The INAS Global Games is a quadrennial global, international multi-sport event organised by the International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability (INAS). First organised in 2004, [1] it is intended for elite competition in disability sports for athletes with intellectual disability and, since 2017, autism and down syndrome. [2] It is the largest sporting event of its type. Athletes must have received classification from INAS to compete. [3]
A precursor event was the World Games for Athletes with an Intellectual Disability held in 1989. [4] The competition was discontinued following the integration of athletes with intellectual disabilities into the Paralympics programme in 1996, though renewed exclusion following disability fabrication at the 2000 Summer Paralympics led to the relaunch as the INAS Global Games. [5] The first three INAS Global Games were hosted in Europe. The fourth edition in 2015 expanded to South America, [6] though INAS were forced to take over organisational duties due to the collapse of the local organising committee. [4] Australia won the hosting rights for the 2019 event, having led the medal rankings of the previous three. [7] Initially the competition was seen as a specialist event by other sports governing bodies, but the INAS athletics, swimming and table tennis competitions are now recognised and sanctioned by the main global bodies for those disability sports. [8]
The games is separate from the INAS World Championships, which are a series of sport-specific championships.
| No. | Year | Dates | City | Country | Top Nation | Sports | Countries | Athletes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 1989 | Härnösand |  Sweden | |||||
| 1 [9] | 2004 | July | Bollnäs | Sweden |  Poland | 6 | 40 | 1000+ |
| 2 [10] | 2009 | 7 – 11 June | Liberec |  Czech Republic |  Australia | 9 | 34 | 800+ |
| 3 [11] | 2011 | 26 September – 4 October | Loano |  Italy | Australia | 9 | 30 | 700+ |
| 4 [12] | 2015 | 20 – 27 September | Various |  Ecuador | Australia | 8 | 35 | 600+ [4] |
| 5 [13] | 2019 | 12 – 19 October | Brisbane | Australia | Australia | 11 | 50 | 814 |
| 6 [14] | 2023 | 4 – 10 June | Vichy |  France | France | 13 | 80 | 1000+ |
| INAS | Country | Athletes |
|---|---|---|
| AUS |  Australia | 166 |
| FRA |  France | 83 |
| JPN |  Japan | 57 |
| POL |  Poland | 36 |
| ESP |  Spain | 34 |
| RUS |  Russia | 33 |
| POR |  Portugal | 31 |
| THA |  Thailand | 26 |
| ECU |  Ecuador | 25 |
| GBR |  Great Britain | 24 |
| HKG |  Hong Kong | 23 |
| USA |  United States | 22 |
| KOR |  South Korea | 21 |
| EGY |  Egypt | 20 |
| CHN |  China | 20 |
| ITA |  Italy | 19 |
| INA |  Indonesia | 18 |
| CZE |  Czech Republic | 16 |
| MEX |  Mexico | 15 |
| BRA |  Brazil | 14 |
| MAC |  Macau | 13 |
| MAS |  Malaysia | 12 |
| ISR |  Israel | 11 |
| NZL |  New Zealand | 8 |
| KSA |  Saudi Arabia | 8 |
| IND |  India | 7 |
| SIN |  Singapore | 7 |
| COL |  Colombia | 5 |
| EST |  Estonia | 5 |
| SRI |  Sri Lanka | 5 |
| ISL |  Iceland | 4 |
| MRI |  Mauritius | 4 |
| SWE |  Sweden | 4 |
| TPE |  Chinese Taipei | 3 |
| DEN |  Denmark | 3 |
| BEL |  Belgium | 2 |
| HUN |  Hungary | 2 |
| CAN |  Canada | 1 |
| CPV |  Cape Verde | 1 |
| CHI |  Chile | 1 |
| FRO |  Faroe Islands | 1 |
| FIN |  Finland | 1 |
| GER |  Germany | 1 |
| NOR |  Norway | 1 |
| TUR |  Turkey | 1 |
| Total | 814 | |
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia (AUS) | 189 | 134 | 142 | 465 |
| 2 | France (FRA) | 121 | 89 | 83 | 293 |
| 3 | Poland (POL) | 71 | 56 | 53 | 180 |
| 4 |  Hong Kong (HKG) | 64 | 64 | 57 | 185 |
| 5 |  Portugal (POR) | 52 | 41 | 45 | 138 |
| 6 |  Spain (ESP) | 49 | 41 | 35 | 125 |
| 7 | Brazil (BRA) | 46 | 33 | 25 | 104 |
| 8 | Italy (ITA) | 38 | 37 | 44 | 119 |
| 9 |  Japan (JPN) | 35 | 62 | 68 | 165 |
| 10 |  Ukraine (UKR) | 35 | 30 | 19 | 84 |
| 11 |  Russia (RUS) | 34 | 13 | 9 | 56 |
| 12 |  Great Britain (GBR) | 31 | 33 | 24 | 88 |
| 13 |  South Korea (KOR) | 27 | 16 | 29 | 72 |
| 14 | Ecuador (ECU) | 19 | 16 | 15 | 50 |
| 15 |  Egypt (EGY) | 17 | 6 | 14 | 37 |
| 16 |  Hungary (HUN) | 16 | 29 | 29 | 74 |
| 17 |  Mexico (MEX) | 16 | 9 | 14 | 39 |
| 18 |  Denmark (DEN) | 15 | 8 | 5 | 28 |
| 19 |  South Africa (RSA) | 14 | 18 | 34 | 66 |
| 20 |  Estonia (EST) | 13 | 10 | 8 | 31 |
| 21 |  United States (USA) | 12 | 25 | 20 | 57 |
| 22 |  Netherlands (NED) | 11 | 13 | 14 | 38 |
| 23 |  Israel (ISR) | 11 | 6 | 4 | 21 |
| 24 | Sweden (SWE) | 10 | 9 | 6 | 25 |
