As many of you may already know, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has decided to add two extra sports to the summer Paralympic program. This is very exciting news for the sports of Triathlon and Canoeing. We within IBSA Goalball welcome these two sports and wish the best for athletes who have now the opportunity to train for Rio 2016.
 
What many of you may not know is that equal participation of women and men across all sports within the Paralympic Games is a priority for the IPC. This goal of equal participation has been confirmed by the increase of female spots/events in various sports including swimming, cycling and shooting. This is a very positive move from the IPC because the Paralympic movement is about the breaking down of barriers. Equality within sport is an issue that not only disabled athletes face but the majority female athletes across most sports.
 
However, as many of you know, there is an athlete quota for the Paralympic Games and the IPC needs to set a limit on how many athletes are able to attend the games from each sport.
 
To make room for the new sports and their athletes and as well as extra spots for females some sports have had their numbers reduced and Goalball is one of the sports that have been affected.
 
The number of male teams who are able to compete in Rio has been reduced to ten (10). The number of female teams will remain at ten (10).
 
This change will be part of the new IBSA Goalball rules for 2014-2017 because it affects the qualification process.
 
If you have any further questions or would like to make any comments regarding this, please feel free to contact the Chairman of IBSA Goalball, Kari Marklund.