The radio programme Prodigal Paralympians aired in the Clear Spot - between 8 and 9pm GMT on the Art of Listening, Resonance 104.4fm on November 2nd 2009.

The Paralympics are founded on the principal of parallel competition. Over 60 years of steadily drawing different disability groups into a single Paralympic family, to stand alongside the quadrennial Olympic Games. But what happens if one of the groups is questioned and then excluded. How do they find their way back into the family?

Timothy Abbott took a look at equality in disability sport through the prism of athletes with learning disabilities, the prodigal paralympians, who spent 9 years outside but have been readmitted from 21st November 2009 with the aim of the first truly inclusive Paralympic Games in London, in 2012.

Reacting to the reinclusion:

The UKSAPLD Press Release:

PARALYMPICS SAY “YES” TO ATHLETES WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY IN LONDON 2012

- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 21st NOVEMBER 2009 -

The UK Sports Association for People with Learning Disability (UKSA) celebrates the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) decision today to allow athletes with intellectual disability to compete in the Paralympic Games, starting with London 2012. This important announcement ends the 9 year ban imposed after the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.

Bernard Atha, Chairman, UK Sports Association for People with Learning Disability said “A great wrong has been put right. It has come just in time and I hope will allow athletes with a learning disability access to the training and support available to every other disabled athlete in order to participate in the London 2012 Paralympic Games.”

Tracey McCillen, National Director, UK Sports Association for People with Learning Disability said “This is a tremendous moment. Finally the Paralympic door is open and athletes will be given the recognition they deserve as elite sportsmen and women. Now athletes need access to funding otherwise they won’t be able to meet the high performance standards required in time for Paralympic selection.”

UKSA looks forward to working with Sports Governing Bodies, Paralympics GB and UK Sport to build a strong British Team for London 2012 and to creating a lasting legacy that includes people with learning disability well into the future.

The Paralympic Games is the pinnacle of sporting achievement and for those athletes with learning disability from Great Britain who reach the elite standards required, London 2012 will be the most significant step in their sporting career. UKSA will continue to support Governing Bodies and manage the classification process for athletes in the UK and acknowledges that athletes will be required to comply with the minimal disability requirements in order to compete in London 2012.

UKSA extends its thanks to INAS-FID, UKSA members, plus athletes, coaches and the numerous organisations across the UK for their support and in particular, thanks to UK Sport for its continued commitment to the inclusion of athletes with learning disability over the past 9 years.

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The International Paralympic Committee's official press release

IPC Decides on Participation of Athletes with Intellectual Disability

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - During the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the IPC membership today decided in favour of the re-inclusion of athletes with an intellectual disability (ID athletes) in competitions, including the Paralympic Games.

Said IPC President Sir Philip Craven: “Today’s achievement is the outcome of a unique and excellent co-operation between sports governance and the scientific community. I want to thank all parties involved, especially the scientists, for their contribution and commitment over the last two years”.

“I wish all ID athletes the best of success in their attempt to set world class performances at future competitions.” he continued.

This decision opens the participation of ID athletes in Paralympic Sport in a two-step process. At first, the procedure of classification will require the submission of the appropriate medical files to the INAS-FID International Eligibility Committee for review.

Once an application is approved by this Committee, INAS-FID will issue a letter to the athlete stating the athlete is found ‘eligible’ and is allowed to proceed to the next step of the classification process. The athlete then will proceed to on-site testing by a classification panel, appointed by the International Federation which governs that sport. The on-site testing will focus on ‘sports intelligence’, and will include tests relevant to that particular sport.

Test scores will be evaluated against sport-specific minimal disability scores and the athlete will be allocated the sport class that applies to ID athletes in a particular sport.

As of this autumn, no sport-specific minimal disability scores are available yet. This requires the full analysis of all data collected from the 2009 INAS-FID Global Games and other competitions, and it is expected that criteria will be made available mid 2010.

It is guaranteed that the ID Athlete Classification System is developed in accordance with the IPC Classification Code, has an evidence-based methodology, and thus strengthens the decisions on the right for ID athletes to be included in a particular sport.

