Viola Altmann of the Sint Maartenskliniek rehabilitation centre in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and Debbie Van Biesen from the Faculty of kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Leuven, Belgium, have been confirmed as speakers for October’s VISTA 2015 conference in Girona, Spain.

The year’s VISTA theme between 7-10 October is “securing the future of young para-athletes” and Altmann and Van Biesen will speak about conceptual applications of evidence-based classification.

Van Biesen, who worked closely with the International Table Tennis federation to develop the sport-specific table tennis classification system, will talk about the conceptual application of evidence based classification for athletes with an intellectual impairment, whilst Altmann will apply the concept to wheelchair rugby.

The symposium will be introduced by Yves Vanlandewijck, Chairperson of the IPC Sports Science Committee who works at the Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Services, at the University of Leuven.

“The IPC Classification Code which is currently being revised ahead of publication in 2017 mandates the development of evidence-based systems of classification,” explained Vanlandewijck. “Since the inception of the concept of evidence-based classification, some excellent papers have been published on applications of elements of this concept in different sports and in different impairment groups.

“However, overall conceptual applications of evidence-based classification have not been published yet. Therefore, this symposium will provide an update of evidence-based classification research against the given conceptual background; applications will be made to wheelchair rugby and to sports for athletes with intellectual impairment.”

Altmann and Van Biesen are the second pair of speakers to be announced for VISTA 2015 after Ciro Winckler of Sao Paulo Federal University and Raymond So of the Hong Kong Sports Institute were confirmed earlier this month. The duo will cover the topic of athlete health and performance.

Registration for VISTA 2015 is now open at www.vista2015.com and hundreds of experts and sports specialists from around the world are expected to attend.

Organisers are currently offering an early bird discount of 300 EUR, a 15 per cent discount on the listed price, to anyone who books before 15 June 2015.

VISTA is designed to promote and advance the mission, goals, objectives and reputation of the IPC and provides a platform for the academic world to meet with athletes and professional experts in the field of sport for athletes with an impairment.

It provides a forum for exchange on the latest information, research and expertise related to the Paralympic Movement and promotes cross-disciplinary interaction among sport scientists, athletes, coaches, administrators and the media.

It was first held in 1993 and has since developed a global reputation for acting as a platform for debate, discussion and dialogue on key issues relating to the growth of the Paralympic Movement.