Mission statement:

SU-DS will promote sport worldwide for athletes with Down Syndrome to the highest levels of sporting excellence.



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Wednesday May 16^th 2012. Terceira, The Portuguese Azores

Following a consultation process with the sports of Athletics, Swimming, Football and Gymnastics it was agreed to support the formation of a new Union to co-ordinate the programme for the existing international sports organisations of:

International Athletics Association for athletes with Down Syndrome www.IAADS.org

Down Syndrome International Swimming Organisation www.DSISO.org

Football International Federation for players with Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome International Gymnastics Organisation

www.DSIGO.org



 We are currently developing a generic Registration Form so that athletes need only register once not withstanding which sports they participate in. In time this will streamline the registration process and avoid repetitive form filling and evidence gathering for the athletes.

Work is in process to enable this form to be completed on-line thus reducing further the administration processes.

The Union will also be able to co-ordinate the programme for all the Sports. Currently Athletics is holding its second World Championship in the Azores; Gymnastics will hold its First World Championships this year in the UK; and Swimming will hold its 6^th World Championships this year in Italy. Futsal will hold its first World Championships in Brazil in 2014

In time SU-DS will be joined by other sports and at this time discussions are taking place for Tennis, Table Tennis, Judo and Sailing. Each sport will retain its autonomous structure as an International Sports Federation. In this way SU-DS will be developing along the lines recommended by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for the governance of sport for disabled people.

In 2016 all the Organisations will come together in Brazil for the first World Trisome Games for all the sports registered with SU-DS.

Ultimately, SU-DS will approach the International Paralympic Committee for it to recognise the disability of Down syndrome as a new class.   Currently, athletes with Down syndrome can only compete in Paralympic sports as athletes with an Intellectual Disability.   However, the addition physical disabilities that are inherent with Down syndrome means that these athletes are out-performed by athletes with Intellectual Disability who have no physical disability to further disadvantage them.



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