As a consequence, ID athletes will from now on be eligible to compete at the discretion of the International Federation being operationally ready with the classification system. Paralympic sports that target the inclusion of ID athletes in future competitions, should extend their classification system on the basis of the above model.

The President of INAS-FID, Bob Price, said: ”Naturally, I am delighted with the outcome of the vote. Even though they themselves did nothing wrong, for nine years since Sydney 2000, ID athletes have been excluded from the Paralympic Games and other IPC sanctioned competitions”.

“This resolution brings this unfortunate episode to an end and re-introduces ID athletes to their proper place within the Paralympic Family. I am hugely grateful to the Joint Working Group and its associated research teams and I look forward to seeing ID athletes competing on the world’s stage in London in 2012,” Mr. Price commented.

The decision on the events to be included in a competition will be made in accordance with the set forth provisions. This is for the determination of that competition’s medal events and the respective qualification criteria, which is no different than any other event for any athlete. The inclusion of ID athletes will not reduce the number of athletes from other classes in events at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

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INAS-FID's official press release

21 November: IPC approve re-inclusion of athletes with an intellectual disability in Paralympic competiton.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – During the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the IPC membership today decided in favour of the re-inclusion of athletes with an intellectual disability (ID athletes) in competitions, including the Paralympic Games.

Said IPC President Sir Philip Craven: “Today’s achievement is the outcome of a unique and excellent co-operation between sports governance and the scientific community. I want to thank all parties involved, especially the scientists, for their contribution and commitment over the last two years”.

“I wish all ID athletes the best of success in their attempt to set world class performances at future Paralympic Games.” he continued.

This decision opens the participation of ID athletes in Paralympic Sport in a two-step process. At first, the procedure of classification will require the submission of the appropriate medical files to the INAS-FID International Eligibility Committee for review.

Once an application is approved by this Committee, INAS-FID will issue a letter to the athlete stating the athlete is found ‘eligible’ and is allowed to proceed to the next step of the classification process. The athlete then will proceed to on-site testing by a classification panel, appointed by the International Federation which governs that sport. The on-site testing will focus on ‘sports intelligence’, and will include tests relevant to that particular sport.

Test scores will be evaluated against sport-specific minimal disability scores and the athlete will be allocated the sport class that applies to ID athletes in a particular sport.

As of this autumn, no sport-specific minimal disability scores are available yet. This requires the full analysis of all data collected from the 2009 INAS-FID Global Games and other competitions, and it is expected that criteria will be made available mid 2010.

It is guaranteed that the ID Athlete Classification System is developed in accordance with the IPC Classification Code, has an evidence-based methodology, and thus strengthens the decisions on the right for ID athletes to be included in a particular sport.

As a consequence, ID athletes will from now on be eligible to compete at the discretion of the International Federation being operationally ready with the classification system.

The President of INAS-FID, Bob Price, said: ”Naturally, I am delighted with the outcome of the vote. Even though they themselves did nothing wrong, for nine years since Sydney 2000, ID athletes have been excluded from the Paralympic Games and other IPC sanctioned competitions”.

“This resolution brings this unfortunate episode to an end and re-introduces ID athletes to their proper place within the Paralympic Family. I am hugely grateful to the Joint Working Group and its associated research teams and I look forward to seeing ID athletes competing on the world’s stage in London in 2012,” Mr. Price commented.

Paralympic sports that target the inclusion of ID athletes in future events and competitions, should extend their classification system on the basis of the above model.

The decision on the events to be included in a competition will be made in accordance with the set forth provisions. This is for the determination of that competition’s medal events and the respective qualification criteria, which is no different than any other event for any athlete.

The inclusion of ID athletes will not reduce the number of athletes from other classes in events at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

The background to the 9 year exile

The Paralympic ethos is founded on the idea of inclusion. And any failure to embrace everyone it can reflects badly on the potential of society as a whole to embrace everyone. In that sense, the issues at stake are not sports specific. But the devices of exclusion and yardsticks of reinclusion in this case are, and the Paralympic Games are the most public face of tolerance and inclusion in the world.

The variety of the field was summed in a sentence by one of my interviewees, Dr. Bob Price.

