Are you aged between 12 and 18? Are you sporty and dream of becoming the next Elite Sprinter, Jumper or Thrower at the Paralympics and Olympics in Tokyo 2020? Yes? Then all you need to do is sign up!
If you’re an aspiring young athlete looking for ways to make waves in Paralympic athletics, then our Athletics NI training sessions are a great way to get started on your road to success!
Maybe you want to find yourself a great coach to help you develop your talents or you might just want to give yourself a challenge (and see how good you really are!)
Athletics events are the best way to learn more about the sport and meet new people (especially the ones you want to beat!). You can attend an event in your area - see schedule below.
A bit confused about classification? Who isn’t! The British Athletics Parallel Success website can help point you in the right direction with Classification information and provide you with enough basic information to get you started!
Athletics NI organise Para Athlete training sessions through the year for athletes in the categories listed below. These sessions will be for athletes aged 12 years through to seniors. There is no charge for these sessions.
Within athletics these are the classification groups. Each group is subdivided into classes depending on the level of impairment. There are strict criteria attached to each class, use the following basic guidelines for eligibility. If you have any questions please contact Heather Ardis on the email address or number below.
The following groups are currently included in the Paralympic Pathway:
T – Track F - Field |
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T/F |
11-13 |
Athletes with a Visual Impairment |
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T/F |
31-38 |
Athletes with Cerebral Palsy |
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T/F |
40-46 |
Amputee & Les Autres (including Dwarf Athletes) |
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T |
51-54 |
Wheelchair Racers |
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F |
51-58 |
Seated Field Athletes |
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The classification process identifies the athlete's functional ability in relation to the event group in which they are competing. The athlete undergoes a series of mobility tests and is seen in competition by IPC (International Paralympic Committee) qualified classifiers.
Session Dates:
|
Date |
Place |
Time |
|
23rd September 2018 |
Mary Peters Track, Belfast |
1pm - 3pm |
|
21st October 2018 |
Mary Peters Track, Belfast |
1pm - 3pm |
|
18th November 2018 |
Mary Peters Track, Belfast |
1pm - 3pm |
|
17th February 2019 |
Mary Peters Track, Belfast |
1pm - 3pm |
|
24th March 2019* |
Mary Peters Track, Belfast |
10am - 3pm |
|
14th April 2019 |
Mary Peters Track, Belfast |
1pm - 3pm |
*This will also be a British Athletics Classification Day. Anyone wanting to be classified needs to notify Heather on heather@athleticsni.org before January 2019 and have all their medical information available to send to British Athletics by the end of January.
Wheelchair Training Sessions
Wheelchair track training sessions - these are held at the Mary Peters Track (Belfast) on Thursday nights 5pm - 6pm for athletes aged 8-12 (April to October) and from 5pm - 6.30pm (all year) for athletes aged 12 and older.
If you are interested in attending please email through your name, age and disability details to Heather Ardis: heather@athleticsni.org
Wheelchair track sessions – Following on from these sessions Athletics NI will create links between athletes and local clubs. A full list of clubs in Northern Ireland can be found at www.athleticsni.org/Clubs
An athlete with a physical, sensory or learning disability is required to be classified if they wish to take part in national/ international competitions.
Athletics NI are hoping to encourage more people with a physical disability to take part in athletics. Within NI there are many athletes already taking part in the sport with out realising that they can be classified as an athlete with a disability. Classification would give the athletes the opportunity to take part in more competitions against athletes of their own ability.
Most of ANI’s Paralympic athletes compete regularly in able bodied competitions and over recent years they have started to take part in disability competitions. This has given them the opportunity to travel the world competing in competitions such as;
World Junior IPC Games, World IPC Games and Paralympics
Track & Field - Competitions to be decided by the Track & Field Committee in November.
Road Races – Many of the 10k & half marathons across Northern Ireland have a wheelchair category. Just check with individual race organisers.
Special Olympics Ulster provides year round sports training and competition to over 2,000 people with an intellectual disability in the counties Antrim, Down, Armagh, Tyrone, Fermanagh and Derry, Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan. Special Olympics Ulster have their own website with more information.
Athletics NI: Heather Ardis, Athletics House, Old Coach Road, Belfast BT9 5PR
Email: heather@athleticsni.org or info@athleticsni.org Phone: 028 90602707
Code of Behaviour for Athletes with Special Needs. All athletes must agree to the following code:
Sportsmanship
Training and Competition
Responsibility for My Actions
I understand that if I do not obey this Code of Conduct, I will be subject to a range of consequences within my Programme including not being allowed to participate in competition