Virtus Sport

🗣️ Everyone has the right to understand information.

As part of our commitment to inclusion and accessibility, Virtus is proud to launch the 'Inclusive Communication Guide' – a practical resource designed to help organisations create information that is clear, accessible, and easy to understand for people with intellectual disabilities. 🎊

Using simple language, visual supports, and Easy Read principles, the guide promotes understanding, participation, and inclusion for all.

Launched as part of our 40th anniversary celebrations, this resource reflects Virtus' ongoing commitment to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to understand, participate, and be included.

Read more: https://virtus.sport/virtus-launches-inclusive-communication-guide-to-support-inclusion-and-accessibility

Inclusive Communication Guide: https://virtus.sport/inclusive-communication

Virtus Launches Inclusive Communication Guide to Support Inclusion and Accessibility - VIRTUS Virtus is proud to launch its new Inclusive Communication Guide, a practical guide designed to help organisations, staff, volunteers, coaches, educators, and service providers communicate more effectively with individuals with an intellectual disability. The guide has been developed to promote inclu...

We are delighted to welcome Inclusive Skating to Virtus family! 🎊

🌟 Inclusive Skating Becomes an Affiliate Member of Virtus! 🌟

We are delighted to announce that Inclusive Skating has been recognised as an Affiliate Member of Virtus, the global organisation that represents athletes with intellectual impairments within the global high-performance sport pathway and is a founding member of the International Paralympic Committee.

This is an exciting milestone for Inclusive Skating and reflects our ongoing commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for all skaters to participate, develop, and achieve their sporting ambitions.

As an Affiliate Member of Virtus, we look forward to working closely with the Virtus community to expand opportunities for our athletes and to build stronger pathways for participation and competition at national and international levels.

Over the coming months, we will be encouraging eligible athletes to explore membership with Virtus through the recognised Virtus member organisation in their home nation. This will help open doors to a wider range of opportunities and support the continued development of athletes with intellectual impairments within the sport of skating.

We are excited about what this partnership means for the future and look forward to sharing further information with our community soon.

Congratulations to everyone who has contributed to making this achievement possible. Together, we continue to make skating more inclusive, accessible, and ambitious for all. ⛸️💙

Virtus is delighted to welcome Alexander Nielsen 🇩🇰, Luca Venturelli 🇮🇹 and Olívia Kákosy 🇭🇺 to the Virtus Athletes’ Council.

Together with Chair Lenine Cunha and fellow Council members, they will help ensure athletes remain at the heart of decision-making and continue to shape the future of the Virtus movement.

As Virtus celebrates 40 years, we proudly recognise the Athletes’ Council as a landmark step in ensuring athletes’ voices help shape the future of our movement. We are grateful to our athlete leaders for using their voices to champion inclusion, challenge barriers and help shape a stronger future for athletes with intellectual disabilities around the world 🙌

Virtus Athletes’ Council Welcomes Three New Athlete Members - VIRTUS Virtus is pleased to announce the appointment of three new members to the Virtus Athletes’ Council, further strengthening athlete representation across the global Virtus movement. Joining the Council are Alexander Nielsen (Denmark), Luca Venturelli (Italy) and Olívia Kákosy (Hungary). The three ...

🏇 Results from Round 2 of the 2026 Virtus Para Dressage Video Competition are out! 🏇

Congratulations to all athletes who took part in Round 2.
This round showcased impressive skill, dedication, and partnership between athletes and their horses, with competitors from Australia and Great Britain delivering outstanding performances.

Special mention to champions from various tests:

🥇🥇 Sarah Sherwood (Australia)- FEI Grade IV Novice A and FEI Grade IV Intermediate A – Sarah Sherwood (Australia)

🥇🥇 Sui Watts (Australia) - FEI Para Dressage Challenge II, Grade III Para Foundation Test and FEI Grade III Novice A

🥇 Layne Auer (Australia) - Grade II Intermediate A and Grade II Novice A

🥇Danielle Curzon (Great Britain) - FEI Grade IV Novice A (Performance II3)

🥇 Laura Crew (Great Britain) - FEI Grade IV Intermediate A (Performance II3)

Thank you to all athletes, coaches, officials, and supporters for making this competition a success. We are proud to celebrate the achievements of athletes with intellectual disabilities on the international stage.