In the young family of the Paralympics, sport for people with an intellectual disability is the baby. Intellectual disability is variously referred to as "retardation", "mental handicap" and most recently "intellectual disability" in sport and "learning disability" in the world at large. To qualify in this category for the Sydney games, the sole benchmark was an IQ result lower than 70. By means of comparison, the average is 100 and I have an IQ of 140.Competition at the same venues and on the same terms, full inclusion, did not even last the duration of one Paralympic Games.

One of the defining characteristics of people with learning disabilities is the difficulty with which they learn. Therefore, the moment a group of people with learning disabilities are prevented from doing something they excel in, they will have a disproportionately difficult time learning an alternative skill and earning an alternative livelihood.

In the Summer Paralympics of 2000, a Spanish business journalist named Carlos Ribogorda took advantage of lax administration within the bodies which vouched for whether an athlete was disabled. He led a team of largely non-disabled basketball players to pick up a gold medal for basketball for athletes with intellectual disability before blowing the whistle in his publication.

Classification disputes are not uncommon in the multilayered world of Paralympic sport.

Faced with a large and public failure of their oversight, the International Paralympic Committee instituted a complete ban on athletes with intellectual disabilities competing at IPC events - in the process placing an unjumpable hurdle between prospective athletes in the category and the public funds, World Class Performance Plan funding, which subsidises elite athletes in the UK.

Here is the text of the suspension notice:

INAS-FID Suspension:
Resolutions Adopted by the IPC Executive Committee:
Membership of INAS-FID in the IPC and Eligibility of Athletes with an Intellectual Disability Participating in IPC Events

I. The IPC IC findings have proven beyond doubt that the process of assessment, verification and certification of intellectually disabled athletes was not properly carried out, supervised or audited. The IPC determined that the President and Technical Officer of INAS-FID, Mr. Fernando Martín Vicente and Mr. Felipe Gutiérez Garcia respectively, are primarily responsible for this serious violation. Consequently, it was decided that both be expelled from IPC with immediate effect.

II. The IPC demanded that the membership of INAS-FID review their eligibility criteria and process and implement a new mechanism following the recommendation of the IPC IC, which clearly defines the eligibility process, qualification and accreditation of assessors and standard documentation to the full satisfaction of the IPC.

III. The IPC requests the National Paralympic Committees whose athletes submitted inaccurate or invalid documentation at the XI Paralympic Summer Games Sydney 2000 to review the status of their athletes by an independent investigation committee similar to that conducted by the Spanish Paralympic Committee, and to produce a findings report for the IPC IC within the next three (3) months, but no later than May 31, 2001.

All medals won by athletes who do not meet the international eligibility standards should be returned to the IPC via the respective National Paralympic Committee.

IV. The IPC urges the INAS-FID to admit their responsibility and accountability with regard to the current violations, and to rectify their policy and leadership at the upcoming General Assembly scheduled for April 2001, including the expulsion from their executive positions on the INAS-FID Executive Committee, members who voted in favor of the motion of confidence for Mr. Fernando Martin Vicente at the last INAS-FID Executive Committee meeting.

V. Until and unless the INAS-FID has resolved the above issues to the satisfaction of the IPC Executive Committee, the membership of INAS-FID will remain suspended indefinitely. INAS-FID may produce their new policy, and results of their investigation, to the IPC at any time for consideration.

However, and as proof of respect to athletes with an intellectual disability, according to the definitions provided by the World Health Organization and the American Association of Mental Retardation, the IPC Executive Committee accepts that competitions and events sanctioned by the IPC and involving athletes with an intellectual disability may continue to be planned and organized, including the XIII Paralympic Winter Games Salt Lake City 2002. Intellectually disabled athletes may obtain provisional recognition from the IPC, if their eligibility is duly proven and verified by a new eligibility committee appointed by INAS-FID and the IPC.

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Following the lifting of the ban after a vote by the entire international membership of the International Paralympic Committee in November 2009,

potential athletes in the category will struggle to reach elite standards because they have no role-models and no first hand experience of success or failure.

Why do I care?

