The International Paralympic Committee has outlined the terms and timeline for sports seeking inclusion in the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, USA
World Sailing CEO, David Graham, says the international federation for the sport is putting “the reinstatement of Para Sailing in the Paralympic Games at the top of its agenda.
He was speaking after a ‘virtual briefing’ this week by the iPC for sports seeking inclusion in the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, USA.
The 2028 Summer Paralympic Games, known as LA28, will be the first held in the United States since 1996 when Para Sailing made its debut as a demonstration sport at the Atlanta Paralympic Games. Para Sailing was a successful Paralympic sport for five consecutive Games from Sydney 2000 to Rio 2016.
It was dropped amidst major controversy and strong criticism of the IPC for its decision.
“We are pleased that the IPC has so clearly outlined the process for sports seeking selection for the Paralympic Games LA28 at such an early stage in 2022 and provided the timeline to which World Sailing must submit its case, ” said Graham after the hour-long briefing session.
World Sailing set ‘Strategic Priorities’ in 2020 to support the growth of Para Sailing by 2023, in order to reverse the Paralympcs exclusion. These were focused on: increasing worldwide participation to 45 nations on 6 continents; increasing youth participation and increasing female participation.