BANGKOK, Feb 17 — The International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) World Games scheduled to take place in Nakhon Ratchasima (also known as Korat) from February 22 to 28 has been postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
The Paralympic Committee of Thailand president, Chutinant Bhirombhakdi, said the second edition of IWAS World Games has been postponed to April 2 to 9 because of continued health concerns relating to Covid-19.
He said more than 1,000 para athletes from 43 countries were expected to participate in the biggest event on the IWAS calendar.
“I have faith the IWAS World Games will happen in April…the athletes have trained hard for this,” he told Bernama recently.
Chutinant said the IWAS World Games is a platform for disabled athletes to show their sporting abilities and skills to compete at the world level.
“We hope the IWAS World Games will inspire and raise awareness among persons with disabilities in the kingdom to participate in the sports,” he said.
The 2020 IWAS World Games will feature 10 sports that are recognised by the relevant international federations.
Meanwhile, IWAS president Rudi Van Den Abbeele said the decision to postpone the IWAS World Games was made jointly with the local organising committee in response to feedback from participating countries and teams.
“We are of course very disappointed that we have to postpone our flagship event. However, we must be led by the countries who have legitimate concerns about the health of their athletes.
“It would not be sensible to keep pushing ahead when we cannot offer athletes the chance to compete against a strong field of their peers. This is the essence of the World Games; it is an opportunity for many to experience a global sporting event for the first time. It is this formula which has helped produce great names.
“We hope to have another, slightly delayed, successful edition in Nakhon Ratchasima in April,” he said in a statement.
— Bernama