I’m a professional journalist with cerebral palsy. I’m not and never have been an elite athlete. I have followed the Paralympics as an observer for most of my life, for the past 5 years as a professional observer.

I have mild cerebral palsy, which places me at the edges of theoretical qualification for competition. Except that the only qualifying sport is football, and I'm not good at football.

Because I found myself able to revisit the issue, with the backing of Resonance 104.4fm and the looming presence of London 2012 Summer Olympics in all our lives in this city. The decision on whether the ban will be lifted for the London Games will be taken at the November 2009 general assembly of the Paralympic movement. I hope to see a presence in Stratford.

During the radio programme, you will hear mention of a legal action sanctioned by the General Assembly of INAS-FID, but never enacted, against the International Paralympic Committee. The non-continuation of this line of thinking is the strongest sign that the relationship between the two bodies has improved.

With Paralympic reinclusion uppermost in his mind but not his sole aim as INAS chair designate, Dr. Bob Price was elected to the top of the organisation in 2007.

His thoughts, published in a newsletter (of July 2007) to the member bodies of the organisation but also published on the publically accessible website, and oft-repeated during our interview are as follows:

During the period before my election, the INAS Executive had reacted to the wishes of its General Assembly by extending a formal invitation to IPC to place their ‘difference of opinion’ in the hands of a third party, preferably the Council of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), and by advising IPC, albeit reluctantly, of a determination to proceed to legal action through the German courts if this invitation were declined.

Since my election, I have spoken with my two predecessors (Jos Mulder and Bernard Atha), with the new Executive, with INAS lawyers and with representatives of IPC and, at all times, I have been at pains to communicate my own views as clearly and as consistently as possible. Briefly, my position is as follows:

(i) the present situation is unacceptable;

(ii) by now, almost seven years on from the original ‘incident’ in Sydney, the problem should have been resolved;

(iii) as a new President with an eye to the future, I have no interest whatsoever in looking backwards and re-playing all the arguments that have been rehearsed previously;

(iv) INAS and IPC should indeed avail themselves of the services of CAS, even if only to resolve the Beijing dispute; and

(v) having done so, INAS and IPC should turn their attention to the longer-term goal of returning INAS athletes to their rightful position within the competitive structures of all future Paralympic Games.

For the avoidance of doubt, let me close this part of my report by giving added emphasis
to two personal observations on the current INAS/IPC ‘dispute’:

(i) since my election, I have received nothing but encouragement from IPC (and from within INAS) and a commitment by IPC to taking whatever steps are necessary to obtain the desired outcome of full INAS participation in future Paralympic Games;

and (ii) no matter what the outcome of our more immediate efforts regarding the Beijing Games, I see nothing but harm and damage (to all concerned on both sides of the argument) emanating from the prosecution by INAS of any court action against IPC. Unless and until I am required to do otherwise, I will commit myself unreservedly to a course of action that is intended to keep INAS within the Paralympic family and to doing so in a way that does not lead to our exclusion or ostracisation by other members of that family. I sincerely believe that sufficient goodwill exists on both sides to make this possible and I hope that all INAS members will join me in looking forward to a better future within IPC.

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In 2001, the IPC issued an open letter explaining the ban. It read as follows:

07.02.2001
Open letter from the IPC President - INAS-FID Suspension

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) recognizes the great concerns of many in the Paralympic Movement and in the world of disability sport, following its decision to suspend the International Association Sport for Persons with an Intellectual Disability (INAS-FID). The IPC wishes to emphasize that the suspension of INAS-FID is preliminary, pending the conclusions and final report of the IPC Investigation Commission. This position has been outlined in the following Open Letter from the IPC President to members of the Paralympic Movement:

Dear Friends,

From the world-wide reactions to the IPC decision with respect to INAS-FID it has become evident that clarification is needed.

