The Awards, a new event aiming to recognise the achievements of athletes with an intellectual disability and the many people who support them, are due to be unveiled in a special event in Sheffield on April 11. 

Two finalists in "Best Male" and "Best Female" categories will be selected, with INAS also due to induct its first member into a new Hall of Fame recognises a lifetime achievement in sport for athletes with an intellectual disability.

Among those shortlisted for Best Male are Portugal's Lenine Cuhna, winner of an incredible 163 international medals in a 14 year career and is world record holder in the heptathlon, indoor pentathlon and triple jump, and Hong Kong's 17-year-old swimming sensation Tang Wai Lok.

Portugal's Lenine Cunha is among nominations for the Best Male in the INAS Awards 
©Getty Images



Wai, an established international swimmer holding a number of Asian records, including 200 metres freestyle, enjoyed a strong 2014 season, winning medals at the Asian Para Games in Incheon, as well as at the Guayaquil Open Swimming Championships in Ecuador. 

In the Best Female category, meanwhile, another swimmer is selected in Great Britain's Bethany Firth, a London 2012 champion, who competed at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland. 

She is up against table tennis player Wong Ka Man of Hong Kong, the reigning INAS world champion and winner of a string of events on the International Table Tennis Federation circuit in 2014.

An Unsung Hero will also be selected in April, recognising the "unique contribution of volunteers and coaches". 

"Over the past few years, the performance of athletes with an intellectual disability has increased significantly and the INAS Awards are a long-overdue recognition of their achievements," said INAS President Amaury Russo.

"I look forward to announcing the winners in April."

It is expected that the awards ceremony will be conducted on a biennial basis to coincide with the body's General Assembly.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
August 2014: Inas 2014 World Football Championships kick off in BrazilInas 2014 World Football Championships kick off in Brazil
June 2014: Guayaquil hosts second site visit ahead of 2015 Inas Global Games
January 2014: Inas launch bid to get basketball back into Paralympics for Tokyo 2020 20 years after Sydney scandal