By Tom Degun

Paratriathlon_for_ParalympicsDecember 9 - Sarah Springman, International Triathlon Union (ITU) vice president and executive board representative of the ITU Paratriathlon Committee, told insideworldparasport she has done everything humanly possible to get the sport included on the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games programme.


In just two days' time (December 11) the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) governing Board, which includes President Sir Philip Craven, will meet for the third time this year in Guangzhou in China to approve their new Strategic Plan and the Rio 2016 Sports Programme.

Paratriathlon is joined by badminton, canoe, golf, powerchair football, taekwondo and Intellectual Disability (ID) basketball in requesting inclusion at the 2016 Paralympics, and although the IPC is likely only to approve one or two sports, Springman is confident she can do no more.

"I have been working extremely hard on getting the sport into the Paralympics for a number of years because I know how fantastic it would be for the Paratriathlon and how much it would benefit the Paralympic Movement," she said.

"It is such an amazing, exciting sport and we have been working consistently with the IPC to see exactly what we need to do to be involved in the Paralympics.

"We have submitted a very thorough 121-page document and we have shown that ours is a truly global sport - 27 nations have just signed commitments to compete in ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Beijing in 2011, which will be the largest ever.

"The agreement is a significant boost for the 'Paratriathlon for Paralympic' campaign in the final stretch.

"We also have nearly 4,500 fans backing our bid on Facebook.

"I am pleased to say the momentum keeps rolling and can be seen in all corners of the world.

"Regardless of the outcome this weekend, we are committed to working closely with the IPC in the continuous development of the sport."

Springman said she has not been looking at her rivals competing for a place at the Rio 2016 Paralympics but had been focusing on their own bid.

"I have been a competitor for a long time and I know that the best thing you can do is look only at yourself and not concentrate on anything else that is going on," she said.

"We are confident that we have done everything possible to get Paratriathon in the Paralympics - it is now up to the IPC.

"We obviously respect any decision they make entirely, but at the same time we are feeling very nervous at this stage in the hope that we are approved."

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