Athletes Without Limits is looking for talented athletes with intellectual disability to represent the US at upcoming national and international track & field and cross country events.
As the US member of INAS-FID, Athletes Without Limits offers opportunities for US runners to compete at the highest levels in track & field and cross country. International competitions are already being organized by INAS-FID and/or the IPC and are run according to IAAF rules (for example, athletes will not be able to run with a guide or partner). Just like in Olympic competition, there are no separate categories by ability level—the top three runners win Gold, Silver and Bronze in each event.
Qualified athletes may be able to travel to international competitions with the US delegation and there are new opportunities for Paralympic competition now that a class for intellectual disability has been added to Track & Field for the London 2012 Paralympics and other IPC events.
Athletes must meet the INAS-FID eligibility requirements and complete the eligibility application to be considered. Please review eligibility guidelines and contact us for more information. if you know of any athletes who may be interested in competing in or aspiring to compete in national and international elite level competition. We look forward to meeting you!
Track & Field Events
- 2010 U.S. Paralympics Track & Field National Championships
June 18-20, 2010 : Miramar, Florida
- 5th INAS-FID Open European Athletics Championships
July 7-12, 2010: Varazdin, Croatia
- 6th INAS-FID World Indoor Athletics Championships
April 14,19, 2010: Bolinas, Sweden
- 5th INAS-FID World Cross Country Championships
March 4-8, 2010: Vac, Pest, Hungary
Registration Deadline: December 15, 2009 - USA Track & Field 5k Cross Country Disability Championships
October 4, 2009: Kings Park, New York
INAS-FID Athletics & Cross Country
The International Federation for Sport for Athletes with an Intellectual Disability (INAS-FID) offers world championship level track & field and cross country events for athletes with intellectual disability.
INAS-FID competitors are an elite group of athletes from around the world making great achievements in Athletics. See the world records and rankings on the INAS-FID website to see just how fast world champion athletes with intellectual disability are. We look forward to seeing US athletes in those rankings in years to come!
Interested US athletes should work with Athletes Without Limits to complete the athlete eligibility process in order to compete in INAS-FID events. Athletes Without Limits will organize trips to INAS-FID athletics events based on athlete interest. Please contact us for more information.
Rules:
All INAS-FID Athletics competitions are held according to the rules of and officiated by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and INAS-FID. As with all INAS-FID competitions, only the top athletes in each event win; there are no separate divisions by ability level as in Special Olympic events.
Paralympic Athletics (Track & Field)
Following the November 2009 vote to re-include athletes with intellectual disability into Paralympic competition, IPC Athletics (Track & Field) is likely to be one of the inclusive sports. Athletes with intellectual disability may have the opportunity to qualify to represent the US at the London 2012 Games. More information will be posted as it becomes available, however the IPC has stated that meeting INAS-FID eligibility criteria is the first step toward Paralympic classification.
Opportunities in the US
National:
The USA Track & Field website provides a list of running opportunities throughout the US by area.
The Achilles Running Clubs located in the US and throughout the world welcomes athletes with intellectual disability to participate in their national network of running clubs and events.
New York Area:
The Rolling Thunder Special Needs running program offers athletes with any disability (physical and/or intellectual) the opportunity for to train and compete, including at mainstream USA Track & Field national level events.