| 25 | Czech Republic (CZE) | 9 | 15 | 16 | 40 |
| 26 |  Colombia (COL) | 9 | 2 | 4 | 15 |
| 27 |  Belgium (BEL) | 7 | 6 | 6 | 19 |
| 28 |  Chinese Taipei (TPE) | 7 | 5 | 6 | 18 |
| 29 |  Tunisia (TUN) | 5 | 5 | 8 | 18 |
| 30 |  Iceland (ISL) | 5 | 4 | 6 | 15 |
| 31 |  Venezuela (VEN) | 4 | 6 | 6 | 16 |
| 32 |  Turkey (TUR) | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 |
| 33 |  Puerto Rico (PUR) | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| 34 |  Cape Verde (CPV) | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 35 |  Croatia (CRO) | 2 | 6 | 1 | 9 |
| 36 |  Indonesia (INA) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 37 |  Canada (CAN) | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| 38 |  Thailand (THA) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 39 |  Faroe Islands (FAR) | 1 | 5 | 2 | 8 |
| 40 |  Germany (GER) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 41 |  Greece (GRE) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 42 |  Finland (FIN) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 43 |  Iran (IRI) | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| 44 |  Malaysia (MAS) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 45 |  Chile (CHI) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Peru (PER) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 47 |  Kazakhstan (KAZ) | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 48 |  Macau (MAC) | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 49 |  Austria (AUT) | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 50 |  Singapore (SGP) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 51 |  India (IND) | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 52 |  Argentina (ARG) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
 Sri Lanka (SRI) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| 54 |  Bulgaria (BUL) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 55 |  New Zealand (NZL) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 56 |  China (CHN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Norway (NOR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (57 entries) | 1017 | 891 | 889 | 2797 | |
| No. | Year | Dates | City | Country | Top Nation | Sports | Countries | Athletes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – [15] | 2022 (cancelled) | 18 – 23 September | Sao Paulo | Brazil | – | – | – | – |
| 1 [16] | 2026 | 2 – 11 October | Lima | Peru | 10 |
| No. | Year | Dates | City | Country | Top Nation | Sports | Countries | Athletes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 [17] | 2022 | 5 – 11 November | Brisbane | Australia | Australia | 11 | 24 | 600+ |
| No. | Year | Dates | City | Country | Top Nation | Sports | Countries | Athletes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 [18] [19] | 2018 | 14 – 22 July | Paris | France | Russia | 9 | 20 | 1000 |
| 2 [20] | 2022 | 16 – 23 July | Kraków | Poland | 9 | 18 | 600 |
Athletics () (2004 to present)
Basketball () (2004 to present)
Cricket () (demonstration sport in 2019)
Cycling () (2009 to present)
Futsal () (2004 to present)
Judo () (2009)
Rowing () (2009 to present)
Swimming () (2004 to present)
Table tennis () (2004 to present)
Taekwondo () (demonstration sport in 2015)
Tennis () (2004 to present)
Parasports are sports played by people with a disability, including physical and intellectual disabilities. Some parasports are forms of adapted physical activities from existing able-bodied sports, while others have been specifically created for persons with a disability and do not have an able-bodied equivalent. Disability exists in four categories: physical, mental, permanent and temporary. At a competitive level, disability sport classifications are applied to allow people of varying abilities to face similar opposition.
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the Games of the Paralympiad, is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, are held almost immediately following the respective Olympic Games. All Paralympic Games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
The 2004 Summer Paralympics, the 12th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Athens, Greece from 17 to 28 September 2004. 3,808 athletes from 136 countries participated. During these games 304 World Records were broken with 448 Paralympic Games Records being broken across 19 different sports. 8,863 volunteers worked along the Organizing Committee.