   1. The IPC Management Committee’s decision of January 27 in respect of the status of INAS-FID is preliminary until the IPC Investigation Commission has concluded its report. The report will be submitted to the IPC Executive Committee meeting on March 9-10, 2001.
   2. The decision became necessary as it became evident that the issue of fraud does not seem to be just a "Spanish issue", but a global issue involving other national INAS-FID organizations – a fact that INAS-FID President Mr. Fernando Martin Vicente admitted to the Spanish Paralympic Committee.
   3. The decision also became necessary as the Management Committee concluded that INAS-FID as an organization is ultimately responsible for this situation as the INAS-FID Executive Committee made a vote of confidence for their President, Mr. Fernando Martin Vicente, in his actions for handling this matter.
   4. In recognition to the performance of all athletes, the IPC cannot permit ID athletes’ participation in events until it is certain that all requirements to guarantee elite standard are met and that a quality and failsafe system of evaluating ID athletes is in place and has the full confidence of the IPC.

The IPC fully understands the current disappointment and frustration of those athletes who are truly intellectually disabled and eligible to compete in IPC events. They have trained hard during the last months and are ready to perform at upcoming competitions. However, we feel that it is the IPC’s responsibility to protect these athletes from unfair competition due to the lack of acceptable standardized evaluation procedures and inconsistencies. At this stage, the IPC has no evidence that INAS-FID can assure the eligibility of all athletes and thus had to impose this suspension, being fully aware of the fact that only a small number of athletes actually committed a fraud.

The IPC shall endeavor to keep all relevant parties informed once the Investigation Commission has concluded its investigations. We would, therefore, ask for your understanding, trust and support.

Sincerely,

Dr. Robert D. Steadward, O.C.
President
International Paralympic Committee

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During the immediate prelude to the Athens Paralympics, I spoke to Inas Europe president Geoff Smedley, British Paralympic Association chief executive Phil Lane and the swimmers Francis and Tracey Dart- multi-gold medal winning, multi-world record holders before the suspension of their category.

A further two statements have since been released from the IPC, under its new leadership of veteran Paralympian Sir Phil Craven, in 2007 and 2008.

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MEMORANDUM
Date: 11/01/2007
Re:     Position Statement Regarding the Participation of Athletes with an Intellectual
Disability at IPC Sanctioned Competitions
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) wants to emphasize that it supports
the participation of athletes with an intellectual disability and that the current
decision is not a case of discrimination against a disability group, but rather the
outcome of an investigation of whether an International Federation (ie, INAS-FID)
has the necessary processes in place to support elite competition.
Athletes with an intellectual disability who compete within the Paralympic Movement
are represented by the International Sports Federation for Persons with an
Intellectual Disability (INAS-FID). INAS-FID is responsible for the implementation and
verification of the processes used for determining the eligibility of their athletes
competing in international sports competition. To be eligible to compete, athletes
within the Paralympic Movement must meet a minimal eligibility requirement. A
thorough, transparent and fair evaluation and verification system is the only way
competitions can be conducted fairly.
The examination of the INAS-FID eligibility systems for the Sydney 2000 Paralympic
Games concluded that eligibility verification at both the national and international
level had been grossly mismanaged and administered. Of the possible medals
awarded for ID events at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, 69% were awarded
to athletes from various countries whose INAS-FID registration forms did not meet
the proper requirements of the eligibility verification process.
INAS-FID was therefore suspended from the Paralympic Movement by the IPC
General Assembly in 2001. Full reinstatement, including the participation of athletes
with an intellectual disability at IPC sanctioned competitions, is dependent on the
following, as agreed by both the IPC and INAS-FID:


*      confirmation of impact of intellectual disability on sport performance
*      determination of minimum eligibility criteria and sport specific criteria
*      development and implementation of protest procedures


In June 2006, the IPC Governing Board discussed a report with regard to the
progress made by INAS-FID to comply with the criteria they had agreed upon. It
was felt that the general eligibility system as developed by INAS-FID does not
achieve the standard expected for IPC sanctioned competitions and is not
sufficiently robust to ensure fair competition for athletes with an intellectual
disability. Consequently, the IPC decided these athletes shall not take part in IPC
sanctioned events, including the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.
To date, INAS-FID has failed to fulfil the mutually agreed requirements for
reinstatement of athletes with an intellectual disability in IPC sanctioned
competitions, including the Paralympic Games. Furthermore, in August 2006 INAS-
FID stated that they cannot comply with the 2001 criteria.
The IPC will continue to support the research being conducted in this area. As a
result, the status of athletes with an intellectual disability will be re-evaluated
following the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

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In 2008, the statement read as follows:

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13.09.2008
Joint Statement on the Re-inclusion of Athletes With Intellectual Disability in Future Paralympic Games

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the International Sports Federation for Persons with an Intellectual Disability (INAS-FID) are pleased to issue the following joint statement on their efforts to re-include athletes with an intellectual disability in future Paralympic Games and other IPC-sanctioned competitions.

