§ Mr. FallonTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations were made by her Department to the Commonwealth Games Federation1054W General Assembly concerning the selection of disabled sports for the 2006 Commonwealth Games; and whether she will make further representations on behalf of (a) bowls and (b) other excluded sports.[158832]
§ Mr. CabornNone. The programme for elite athletes with disabilities at the 2006 Games was decided by the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly following representations made by the international Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Melbourne 2006 games committee. The General Assembly agreed to increase the number of disability events from 8 to 12 from a list of 17 submitted by the IPC.
This Government are committed to promoting disability sport and appreciates the popularity of bowls in this country. However, the selection process was the sole responsibility of the General Assembly and it would be inappropriate for Ministers from this Department to attempt to intervene.
The Federation believe that the selection by the General Assembly offers the widest range of opportunities—within a limited programme—for the majority of athletes with disabilities from across the Commonwealth.