The USOC mission includes the development and
preparation of elite disabled athletes. In
October of 1995, the USOC also assumed the role
and responsibilities as the United States
Paralympic Committee. As such, the USOC is
committed to a long term investment in elite
disabled athletics. With minor exceptions,
services provided disabled athletes are
comparable to that which are provided
able-bodied Olympic athletes.
The Committee on Sports for the Disabled
(COSD), a standing by-law committee of the
USOC, provides policy and procedural
recommendations to the USOC Board of Directors
for consideration. The COSD serves as the
conduit between the Disabled Sports
Organizations (DSOs) and the USOC. COSD's
mission is to encourage and promote a cohesive
working relationship between the 41 National
Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs), the
USOC/USPC, and the DSOs.
The USOC/USPC is committed to working with both
the NGBs and the DSOs to provide top-level
support services to elite disabled athletes in
training and competing in the Paralympics and
other quadrennial disabled games. The USOC
Disabled Sports Services Department manages the
internal activities necessary to facilitate
this progress. Disabled Sports Services also
serves as the contact representative for all
issues relative to National Paralympic
Committee concerns.
The USOC is dedicated to the integration and
advancement of elite disabled athletes into
open competition whenever possible.
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Disabled Sports Organizations / Organization / International Paralympic Committee Competitors
There are seven Disabled Sports Organizations
(DSOs) recognized as USOC member organizations.
They are:
Paralympic Affiliated Sport Organizations
1. United States Association of Blind
Athletes (USABA)
2. Dwarf Athletic Association of America
(DAAA)
3. United States Cerebral Palsy Athletic
Association (USCPAA)
4. Wheelchair Sport USA (WSUSA)
5. Disabled Sports USA (DSUSA)
6. Special Olympics International (SOI)
Note: Special Olympics International, in
conjunction with the USOC, has assumed the
responsibility for INAS-FMH athletes in
the United States.
Non-Paralympic Disabled Sports Organization
1. USA Deaf Sports Federation (USADSF)
The Paralympic DSOs combined support
approximately 20,000 elite disabled athletes
(not including the 438,000 SOI athletes and
recreational participants). Currently, there
are 25 Paralympic Sports, 19 Summer and 6
Winter Sports.
The USADSF a Non-Paralympic DSO, supports
approximately 1,800 athletes.
The USOC provides direct financial support to
The Paralympic Games (winter & summer). The
USOC provides financial support to foster the
development of elite disabled athletes and
their Olympic equivalent events.
United States disabled athletes participating
in the Paralympics are members of one of the
above named organizations and represent 5
International Federations of disability groups
under the jurisdiction of the International
Paralympic Committee. They are:
1.ISMWSF - International Stoke (Wheelchair Athletes)
Mandeville Wheelchair Sports
Federation
2.ISOD - International Sports (Amputee / Dwarf / Les
Organization for the Disabled Autres Athletes)
3.CP-ISRA - Cerebral Palsy (Cerebral Palsy
International Sports and Athletes)
Recreation Association
4.IBSA - International Blind (Blind Athletes)
Sports Association
5.INAS-FMH - International (Cognitively Impaired)
Association for Mentally
Handicapped
It is important to note that all athletes
selected to compete for their country are elite
athletes and must qualify for competition along
similar guidelines set for that of Olympic
athletes. All athletes must adhere to grueling
training regimens and meet strict qualifying
standards to be eligible for participation. The
Paralympics, unlike Special Olympics, are not a
participatory event in which everyone can enter
and win a medal!
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The Paralympics are recognized by the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) and
governed and sanctioned by the International
Paralympic Committee (IPC), a member
organization of the IOC. International
Federations, (IFs) under IPC jurisdiction,
represent 5 disability groups and provide the
technical guidelines through sports technical
delegates for classificational criteria to the
Paralympics.
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International Paralympic Committee
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC)
currently resides in Bonn, Germany and is
similar to the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) in form and function. It is an
international non-profit organization
established for the purpose of governing and
developing the world's elite disabled athletes
and The Paralympic Games. English is the IPCs
primary language. The IPC is formally
recognized and funded, in part, by the
International Olympic Committee. The IPC
presides over five international federations
representing 150 countries and 10,000,000
athletes worldwide.
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Elite athletes wishing to compete currently
must be members of one of the USOC/USPC
affiliated Disabled Sports Organizations (DSOs)
and qualify to participate through a trials
process established by the DSO for their
disability group. Sanctioning and approval of
selected athletes is reviewed and affirmed by
the USOC to ensure fair and adequate
competition opportunity. Selection criteria
establishing the guidelines for competition
eligibility is developed by the USOC in
coordination with IPC and IF regulations
provided by the Paralympic Organizing
Committee. Functional classification guidelines
are provided to the Paralympic Organizing
Committee from the International Federations
which govern the individual sports.
History / Equipment / Classification / Rules
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