    * Mindful of the need to move forward as quickly as possible and to do so together, in 2007 a joint INAS-FID/IPC working group was established with the following terms of reference:
      To appraise the present position, consider the options and make recommendations that, taken together, may ensure the re-inclusion of athletes with an intellectual disability in the London 2012 Paralympic Games and beyond. An effective sport input needs to be ensured throughout the process.
    * This joint working group has already met on three occasions and both the IPC Governing Board and the INAS-FID Executive Committee are satisfied that significant progress is being made and that the re-inclusion of athletes with an intellectual disability in London 2012 and beyond remains a viable and reasonable objective.
    * The activities of the joint working group are focused on the resolution of three key areas of concern: eligibility, sport specificity and on site protests and appeals. Significant progress is being made in all three areas and it is anticipated that systems, processes and procedures will be available for pilot testing during the early part of 2009. These systems are being developed using a scientific approach that is fully compliant with the new IPC Classification Code and engages actively with the relevant sports.
    * To provide athletes with an intellectual disability with the competition experience necessary for them to prepare for London 2012 and to provide the joint working group with the evidence base necessary to test and refine the systems that will be required for successful re-inclusion, opportunities will be created from as early as possible in 2009 for athletes with an intellectual disability to be given access to both regional and world-level competitions in a variety of sports.
    * It is envisaged that the inclusion of athletes with an intellectual disability in future Paralympic Games, beginning with London 2012, will be formally ratified by the IPC General Assembly in November 2009.

The IPC and INAS-FID recognize that this is an ongoing process, requiring constant refinement and continuous improvement. However, they are pleased with progress to date and they remain confident that the continued efforts of the joint working group and those associated with it will enable athletes with an intellectual disability to be re-introduced to Paralympic competition in time for London 2012.

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This project began with the disbelief of the Sydney2000 Paralympics, summed up in the words of Geoff Smedley in 2004, which you can hear below:

Sydney was the first time that athletes with an IQ less than 70 had competed fully in the quadrennial games.

The IQ threshold is a problem for a couple of reasons. Firstly, until Sydney it was the sole benchmark for inclusion as an athlete in the class for intellectual disability. And any system with a single point of failure is open to massive and sudden failure. Secondly, until recently the IPC were following a more restrictive definition of low IQ than the World Health Organisation's global standard.

In 2004, I first embarked on researching the topic of elite athletes with intellectual disabilities, as the first Summer Olympics rolled around following their exclusion. I began looking in depth at this issue in2004 as the defining issue in my BA dissertation for a Broadcast Journalism degree. At that time, I spoke to current British Paralympic Association head Phil Lane, Geoff Smedley of Inas and Uksa as well as two multi-world record holding swimmers with intellectual disabilities, Francis Dart and his now wife Tracy. The waters run deep and whilst the surface has frequently rippled, the lake remains undredged, 8 years on from the ban and 4 years after I first looked into it.

At the time I spoke with Geoff Smedley of INAS Europe and UKSA, BPA chief exec Phil Lane and a couple of excluded athletes but was only offered a statement by the IPC. Having hoped that the issue would resolve itself before I had time to explore it, I began revisiting the issues after the IPC and INAS issued a joint statement expressing hope for London 2012.

The full classification code of the IPC, which is used to establish the legitimate entry of an athlete into Paralympic competition can be reached here

As for the historical context, the Paralympic Games evolved from the Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Games, themselves created by German emigree neuroscientist, Ludwig Guttmann to provide rehabilitation for people injured during World War 2. A second competion took place in 1952 where competitors from the Netherlands joined the games and an international movement was born.

