host the IWRF 2023 European Championship – Division A.  You will find the bid documents at this link https://www.iwrf.com/index.php?page=rules_and_documents&cat=59

Plans are to announce other bids in the near future.  Please start to think about your hosting plans to ensure you are able to respond on a timely basis to the bid requests.  Refer to the events calendar in this newsletter for proposed event hosting dates.

There are many benefits to hosting that will help your organization build and develop your wheelchair rugby programs in your nation.  If you have any questions please contact us, as we are happy to provide support.

New information in the bid documents is included around event branding and signage so be sure to check it out.  A copy of the new IWRF Logo, Branding and Partnership Guidelines can be found at:

https://www.iwrf.com/resources/iwrf_docs/210118_IWRF_Logo_Branding_and_Partnership_Guideline_Circ.pdf

Many of you are familiar with the term Technical Commissioner. It has been an officiating role in the IWRF for almost two decades. In that time the role has evolved to become one that requires exceptional knowledge, focus, patience, nuance and a high standard of communication. These officials are critically important to the operation of the game and an essential part on every officiating crew they are a part of.

In order to accurately reflect this evolution, and highlight the essential part these officials play in the delivery of each game, the IWRF has re-titled the role. Moving forward, these officials will fall under the title Game Commissioner.  

In recent years, the role of Game Commissioner (GC) has been established as an important functional role in the smooth operation of the entire game. Early on, the primary function of the GC was to support the operation of the score table. Although score table management remains an aspect of the role, there is far more emphasis on the GC to act as line of defense, sounding board and confidant for the referees on court. Another critical role of the GC is in the area of game management. A skilled GC will act as a connection point for coaches, solve problems before they need to be escalated to the referee and relay key pieces of information that allow game to run smoothly. Rules knowledge is another critical aspect of this position. A GC who is equipped with a deep knowledge of the rules will be able to answer questions effectively, support the official with correctable errors that may occur and provide essential input should a decision review arise. The GC is a referee’s best kept secret and a coach’s best resource. Over the course of a tournament the GC can also influence continuity by creating a common thread that establishes consistency from one game to the next for the entire officiating crew. Including the GC in the pre-game allows them relay critical information from past games.  

If this role sounds like the officiating path for you, the Technical Committee is always looking for capable people. There are many paths to becoming a Game Commissioner. If you have a strong back ground in the rules and work actively in your country as a referee or table official this is a great path to pursue. Many Game Commissioners are also retired on court officials and even former athletes. It is a very inclusive role within the officiating structure. The key skills and role requirements include;

• Be a team player – work closely with the on court crew, evaluator team and head official
• Have a minimum of 24 moths experience as a referee or table official within your domestic event structure
• Be actively engaged in training and mentorship with an experienced GC or IWRF Evaluator
• Receive a recommendation from your countries Head Official along with your application to attend an IWRF event
• To become certified you must receive two positive evaluations at IWRF events

Connecting with your IWRF Zone Head Official, a Game Commissioner in your area or any member of the Technical Commission is the best way to get involved. For more details on the role, please visit Game Commissioner Manual and read through the IWRF Game Commissioner training manual.
 
Kevin Bowie
Head of Communications, Technical Commission

The Classification Committee would like to thank those Member Nations and Classifiers who took the time to provide feedback on the new IWRF Classification Rules and the IWRF Classifier Handbook.  In response to your feedback, we have corrected some typographical errors and made some minor additions as points of clarification to some articles where there was ambiguity.  We appreciate that these are both extremely large documents, and over time, we will no doubt continue to make minor improvements to improve clarity, consistency and correct any other minor spelling or formatting errors that we discover. 

Thank you for your patience with us as we developed these two new documents over the last 2.5 years.  I am sure you can appreciate that it was a mammoth undertaking for us, and I can’t thank Anne Hart enough for doing much of the heavy lifting on this task.  Thanks also to members of the Classification Committee for their guidance and wisdom in navigating a variety of issues along the way.

The finalised versions of both documents are now available at International Wheelchair Rugby Federation: Classification.  If Member Nations wish to produce non-English language versions of these documents, you are welcome to do so.  However, the English versions will remain the only official versions of these documents endorsed by the IWRF.

Medical Diagnostic Information Requirements

We have received a number of queries regarding our new requirements around mandatory medical diagnostic information for athletes.  The IPC Classification Code requires us to confirm that athletes have a permanent, verifiable health condition that results in an eligible impairment, as defined in our IWRF Classification Rules.  We perform this verification by examining medical diagnostic information submitted by athletes.

