Membership agrees exciting changes to wheelchair fencing

21/11/2020

The International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) Membership has voted in favour of exciting changes to IWAS Wheelchair Fencing at the sport’s biannual Congress on Saturday (21 November).

The Congress, which was held online for the first time, saw delegates hear motions from members of the Executive Committee.

These included changing the name of IWAS Wheelchair Fencing to World Para Fencing to reflect the diversity of athletes now competing in the sport.

Following the vote, consultation will begin with partners and work will take place to implement the new title for the start of the 2022 season, following the Paralympic Games in 2021.

The second motion to be passed centred around the make-up of the Executive Committee. To ensure good representation across regions and genders, the Membership were asked to approve an increase in the number of Members at Large positions from five to seven.

Regional Members at Large for Asia, Europe and the Americas, and an ‘Equal Representation’ position were voted through.

The nominees for these positions were then elected during the IWAS Wheelchair Fencing 2020 Elections which followed the Congress, alongside the Chairperson and Secretary General. More information about the elections can be found here.

The 2020 Congress also featured updates on the progress of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, future plans for development and expanding the reach of wheelchair fencing and the calendar for 2021-2024.