Iran celebrates National Paralympic Week

The aim of National Paralympic Week was to encourage more people to take part in sport activities in Iran in the hope that its already impressive record in para-sport would be secured for the future, as well as improve grass-roots participation.

Iran held its first ever National Paralympic Week recently to raise awareness and change perceptions of disability, supported by the development arm of the International Paralympic Committee - the Agitos Foundation.

Organised by the Iranian National Paralympic Committee (NPC), the festival involved thousands of children with impairments in cultural, social and sports events across seven days.

Funding for the project came from the Foundation’s Grant Support Programme, which gave 630,000 Euro to development projects across the world in 2013.

The aim of National Paralympic Week was to encourage more people to take part in sport activities in Iran in the hope that its already impressive record in para-sport would be secured for the future, as well as improve grass-roots participation.

At the last Paralympic Games in London in 2012, Iranian athletes won 10 gold, seven silver and seven bronze medals including one gold and two bronze for the women of the team.

During National Paralympic Week, athletes tried to introduce and promote sports for people with impairments in schools, universities and media and even among their families to develop the concept of sport for all.

The week climaxed with a huge event in the Azadi Sport Complex in Tehran with more than 8,000 children and their families which was attended by the Vice President of the NPC, Dr. Rakhshani, the countries’ Minister of Sport and Youth, Presidents of National Federations, football players including Mehdi Mahdavikia, Olympians and film stars. Live coverage of the festivities were shown on national television with TV presenters getting involved in the action.

A series of events focusing on women in sport were also run throughout the week to involve more active female participation in para-sport in Iran and Asia more generally.

The first ever Asian Women in Sport Committee was held, with members discussing how they could make sure that more women from the region were given opportunities to take part in sport. The committee also met politicians with an interest in para-sport.

In 2013, the Agitos Foundation gave 630,000 Euro to more than 30 projects being run by NPCs and sporting organisations across the world which aim to increase participation sport as well as improve resources at an elite level.

Projects funded range from part-funding the refurbishment of a sports hall in Haiti, to training classifiers in curling.