LEARNING DISABLED ATHLETES AND THE 2004 PARALYMPICS

Early day motion 996, tabled 2 April 2003 by Martin Caton (Labour). Signed by 52 members.

That this House deplores the decision of the International Paralympic Committee to exclude all learning disabled athletes from the 2004 Paralympics in Athens; urges the IPC to work closely with the International Sports Federation for People with the Intellectual Disability to overcome the eligibility verification problems that led to this ban; and recognises that failure to do so will result in unjust discrimination against athletes with a learning disability from around the world, many of whom have trained for years for the Athens Games.

Signatures by party: Labour 39, Liberal Democrat 6, Plaid Cymru 2, Scottish National Party 2, Conservative 1, Labour/Co-operative 1, UUP 1.