IWG Welcomes World Abilitysport as the latest signatory!

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World Abilitysport has become the latest organisation to sign the IWG Brighton plus Helsinki Declaration, with the signing taking place at Buckinghamshire College Group in Aylesbury, UK, on Friday 13 June.

As founding members of the Paralympic Movement and the International Federation for Para Fencing, Para Dance Sport and Powerchair Hockey, promoting sport and physical activity for women and girls has always been a priority for World Abilitysport.

The organisation had previously signed the original Brighton Declaration in the 1990s, under their former name of ‘International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation’, and were keen to renew their commitment to gender equality by re-signing the declaration in their current name.

The IWG’s Brighton plus Helsinki declaration comprises 10 Principles designed to help organisations to enable women and girls to be fully involved within the sport at all levels and in all capacities. As signatories, World Abilitysport commit to the ongoing development of creating a fair and equitable system for their associated sports.

Speaking after the signing, World Abilitysport President, Rudi Van den Abbeele, said:

“World Abilitysport is dedicated to advancing gender equity in sports through the promotion of inclusion and removal of barriers to women and girls from athlete participation to leadership roles. Being a signatory to the Brighton plus Helsinki Declaration reinforces our commitment to creating an inclusive environment where women and girls in Para sport can not only access but also thrive, so I am delighted we have been able to re-sign the Declaration today.”

Lisa O’Keefe MBE said:

“The IWG has a long-standing relationship with World Abilitysport in previous guises and so it’s great they wanted to re-sign today to really underline the brilliant work they do.

“It was great to hear that gender equality is intrinsically incorporated within their governance structure, and the leadership they demonstrate to ensure their sport sections implement relevant action plans.

“I also enjoyed reminiscing about previous IWG Global Summits, as World Abilitysport had created opportunities for their staff and volunteers to attend in both 2018 and 2022, as part of their capacity building. We look forward to welcoming them back in July 2026 when we host the next IWG Global Summit in Birmingham.”

 

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