Koos Engelbrecht Sandy Hermiston
CPISRA President IFCPF President
6 February 2015
SUPPORT FOR INCLUSION OF CP FOOTBALL ON TOKYO 2020 PROGRAMME
Dear NPCs, CP Federations, Football Associations, Disability Organizations, Coaches, Athletes, Team staff, Families and anyone else who cares about opportunities for athletes with cerebral palsy to play football at the Paralympic Games. We need YOU. We need your help and support. We need your voices. We need your network! This letter is a call to action.
We need you to ask the IPC to reconsider its decision to refuse to include Football 7-a-side (CP Football) on the sports programme for Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
There is still one spot available and we believe we deserve it!
Please let the IPC know what will happen to your program if Football 7-a-side is not included in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. We have already heard from some of you that your funding might be cut and your program cancelled. If this is the case, please tell the IPC. Even if your funding isn’t cut, please let the IPC know how being taken off the Paralympic Sports Programme will affect you.
Please remind the IPC that the sport of Football 7-a-side has grown tremendously in recent years! Tell them how many more opportunities there have been for you to play in tournaments and train with your team. Tell the IPC you have big plans for our sport for the future and that you are committed to ensuring that our sport continues to grow! Remind the IPC that you are excited about our first ever U- 19 World Cup which will be held this August in Nottingham.
The only ambulatory team sports in Tokyo 2020 will be for athletes with visual impairments (Football 5- a-side, Goalball). The benefits of playing team sports have been widely accepted as being invaluable.
Tell the IPC how much it matters to you that there is a team sport available to you in Tokyo.
Share your passion for our sport with the IPC. Urge the IPC to give us another chance.
We truly believe that the IPC cares about its members’ opinions and that if the IPC hears from enough people they will be persuaded to reconsider their decision.
Don’t be afraid to contact the IPC by email, twitter, Facebook and using old fashioned mail! The more they hear from you, the more they will know how important this issue is to you. Here are the contact details for the IPC:
Email: info@paralympic.org
Twitter: @Paralympic (please use hashtag #savecpfootball) Facebook: www.facebook.com/ParalympicGames
In Writing: International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Adenauerallee 212-214, 53113 Bonn, Germany
We would appreciate it if you would take the time to sign and circulate our petition on change.org (https://www.change.org/p/international-paralympic-committee-reinstate-football-7-a-side-to-the-tokyo- 2020-paralympic-games).
Please send us copies of your emails and letters!
Together we are better. Thank you for your support.
Yours in sport,
