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IWBF in partnership with the Hague University of Applied Sciences have been awarded an International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Classification Research Grant to carry out a project that will further enhance the integrity, credibility and fairness of Para sport competition.
Using the grant provided by the IPC as part of its Sport for Mobility programme, International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) and The Hague University of Applied Sciences will use their grant to investigate trunk-arm dynamics: sensor-based assessment of impairments for evidence-informed classification in wheelchair basketball and other wheelchair sports.
Ulf Mehrens, IWBF President, said:
"Classification is the cornerstone of Para sport, and research is essential to ensuring our classification systems remain fair and fit for the future. Without funding opportunities such as the IPC Classification Grant, projects like this are extremely challenging to deliver. We are delighted to be among the first recipients of this new grant, which enables IWBF to partner with The Hague University of Applied Sciences to undertake further research into trunk–arm dynamics in wheelchair basketball. The more we can invest in research, the stronger our classification system becomes, giving players confidence in the integrity of our sport."
Dr. Mike Peters PLY, IPC Chief Executive Officer, said:
“As part of our commitment to advance classification systems and processes across the Paralympic Movement, we are delighted to award a Classification Research Grant to IWBF as part of our Sport for Mobility programme.
“The standard of applications the IPC received for this initiative was through the roof and it is fantastic to see so many sport federations working hand-in-hand with academic institutions to strengthen the scientific base to support the decision-making processes in classification.”
Tea Cisic, IPC Classification Director, said:
“Congratulations to IWBF and the Hague University of Applied Sciences one of the first recipients of an IPC Classification Research Grant that will further improve the scientific base behind Para sports’ classification systems covering intellectual, physical and vision impairments.”
In total the IPC awarded Classification Research Grants totalling EUR 900,000 to six projects that cover intellectual, physical and vision impairment classification and range in duration from 12 to 31 months.
The first call for applications for the IPC Classification Research Grants initiative closed in September 2025. It made grants of up to EUR 65,000, up to EUR 90,000, up to EUR 125,000, and up to EUR 250,000 available to International Federations, International Organisations of Sport for the Disabled and Recognised International Federations, in collaboration with the scientific community, to support the development and improvement of best practice and evidence-based classification systems in Para sports. Projects must be 12-36 months in length and be delivered before October 2028.
A second call for applications was announced by the IPC in April 2026 and recipients will be announced later this year.