The Olympic format and the Parallel Olympics (or Paralympics) was first used in 1960 in Rome, and the first multi-sport, multi-disability Paralympics arrived in 1976 in Toronto. The bedfellows of complexity and diversity kept adding to the programme and if INAS is readmitted, London will have elite sport events for athletes from six different disability groups.

The number of athletes participating in Summer Paralympic Games has increased from 400 athletes from 23 countries in Rome in 1960 to 3806 athletes from 136 countries in Athens in 2004, although clearly the numbers have moved around because of the INAS situation.

The Paralympic Games have always been held in the same year as the Olympic Games. Integration of the Paralympics and the Olympic city began in 1988, but attitudes within the Paralympic family caused the dislocation of athletes with intellectual disabilities to another city in 1992 before legal pressure brought a gradual inclusion into the main games by the ill-fated Sydney Games.

The relationship between the Paralympic ideal and disability politics is a complex one. The IPC suggest that games "emphasize the participants' athletic achievements rather than their disability" but the categories of entry are still those of disability. If you are not disabled, you are not able to compete.

On the face of it, this impales the Paralympic ideal on the spike of the medical model of disability - whereby physical or mental differences are tagged, described, categorised and in some cases even ranked in terms of severity in order to decide whether and against whom an athlete can compete. As much is acknowledged by IPC Medical Director Peter van de Vliet in the clip below:

However, within the atmosphere of the Olympics, which class an athlete belongs to takes a backseat to the awesome sight of an athlete in full flight - the embodiment of the social model, of a focus on athletic ability.

Faced with such a complex psychological backdrop, understanding and rooting for Paralympic sport can be a bit of a challenge.

Let's take Oscar Pistorius as an example, the astounding sprinter who runs on curved 'blades' attached to his legs. He has two amputated legs but frequently competes against athletes with one amputated leg and one non-amputated leg due to the lack of world-class sprinters with double amputations.

Last year, Pistorius believed he could compete with non-disabled runners. He has gone as far as to successfully challenge the governing body for non-disabled athletes. The paradox of the situation is as follows:

The IAAF ruled that his blades were so efficient at converting his kinetic energy into speed that he was actually being powered and therefore to allow him to compete would be unfair on the unimpaired athletes who suffered from the flaws of human legs.

Therefore, he had to satisfy the medical model of disability once more that he remained physically impaired before he was successfully allowed to compete in competition against non-disabled runners, if he hit the same qualification time.

It is also worth pointing out at this point that the Paralympics are not the Special Olympics.

Success at the first is measured by the traditional 'faster, higher, stronger' that has driven elite sport since the original Olympics.

The Special Olympics, on the other hand, are not an elite competition but rather a participatory event.

I have received assistance and occasional hindrance from all those from whom you will hear on this programme. Here are my interviewees and their background:

Dr. Peter van de Vliet - the Medical and Scientific Director of the International Paralympic Committee. The Paralympics are the direct equivilent of the Olympics for athletes with disabilities. They are administered by the International Paralympic Committee, which is based in Bonn, Nordrhein Westfalen and from whence Dr. van de Vliet spoke. They were founded in the spinal injury specialty unit at Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire.

Dr. Bob Price is the president of the International Sports Federation for athletes with an Intellectual Disability (referred to variously as Inas, Inas-FID or Inas Fid). Dr. Price is a former member of the management board of the IPC and a vice-president of the British Paralympic Association, a position he held at the time at the time of the Sydney Paralympics.

Inas is the international federation for sport for athletes with an intellectual disability and the classification body for those athletes wishing to compete in the Paralympics in the category. It is a member of the International Paralympic Committee representing Intellectual Disability. The secretariat is managed by Mencap in England. His interview was conducted over the phone to their offices in Lincolnshire.

Tracey McCillen - the National Director of the UK Sports Association for People with a Learning Disability. UKSA is the member of Inas for the United Kingdom, as recognised by ParalympicsGB. She has served a number of roles within both Inas and UKSA in a career spanning the entirety of intellectual disability involvement in the Paralympics. She came into the Resonance FM studios in London.

As ever with these things, many discussions off the record and primary sources also informed the final production.