Down Syndrome International

At the Sports Assembly of 2004 in Durban the CEO was asked to pursue the possibility of recognition for Down Syndrome swimmers by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)

Since that time number of discussions have taken place with members of the IPC; by letter, by e-mail and in personal meetings; the last of these meetings being in Beijing at the time of the 2008 Paralympics.

Throughout DSISO have stressed the need for the IPC to recognise the fact that swimmers with Down Syndrome have both an intellectual disability and a functional disability.

There have been two responses to this argument consistently from the IPC.

The first is that Down Syndrome (DS) swimmers can compete as S14 with other intellectually disabled (ID) swimmers. It has been pointed out that due to the additional functional impairment (the term used by the IPC to describe a physical impairment) swimmers with DS are disadvantaged by swimming against swimmers with ID only.
The second argument is that swimmers with DS may compete against other functionally disabled swimmers in S10. However it would be necessary to prove that swimmers with DS do have a functional disability.

Those of you who work consistently with DS swimmers know that they have functional disabilities. Therefore, I contacted many of you to let me have any evidence you have to support the claim that swimmers with DS have a functional disability. However, not a single piece of evidence was forthcoming.

As many of you know I am also an Executive Member of INAS-FID, the international organisation recognised by the IPC as the body that represents athletes with an Intellectual Disability.

Although currently working towards the re-inclusion of ID athletes into the Paralympics, INAS-FID is still a recognised member and, for swimming, Class 14 swimmers are still recognised by the IPC and other National swimming organisations.

With this in mind I have had informal discussions with the President of INAS-FID Dr Bob Price, the IPC President Sir Philip Craven, the IPC Vice President Miguel Sagarra, the Medical Director Paul Van De Vliet and Xavier Gonzales the CEO of the IPC. We have discussed the possibility of an additional classification within INAS-FID for athletes with DS.

If such a Classification was agreed it would mean that swimmers with DS would be recognised by the IPC thus giving these swimmers access to IPC recognised events and, in the longer term, potentially the Paralympics.

The way forward offers the following opportunities.

DSISO pursues an agreement with INAS-FID which will result in the integration of their swimmers with the ‘new’ DS class. This will offer two opportunities for DS swimmers:

To swim in INAS-FID events in the DS class,
To swim in DSISO events as now.

This option would involve the registration of swimmers to DSISO as now (with an individual cost) and also the registration of swimmers to INAS-FID ($400 per country [but no cost at all if the country is already a member of INAS-FID] but no charge for the swimmers individually).

DSISO disbands completely and encourages all DS swimmers to register with INAS-FID.

Through an existing organisation in their country that is a member of INAS-FID.
By joining INAS-FID as a new member.

I suggest that everyone considers these options and we debate this at the 2010 Sports Assembly. In the meantime I would be very happy to discuss the implications of these options either now or informally whilst we are in Portugal or by e-mail when we all return home.

Geoff Smedley, C.E.O.