Ottawa, January 31, 2020 – The International Paralympic Committee announced today that the sport of wheelchair basketball could be removed from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games program due to its international federation’s failure to comply with the IPC Athlete Classification Code.
Statements from the Canadian Paralympic Committee:
“We hope that both the IPC and the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation can come to a prompt resolution to ensure that wheelchair basketball remains within the Paralympic program for Tokyo. Our teams have qualified and are in the final stages of preparation. We are committed to working with Wheelchair Basketball Canada to ensure that our athletes and coaches have an optimal, distraction free environment for performing at their best at Tokyo. We urge the IWBF to take immediate actions to ensure they comply and implement an action plan to improve athlete classification that aligns with the IPC classification code.”
– Karen O’Neill, CEO, Canadian Paralympic Committee
“We are disappointed that such a situation has arisen close to 200 days before the start of the Games. This can be a big distraction for athletes preparing for the biggest event of their career. We hope that a resolution can be achieved quickly.”
– Tony Walby, chair, Canadian Paralympic Athletes’ Council
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About the Canadian Paralympic Committee:
Paralympic.ca
Media Contact
Nicole Watts
Manager, Public Relations
Canadian Paralympic Committee
nwatts@paralympic.ca or 613-569-4333 x262