Norwegian Tor Undheim, who died in 2022, is one of three names nominated for the Citi Volunteer Award at the 2023 Para Sport Awards for his contributions to Para Nordic skiing.
Undheim died after a short illness. As a member of the Sports Technical Committee for 15 years, including as head of the competition, the Norwegian played a crucial role in the development of the sport and its competitions around the world.
His legacy can be felt in almost every aspect of Para Nordic skiing today; From the current ranking and result calculation to the development of the cross-country relay – one of the most popular events in the Para Nordic Ski competition program.
The other two nominated for the same award are Malawi’s James Chiutsi and New Zealand’s Rebecca Foulsham.
Chiutsi has served as President of the Malawi Paralympic Committee since 2018 and under his leadership, Malawi has grown the number of Paralympic athletes from 20 in 2019 to 300 in 2023.
Chiutsi also pioneered the inclusion of parasports and the IPC educational initiative I’mPOSSIBLE in Malawi’s school calendar.
Foulsham has been a classifier in parasport for over 25 years. A physical therapist by trade with experience in neurology, general medicine and rehabilitation, she was brought into the movement through her husband Gavin, who is a Paralympic athlete.
In 2022, Rebecca was named global leader of classification for World Para Athletics. From January 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023, Rebecca attended ten international events in countries such as Mexico, Germany, Tunisia, Morocco and the UK. At the national level, she has also shown great involvement in para athletics and para cycling events, where she primarily served as a classifier.
The PARA SPORT Awards 2023 will be organized parallel to the IPC General Assembly on September 27th in Bahrain.
They will celebrate the great achievements of summer and winter athletes in one event while recognizing the work of volunteers, coaches and members of the IPC whose efforts have helped increase the impact of para-sports around the world.
A total of ten categories will be awarded, seven of them at the ceremony in Bahrain. The Citi Volunteer Award is the only award open to a public vote.
Main image: ⒸNils-Erik Ulset / paralympic.org
Comments are closed.