Sanz-Rivas, who is also scientific director of the Royal Spanish Tennis Federation, will give a talk titled “Athlete Career Pathways in Wheelchair Tennis: From Grassroots to Elite Performance".

It falls under the theme of the conference, “securing the future of young Para-athletes”, due to take place between October 7 and 10. 

Before holding his current position, Sanz-Rivas was a lecturer in physical activity for disabled populations, racket sports and high performance tennis at the Faculty of Sport Sciences at the University of Extremadura.

He holds a doctorate degree in Physical Education and Sport as well as the highest tennis coaching certification in Spain.

“In wheelchair tennis it is critical that players benefit from individualised programmes and a continuous adaption of training systems,” said Sanz-Rivas, who is set to deliver his keynote speech on October 10.

“At VISTA 2015 I will talk about the importance of long-term development plans for players and will highlight the steps a player can expect to take from entering the sport at the grassroots level as a youngster, to progressing to the senior team and competing at a Paralympic Games.

“Throughout the talk I will not just focus on the training methods, but also the importance of facilities and equipment and the roles of sponsors and the media in player development.”

Among the other speakers confirmed for VISTA 2015 is Margo Mountjoy, International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical Commission member, who will talk about “Youth Athlete Development: Recommendations from the IOC”.

Ciro Winckler of Sao Paulo Federal University and Raymond So of the Hong Kong Sports Institute will cover the topic of athlete health and performance, while Viola Altmann of the Sint Maartenskliniek rehabilitation centre in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and Debbie Van Biesen from University of Leuven, Belgium, will present on conceptual applications of evidence-based classification.

Daniel Theisen, of the Sports Medicine Research Laboratory, Luxembourg Institute of Health, will present on “securing the future of young Para-athletes” along with Osnat Fliess-Douer of the Zinman College of Physical Education and Sport Sciences at the Wingate Institute in Netanya, Israel, and Argentine Para-athlete Daniela Luchina.

Registration for VISTA 2015 is now open until September 15 at www.vista2015.com and the fee is €350 (£248/$388) and €150 (£106/$166) for students.

A record number of people have so registered for VISTA 2015, including experts and sports specialists from around the world.

VISTA is designed to promote and advance the mission, goals, objectives and reputation of the IPC and provides a platform for the academic world to meet with athletes and professional experts in the field of sport for athletes with an impairment.

It provides a forum for exchange on the latest information, research and expertise related to the Paralympic Movement and promotes cross-disciplinary interaction among sport scientists, athletes, coaches, administrators and the media.

It was first held in 1993 and has since developed a global reputation for acting as a platform for debate, discussion and dialogue on key issues relating to the growth of the Paralympic Movement.



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