The Paralympic sports comprise all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. As of 2020, the Summer Paralympics included 22 sports and 539 medal events, and the Winter Paralympics include 5 sports and disciplines and about 80 events. The number and kinds of events may change from one Paralympic Games to another.
Cheating at the Paralympic Games has caused scandals that have significantly changed the way in which the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) manages the events.
Para-athletics is the sport of athletics practised by people with a disability as a parasport. The athletics events within the parasport are mostly the same as those available to able-bodied people, with two major exceptions in wheelchair racing and the club throw, which are specific to the division. The sport is known by various names, including disability athletics, disabled track and field and Paralympic athletics. Top-level competitors may be called elite athletes with disability.
Australia has participated officially in every Paralympic Games since its inauguration in 1960 except for the 1976 Winter Paralympics.
INAS is a federation which was established in 1986 by professionals in the Netherlands who were involved in sport and wanted to promote the participation of athletes with mental handicap in elite sports.
Australia competed at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Greece. It was Australia's 12th year of participation at the Paralympics. The team included 151 athletes. Australian competitors won 101 medals to finish fifth in the gold medal table and second on the total medal table. Australia competed in 12 sports and won medals in 8 sports. The Chef de Mission was Paul Bird. The Australian team was smaller than the Sydney Games due to a strict selection policy related to the athletes' potential to win a medal and the International Paralympic Committee's decision to remove events for athletes with an intellectual disability from the Games due to issues of cheating at the Sydney Games. This was due to a cheating scandal with the Spanish intellectually disabled basketball team in the 2000 Summer Paralympics where it was later discovered that only two players actually had intellectual disabilities. The IPC decision resulted in leading Australian athletes such as Siobhan Paton and Lisa Llorens not being able to defend their Paralympic titles. The 2000 summer paralympic games hosted in Sydney Australia proved to be a milestone for the Australian team as they finished first on the medal tally for the first time in history. In comparing Australia's 2000 Paralympic performance and their 2004 performance, it is suggested that having a home advantage might affect performance.
Disability sports classification is a system that allows for fair competition between people with different types of disabilities.
Para-swimming classification is a function-based classification system designed to allow for fair competition in disability swimming. The classes are prefixed with "S" for freestyle, butterfly and backstroke events, "SB" for breaststroke and "SM" for individual medley events. Swimmers with physical disabilities are divided into ten classes based on their degree of functional disability: S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8, S9 and S10. The lower number indicates a greater degree of impairment. Those with visual impairments are placed in three additional classes: S11, S12 and S13. One more class, S14, is reserved for swimmers with intellectual impairment. A final class, S15, is for athletes with hearing loss.
Disability sport in Australia encompasses individuals with different disabilities, of all ages and skill levels from recreational to professional, participating in sport in Australia. The apex of disability sport in Australia is the Paralympics. Australia's participation at the Paralympics began with the inaugural 1960 Summer Paralympics and 1976 Winter Paralympics. Australia hosted the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney.
Ella Azura Pardy is an Australian Paralympic athlete who competes in the T38 100m, 200m and long jump. She represented Australia at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in long jump and the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships. She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics in athletics where she won a bronze medal and the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Denmark competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016. They had athletes participating in athletics, cycling, equestrian, shooting, swimming and table tennis. They won a total of seven medals; one gold, two silver and four bronze.
Joshua Alford is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. He competed in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, placing sixth in the S14 200m Freestyle final. Alford represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics after a strong performance at the 2016 Australian Swimming Championships.
Intellectual disability sport classification is a classification system used for disability sport that allows people with intellectual disabilities to fairly compete with and against other people with intellectual disabilities. Separate classification systems exist for the elite athlete with a disability side affiliated with the Paralympic movement and Virtus, and the sports for all model affiliated with Special Olympics. People with intellectual disabilities have issues with conceptual skills, social skills and practical skills. They have IQs of 75 points or lower, limitations in adaptive behaviour and their disability manifested and was documented prior to turning 18 years of age.
INAS World Athletics Championships are a biennial international athletics competition hosted by the International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability for athletes who have an intellectual impairment and compete in the T20 and F20 classes.
INAS World Swimming Championships are a quadrennial international swimming competition organised by International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability for athletes who have an intellectual impairment and swim in the S14 swimming category in Paralympic swimming.
Tang Wai-lok is a Hong Kong Paralympic swimmer, he classifies as a class S14 Paraswimmer.
Robyn Smith OAM is a leading Australian sport administrator particularly in the area for disability sport. In 2021, she was elected as an Independent Member on the Governing Board of the International Paralympic Committee.
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