Para dance sport continues to make positive strides forward and closer to an historic Paralympic debut after advancing to the next stage of the application process for the Paris 2024 sport programme.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Governing Board has approved six sports proceeding to Phase 2, with Para dance sport among them.
The announcement comes off the back of a successful 2017 season that included its biggest World Championships in Malle, Belgium, which saw 170 athletes from 22 countries compete over 18 medal events.
World Para Dance Sport Manager Camila Rodrigues said: "We are overjoyed to move onto the next stage because this alone is an historic moment for Para dance sport. The news is a testament to the passion and hard work of everyone involved on all levels, from the athletes to team staff, the national sport federations and their Paralympic committees. It shows how far the sport has come, and how quickly it has grown since the first World Championships 20 years ago in 1998.
"To reach Paris 2024 would be monumental, and there is a lot of work still to be done. I encourage the Para dance sport community to continue working and pushing to make their Paralympic dreams a reality. For athletes to continue training and for national sport federations to support them and show the world why Para dance sport deserves to be in the Games."
World Para Dance Sport, the sport’s global governing body, will now have until 9 July to complete application packs that feature a series of questions that aim to give the IPC detailed information regarding each sport’s governance, rules and regulations, associated costs, anti-doping programme compliance and activities, worldwide reach, quadrennial competition programme and procedures to ensure athlete welfare.
The final decision on the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games sport programme will be announced in January 2019 following a review of all applications, including full agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Paris 2024 Organising Committee.
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