IPC Athletics to stage first Para-athletics Coaching Conference this December

“Taking place less than nine months before the start of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games the event will bring together some of the best coaches, athletes and performance directors in the world to share best practice and present new ideas for getting the best out of para-athletes."

IPC Athletics has announced it will stage the first ever Para-athletics Coaching Conference this December in Colorado Springs, USA, featuring a stellar line-up of speakers from the world of high performance para-athletics.

Taking place between 12-13 December 2015, "Destination Rio 2016 - preparing for prime performance" is targeted at high performance directors, national coaches, classifiers and team support staff including strength and conditioners, nutritionists and physiotherapists.

Featuring a mixture of keynote speeches and panel discussions, attendees will also have the option of attending a number of workshops during the conference.

Five-time Paralympian Chantel Petitclerc, a winner of 14 Paralympic gold medals and who will be Team Canada's Chef de Mission at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, has been confirmed as the first keynote speaker at the event. Petitclerc, who in March was awarded the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) International Women's Day Recognition Award, will speak about athlete perspectives in advances in training and coaching.

Also confirmed to speak at the event are:

- Guido Bonsen (NED) - Head coach of the Dutch para-athletics team since 2009 who will talk about the key factors in running and jumping with prosthesis.

- Lawrence W. Judge (USA) - National Chairman of the USA Track and Field for Coaches Education who will give a lecture on developing training methodology for seated and standing throws.

- Ciro Winckler (BRA) - Professor of physical education at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He will speak about the right training environment for visually impaired athletes.

More speakers will be announced in due course.

Ryan Montgomery, Head of IPC Athletics, said: "We are very excited that Colorado Springs will stage the first ever Para-athletics Coaching Conference.

"Taking place less than nine months before the start of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games the event will bring together some of the best coaches, athletes and performance directors in the world to share best practice and present new ideas for getting the best out of para-athletes.

"We're also delighted to confirm that Chantal Petitclerc, the most successful female Paralympian ever on the track, will be one of our keynote speakers.

"Chantal's attendance gives a taster of the quality of world class speakers we will be assembling in Colorado Springs and announcing in the coming months."

Rick Adams, the US Olympic Committee's Chief, Paralympic Sport and NGB Organisational Development, said: "We are proud that Colorado Springs, home to US Paralympics, is playing host to a world-class event like the upcoming Para-athletics Coaching Conference, and we hope to bring additional international events to the US. in the near future. We look forward to connecting with our colleagues from around the globe to further Paralympic sport."

Registration for the event is now open via the IPC Athletics website and anyone booking before 1 October 2015 can benefit from an early bird registration fee of EUR 300.