INAS, the International Federation for sport for para-athletes with an intellectual disability has reached an agreement with the World Taekwondo Federation to include taekwondo as a demonstration sport in the 2015 Inas Global Games.

The decision reflects the World Taekwondo Federation’s ongoing commitment to making taekwondo accessible for all and follows an agreement signed between the two organisations earlier this year in June. As part of the agreement WTF will increase its efforts to promote taekwondo for athletes with an intellectual disability throughout the world by working closely with its national federations to further develop the sport within those nations.

President of the World Taekwondo Federation, Chungwon Choue, said:

“It is an honour for para-taekwondo to be included as a demonstration sport in the 2015 Inas Global Games. Inas has done an excellent job in promoting sports for athletes with an intellectual disability for over twenty years and we are extremely excited about the opportunity to work with them. We look forward to learning from their vast experience and expertise in order to develop para-taekwondo further.”

Inas was formed in 1985 and has grown to a membership of more than 65 nations across the world, representing many thousands of athletes with an intellectual disability. The Inas Global Games, held every four years, is the largest sporting event for elite athletes with an intellectual disability and features World Championship Competition in seven sports. More than 1000 athletes are expected to compete at the next Global Games in Guayaquil, Ecuador, in 2015. Taekwondo is the first demonstration sport to be confirmed on the programme.

Nick Parr, INAS Executive Director, explained:

“INAS is delighted to see para-taekwondo added to the program. The decision is a recognition of the commitment made by WTF to create more competitive opportunities for athletes with an intellectual disability, and I look forward to seeing the sport develop over the coming years”.