Athletes Without Limits

ATHLETES WITHOUT LIMITS 2021 VIRTUS ELIGIBILITY, VIRTUS NATIONAL TEAMS, DC-BASED ROWING PROGRAM & OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS BY SPORT THROUGHOUT ONGOING COVID-19 PANDEMIC: DESPITE MAJOR EVENT CANCELLATIONS AND OTHER ONGOING COVID-19 CHALLENGES THAT CONTINUED THROUGH 2021, ATHLETES WITHOUT LIMITS PROVIDED ATHLETE ELIGIBILITY AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT WERE SAFE FOR ATHLETES INCLUDING SOCIALLY-DISTANCED OUTDOOR ROWING PRACTICES AND VIRTUAL VIRTUS EVENTS. ACCOMPLISHMENTS BY SPORT INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING. EQUESTRIAN: ATHLETES WERE ABLE TO SAFELY PARTICIPATE IN THE 2021 VIRTUS EQUESTRIAN VIDEO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. OUR US TEAM ENTERED THE FIRST ATHLETE TO COMPETE IN THAT EVENT IN THE NEW VIRTUS II-3 ELIGIBILITY GROUP FOR HIGH FUNCTIONING AUTISM. KARATE: IN 2021 WE PROVIDED VIRTUS ELIGIBILITY TO THE FIRST TWO US KARATE ATHLETES TO COMPETE AT A WORLD KARATE EVENT WHICH NOW ALIGNS WITH VIRTUS AND THE INCLUSION OF ATHLETES WITH INTELLECTUAL IMPAIRMENT. THE EVENT TOOK PLACE IN DUBAI IN DECEMBER 2021. SWIMMING: DESPITE BEING UNABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE VIRTUS SWIMMING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS DUE TO A POSTPONEMENT AND COVID-19 RELATED CHALLENGES WE CONTINUED TO VERIFY ELIGIBILITY FOR NATIONAL PARALYMPIC CLASSIFICATION FOR S14 SWIMMERS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, INCLUDING ATHLETES WHO COMPETED AT 2021 U.S. PARALYMPIC SWIM MEETS AND ATHLETES COMPETING AT SOME STATE HIGH SCHOOL SWIM MEETS, WHICH ARE BEGINNING TO ALIGN WITH PARA INCLUSION. ROWING DC-BASED INTEGRATED PROGRAM: IN 2021 ATHLETES CONTINUED TRAINING AND RACING WITH OUR YEAR-ROUND DC-BASED INTEGRATED US ROWING TEAM FOR ATHLETES WITH INTELLECTUAL IMPAIRMENT, DISABLED VETERANS (WE ARE THE LARGEST FREEDOM ROWS GRANTED PROGRAM IN THE US), AND NON-DISABLED HIGH SCHOOL/COLLEGE/ADULT ROWING PARTNERS. IN 2021 OUR TEAM COMPETED SAFELY AT MAINSTREAM INDOOR AND ON-WATER EVENTS INCLUDING ERG SPRINTS, C.R.A.S.H. B'S AND SEVERAL REGATTAS INCLUDING THE HEAD OF THE CHARLES. WE ALSO RAN A GRANT-FUNDED PROGRAM TEACHING ATHLETES WITH SPINAL COLUMN INJURIES TO ROW. (SEE AWLROWING.ORG) OTHER SPORTS: IN 2021 WE CONTINUE TO MANAGE VIRTUS ELIGIBILITY, FOR WHICH WE HAVE WORKED ONE-ON-ONE WITH HUNDREDS OF ATHLETES ACROSS 11 VIRTUS SPORTS, AS WELL AS ATHLETES SEEKING NATIONAL PARALYMPIC CLASSIFICATION IN THE THREE SPORTS OPEN TO ATHLETES WITH INTELLECTUAL IMPAIRMENT (SWIMMING, TABLE TENNIS AND TRACK & FIELD). THROUGH AWL ADVOCACY AND VIRTUS ELIGIBILITY, HIGH-PERFORMANCE ATHLETES WITH INTELLECTUAL IMPAIRMENT CONTINUE TO GAIN RECOGNITION AMONG US SPORTS GOVERNING BODIES INCLUDING U.S. PARALYMPICS, US ROWING, USA KARATE AND THE USTA (US TENNIS ASSOCIATION).