(ATR) The International Paralympic Committee must find a new host for its 2019 Para Swimming World Championships, after Malaysia was stripped of hosting rights.
Malaysia could not guarantee the entry of Israeli Para Swimming athletes to compete, which compelled the IPC Governing Board to take action. The swimmers’ visa situation was cast into doubt earlier this month after Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said the athletes would be barred from entering the country.
"The [local organizers] and National Paralympic Committee had been very committed to the event but was unable to get the assurances in time," Craig Spence, IPC Director of Communications, said to Around the Rings.
The championships were expected to take place from July 29 to August 4 in Kuching, Malaysia, and serve as a qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Withdrawing Malaysia’s right to host means the IPC must work to find a new host immediately. Glasgow, Scotland and Mexico City were the two previous hosts of the event.
"The IPC needs to find a host for the event this year and ideally we want to keep the same dates," Spence added to ATR. "Deadline for expressions of interest is 11 February."
Spence said that countries that cannot guarantee the participation of all athletes that qualify for an event will not be considered for hosting opportunities with the IPC. He did not rule out Malaysia hosting events in the future, but qualified that "any country that guarantees full and safe access for countries will be considered".
Any new host for the 2019 World Championships would have to accommodate "around 600 swimmers from 60 nations," by IPC estimates.
IPC President Andrew Parsons said in a statement that the Governing Board’s decision was "motivated by a desire to drive inclusion, not exclusion".
"In September 2017 when the IPC signed the contract with the Paralympic Council of Malaysia (NPC Malaysia) to host the World Para Swimming Championships, we had assurances that all eligible athletes and countries would be allowed to participate in the event with their safety assured," Parsons said.
"Since then, there has been a change of political leadership and the new Malaysian government has different ideas. Politics and sport are never a good mix and we are disappointed that Israeli athletes would not have been allowed to compete in Malaysia.
"We will strive to maintain the same dates and conditions for the Championships as to not upset the training schedules of athletes who aim to peak for the end of July and early August. However, we may need to be flexible in this area bearing in mind the circumstances we face."
Written by Aaron Bauer
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