By Nick Butler

The Agitos Foundation has provided opportunities for disabled youngsters all over the world ©AFP/Getty ImagesDecember 24 - The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has hailed the work of the Agitos Foundation in developing the Movement as it reaches the end of its first full year of work since being set up in 2012. 


The Foundation is the development arm of the IPC and was set up in the aftermath of London 2012 in order to contribute to the worldwide growth of the Movement. 

In particular, the Foundation's Grant Support Pragramme contributed around €630,000 (£526,000/$861,000) to Para-sport projects, with more than 30 National Paralympic Committees, as well other International Federations and Organisations, taking advantage. 

Never before has a funding programme within the Paralympic Movement been so far-reaching and wide-ranging, and the money and support is already having a huge impact, it is claimed.

Among recent events has been a National Paralympic Week to support sport for the disabled in Iran, as well as a development session for athletes in the Americas ahead of the Toronto 2015 Para-Pan American Games. 

In El Salvador the NPC launched a Paralympic School, which has seen around 40 children gather twice a week to practice sport, while in New Zealand a talent identification programme in swimming to find more people that could compete in classifications for athletes with higher support needs.

The Agitos Foundation has helped the sport of powerlifting tackle doping problems after a number of figures, including Nigeria's London 2012 champion Ivory Nwokorie, have failed tests in recent months ©Getty ImagesThe Agitos Foundation has helped the sport of powerlifting tackle doping problems after a number of figures, including Nigeria's London 2012 champion Ivory Nwokorie, failed tests
©Getty Images

Funding has also come in other areas, such as supporting IPC Powerlifting in a campaign, "Raise the Bar", to raise awareness and education of anti-doping after a spate of failed tests.

This involves training seminars, not just for athletes, but for coaches and teams, and was pioneered at last month's IPC Asian Open Championships in Kuala Lumpur. 

The International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability (INAS) has also worked with the Foundation to involve more athletes in African countries.

Despite its size, there are currently few African nations who are members of INAS and few athletes registered to compete in the intellectually impaired classification, with no competitors from the continent competing in this category at London 2012.

The effectiveness of this scheme was explained by INAS executive director Nick Parr, who claimed his "delight to learn that our application had been successful as it helps our work to ensure more athletes, from more nations, have the opportunity to enjoy and succeed in sport."  

"INAS membership has grown to an all-time high this year and I hope that the project will enable us to support more nations to be inclusive of athletes with an intellectual disability," he said.

The IPC claimed next year will see the continuation of the Grant Support Programme, in addition to the introduction of a number of other initiatives which will support the growth of Para-sport around the world. 

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