View the full results here: https://virtus.sport/results-rankings-records -id-11

The 2026 VIBF 3×3 Basketball World Cup is coming to Thailand this November!

Originally planned to take place during the Virtus Asia-Oceania Games, which have now been rescheduled to early 2027, the 3×3 basketball will still light up the court this November. 🔥

Get ready for fast-paced action, fierce competition and unforgettable moments from some of the region’s top athletes with intellectual disabilities. 💙

Contact Virtus member in your country to register and compete 🎊

2026 VIBF 3×3 Basketball World Cup - VIRTUS The VIBF have confirmed that the 3x3 Basketball competition will be held in November 2026. Originally, planned to be part of the Asia-Oceania Regional Games (now re-arranged for early 2027), the basketball event will go ahead as planned in November 2026 in Thailand.

Join Virtus Anti-Doping Manager Juliana Soares and WADA Scientific Research Committee member Thais Cevada as they discuss the important topic of “Unintentional Doping” - how doping may happen unknowingly, the risks athletes face, and how to stay informed and protected in sport.

Watch the recorded session now and learn more about clean sport and athlete responsibility. 💊🏅

Unintentional Doping Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

A simple mistake can lead to serious consequences🚨

Taking medication without checking whether it contains a prohibited substance can put an athlete’s career at risk, even if there was no intention to cheat.

👉Under the principle of Strict Liability, athletes are responsible for everything that enters their body.

💡Golden Tip: Never take medicine from friends. Always check with your doctor and consult your Federation before taking any medication.

From representing Portugal on the world stage to winning multiple titles and gold medals at the Virtus Global Games, a bronze medal at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and becoming the first athlete with an intellectual impairment elected to the IPC Athletes’ Council, Lenine Cunha has shown that true greatness is not only measured by medals, but by the doors you open for others. 🎊

His journey is inspiring a new generation to dream bigger, believe in themselves and know that their voices matter.

As Virtus celebrates 40 years of inclusion and opportunity, we honour the incredible legacy of Lenine Cunha, an athlete, leader and advocate who continues to break barriers and bring greater visibility for athletes with an intellectual disability around the world. 🙌


Anddi Portugal Paralímpicos

Lenine Cunha: Building a Legacy of Inclusion and Leadership Beyond Sport For Athletes With an Intellectual Disability - VIRTUS For more than three decades, the Portuguese athlete has inspired the world through his performances on the track and field. But in 2024, Lenine achieved something even bigger than medals – he made history by becoming the first athlete with an intellectual disability ever elected to the Internation...

For 40 years, the II1 competition class has done more than create opportunities – it has opened the doors of elite sport for athletes with an intellectual disability worldwide. 🌍💙

From the first INAS Games in 1989 to the Paralympic stage and a global athlete network of nearly 10,000 eligible athletes today, the journey of II1 is a story of fairness, inclusion and sporting excellence.

Behind every classification process is one mission: creating a fair platform where athletes with intellectual disability can compete, belong and thrive at the highest level. 🏅

Discover the story behind the II1 competition class and how Virtus continues to champion excellence in sport for athletes with intellectual disability.

As we enter our 40th year, Virtus thanks everyone who has helped develop and refine the athlete eligibility process and create a platform for international sport for athletes with an intellectual disability.

Story of II1 Competition Class – For Athletes with an Intellectual Disability - VIRTUS When Virtus launched – then known as the INAS-FMH – it was recognised that elite athletes with an intellectual disability lacked a pathway into high-level international competition. As part of the International Coordinating Committee (the collaboration that would later become the International P...