To streamline this process, we have created 2 new forms that will need to be completed when submitting the required information.  These forms are:

• IWRF Medical Diagnostic Form
• IWRF Medical Review Request Form

IWRF Medical Diagnostic Form

This form is required for all New (N) athletes and must be received by the IWRF Head of Classification a minimum of 6 weeks prior to the event where the athlete is to be classified for the first time.  This form must be completed by a registered medical doctor, with a specialisation in the athlete’s health condition (where possible).  The form must also be accompanied by medical documentation that confirms the presence of the athlete’s health condition.  The form provides guidance regarding the types of medical evidence that are acceptable for each impairment type.  The form must be completed in English, and any accompanying medical documentation must also be in English or have a verified English translation.

IWRF Medical Review Request Form

This form is required for athletes who have sport class statuses of Confirmed (C), Review (R) or Fixed Review Date (FRD) and wish to be re-classified due to a change in circumstances with respect to their health condition.  This may be necessary, for example, if an athlete:

• Received treatment which may change their impairment profile (e.g., Botox injections, tendon releases, amputation)
• Has an impairment that is progressive and/or has changed to an extent that the athlete most likely does not fit his/her current sport class profile any more
• Has a new additional eligible health condition that has resulted in a permanent change to the athlete’s degree of impairment to an extent that the athlete most likely does not fit his/her current sport class profile anymore.

This form must be received by the IWRF Head of Classification a minimum of 12 weeks prior to the competition where the athlete, if the medical review is accepted, will undergo re-evaluation.  The change in impairment must be demonstrated by medical documentation.  Any included medical documentation must be in English or be accompanied by a verified English translation.  This form also requires endorsement by the athlete’s NMO or NPC.  If Medical Review is accepted, the athlete’s sport class status will be changed to Review (R) with immediate effect.

Submission of Medical Information

Submission of medical forms and documentation will be via a secure online upload system.  Emailed information will not be accepted due to the fact that email systems are not considered to be secure, and therefore are not suitable for sending sensitive athlete medical information to the IWRF.  Details of the online submission system are still being finalised by the IWRF and will be available on the Classification web page at IWRF.com in due course.

Retention of Medical Information by the IWRF

The IWRF will retain the submitted medical documentation until the end of the event where the athlete is classified for the first time, or the athlete’s medical review occurs.  At the end of the event, the athlete’s Classification Database file will be updated to reflect that the medical documentation received was accepted and met the IWRF’s requirements in terms of confirming that the athlete has an eligible health condition and impairment type.  At this time, all submitted documentation will be securely destroyed.

There may be situations where Classification Panels request to see an athlete’s medical diagnostic information in order to assist them in allocating a sport class.  With this in mind, the IWRF strongly recommends that athletes retain copies of any medical information submitted during the processes outlined in this article, and have them readily available, should they be required again in the future.

The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020) unveiled the updated programme for the “Tokyo 2020 NIPPON Festival” in 2021; this has been revised in light of the need for COVID-19 countermeasures and the simplified management of the Games. The Festival, an official cultural programme of the Tokyo 2020 Games, will be held from April to September 2021. The revised content will follow the original themes of the programme planned for 2020: “Participation and Interaction”, “Towards the Realisation of an Inclusive Society” and “Reconstruction of the Tohoku Region”. In principle, the events will be streamed live over the internet so that as many people as possible across Japan and around the world can participate in and enjoy the events.

Based on the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter, Olympism—a concept underpinning the NIPPON Festival—seeks to blend sport with culture and education in order to promote a peaceful way of life based on the educational value of good example, social responsibility and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles. For this reason, as well as being a sports festival, the Olympic and Paralympic Games are known as a “festival of peace”.

The cultural and artistic elements of the NIPPON Festival are designed to inspire people, and in the wake of the social fragmentation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the programme aims to be a symbol of human solidarity that will transcend boundaries and encourage global cooperation.

An overview of each programme is provided below. The Tokyo 2020 NIPPON Festival official website (https://tokyo2020.org/en/special/festival/) will be updated as details of all programmes are firmed up.

In addition to programmes organised by Tokyo 2020, co-hosted Tokyo 2020 NIPPON Festival events will be staged in collaboration with local governments and cultural- or arts groups across Japan; these aim to encourage greater awareness of diversity in the build-up to the Tokyo 2020 Games. They will also showcase Japanese culture and art across Japan and globally before and during the Games. Details of the updated co-hosted programmes are also provided in the attached appendix and via the Tokyo 2020 NIPPON Festival official website at https://tokyo2020.org/en/special/festival/.

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