INTERNATIONAL CYCLING UNION

The International Cycling Union (UCI), founded on April 14 1900, represents the association of the national federations of cycling. Its headquarters is located at Aigle in Switzerland. The UCI has been presided by Patrick Mc QUAID (IRL) since 2005. It rules, controls and develops cycling under all its possibilities, wiyhin the due respect of the fundamental principles of equality, universality and integration.

UCI represents the interests of over 170 national federations, 5 continental confederations, 1200 professional racers, 600000 licensees, millions of cycling sports men and women who regularly train and more than a billion cyclists.

The first stage of the development of paracycling within UCI took place in July 2002: when the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)* and the International Cycling Union (UCI) concluded a historic agreement which foresees that paracycling in the future will totally be part of the great family of cycling gathered around UCI. The adding in the regulating UCI texts of a specific section for paracycling, the creation of a specific license and the integration of paracycling races in the UCI calendar, do demonstrate the meaning and the range of this agreement.

On September 14 2006, the Sports Forum of the International Pralympic Committee (IPC) meeting at the World Centre of Cycling accepted a motion asking for a transfer of governance from IPC to UCI for IPC cycling.

The UCI paracycling commission is presided by Louis BARBEAU (CAN).
It is made up of Theo HOEX (NED), Thomas BEER (GER), Mark FULCHER (AUS) and Barry BROADBENT (GBR).

www.uci.ch

*: The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the organism ruling paralympic sport at the world level. It acts as an international federation and ensures the development of 13 sports. It rules and coordinates both summer and winter Paralympic Games as well as other  international competitions.

 

FRENCH HANDISPORT FEDERATION

Since the creation in 1954 of the first sports association for physically handicapped persons, the Handisport movement has experienced an important evolution.

Nowadays, the French Handisport Federation, which has a delegation of power from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Associative Life is:
- acknowledged as a Public Utility Association;
- a member of the French National Sports and Olympic Committee;
- a member of the French Sports and Paralympic Committee;
- a member of the International Paralympic Committee.

It includes 25 regional committees and 56 departmental committees.
It gathers more than 30000 members and over 600 clubs.
It offers more than 45 outdoor, leisure or competition sports, 17 of which are “paralympic” ones.

The Federation organizes numerous sessions of formation, detection and high level. It ensures the Handisport preparation of the candidates for the State Degree of Sports Coach as well as the Qualification Certificates.

It promotes the development of physical activities for the young and the greatly handicapped with such meetings as the National Games of the Future, regularly gathering 700 persons, and the National Grand Prix for the Young.

In the  High Level context, France ranked 9th out of the 143 countries present in 2004 at the Summer Paralympic Games in Athens, and 4th out of the 41 countries present in 2006 at the Winter Paralympic Games in Turin.

 

Before the international competitions, the Federation also offers thanks to its clubs, a very wide choice of leisure activities that people with different forms of motor and visual handicaps can practise. Besides, activities of discovery and initiation are frequently organized.
There once was a time when sports for handicapped persons was a dream.
The French Handisport Federation set as a goal to make it a dream come true.

www.handisport.org