Four U.S. House representatives have introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at upgrading the U.S. State Department’s sports diplomacy efforts before some of the largest events in the world come to the country, and to take advantage of the impact those events can have on other diplomatic fronts. The American Decade of Sports Act was put forth by Reps. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, a Democrat from California, Bill Huizenga, a Republican from Michigan, Gregory Meeks, a Democrat from New York, and Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas.

The United States will be home to some of the largest sports events in the world over the next 10 years, beginning with the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in 11 U.S. cities. Other major events on the horizon include the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games in Los Angeles, the 2029 World University Games in North Carolina, the 2031 Men’s and 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup, and the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. The U.S. is also the only bidder for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

In announcing the bill, the political leaders noted that the events present a unique opportunity to enhance U.S. diplomacy and global leadership on the world stage. The bill seeks to upgrade the State Department’s sports diplomacy division to its own office and designate it with the responsibility and personnel to implement U.S. sports diplomacy efforts focused on the decade ahead.

“As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I have witnessed firsthand the incredible power of sports to break down cultural barriers and unite people around the world,” said Kamlager-Dove. “The American Decade of Sports is our chance to deepen relationships across the globe and cement U.S. leadership — and we can’t let it slip through our fingers. I’m proud to lead the introduction of this bipartisan legislation to ensure that the State Department is equipped to leverage sports diplomacy as a vital U.S. foreign policy tool and capitalize on this defining moment.”
“From the Ryder Cup to the FIFA World Cup and the upcoming Summer and Winter Olympic Games, the United States is set to host some of the most highly viewed, attended, and anticipated international sporting events in the next 10 years,” said Huizenga. “The American Decade of Sports Act ensures that President Trump is able to carry out his revitalization of American sports and that the State Department is readily equipped to implement this newfound focus in terms of strategic planning and staffing. I am proud to champion this bipartisan effort.”

Specifically, the American Decade of Sports Act:

• Directs the State Department to submit a sports diplomacy strategy to leverage the major sporting events being hosted in the United States to enhance U.S. soft power and global leadership;
• Pulls the Sports Diplomacy Division out of the Office of Citizen Exchanges and elevates it to its own Office of Sports Diplomacy;
• Designates the Office of Sports Diplomacy with the responsibility of implementing the mega-decade sports diplomacy strategy;
• Assigns at least three additional staff to the office to implement the strategy; and
• Requires an annual report to Congress on the implementation of the mega-decade sports diplomacy strategy, the restructuring of the sports diplomacy office, and the designation of additional staff to carry out the strategy.

The American Decade of Sports Act is cosponsored by Reps. Bill Huizenga, Gregory Meeks, Michael McCaul, James Moylan, Maria Elvira Salazar, Michael Lawler, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Ted Lieu, Dina Titus, Gabe Amo, Kathy Castor, Sarah McBride, Jonathan L. Jackson, Nikema Williams, Hank Johnson, Don Bacon, Michael Baumgartner, Aumua Amata Radewagen, Buddy Carter, Young Kim, Rich McCormick, William R. Keating, and Greg Stanton.

]]> 74964https://media.sportstravelmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/25134347/AP25234631812238-scaled.jpg https://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/la28-celebrates-three-year-mark-to-2028-paralympic-games/ Fri, 15 Aug 2025 21:55:51 +0000 https://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/?p=74765

The U.S. Travel Association has launched America’s Sports and Travel Mega Event Coalition (ASTMEC), a national alliance of sports, travel and business leaders dedicated to helping the United States successfully host the collection of global sporting events headed to the United States over the next decade.

ASTMEC is expected to work in close partnership with the Trump administration to ensure that necessary policies, infrastructure and security systems are in place to support those events, which include the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games.

The move comes as the White House has shown increased interest playing a key role in those sports events while also enacting policies that could potentially hinder international fan travel to events. Among those is a $250 “visa integrity fee” that international visitors will soon have to pay to enter the United States. Host cities have also been monitoring the latest issues around fan travel as they plan to host visitors from around the world.

“The Trump administration’s launch of the White House Task Force on the 2028 Summer Olympics lays critical groundwork for a historic decade of global sports,” said Geoff Freeman, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Travel Association. “This is another opportunity for the U.S. to demonstrate its leadership on the world stage. Hosting these events will bring global attention and millions of visitors to our cities—but momentum isn’t enough. Success demands strategy, unity and investment. We urge the White House Task Force to press Congress to scrap the misguided $250 junk fee that will deter legitimate visitors. ASTMEC is ready to partner with federal and local leaders to deliver a secure, seamless experience and a legacy that lasts.”

U.S. Travel estimates that an estimated 30 million international visitors will be coming for major sporting events. In addition to the World Cup and Olympic and Paralympic Games, the United States will host the 2029 World University Games, the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup, the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup and the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The U.S. is also the only bidder for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

John Kemp may be the perfect person to be at the helm at the Lakeshore Foundation. As you’ll hear in this episode, his passion for the adaptive sports community isn’t just professional. It’s personal. Born without arms and legs, Kemp had to adjust at an early age to his surroundings, and managed to play baseball even if his career may not have been worthy of the Hall of Fame as he’ll discuss. He has, however, gone on to a Hall of Fame career when it comes to advocacy for the disability movement. His previous leadership roles include serving as the national executive director of United Cerebral Palsy Associations, president and CEO of VSA Arts and VSA Arts International, and as general counsel and vice president of development for the National Easter Seal Society, among others. In 1995, he co-founded the American Association of People with Disabilities. He recently served as president and CEO of the Viscardi Center and Henry Viscardi School in New York.

But in 2021, he was named president at CEO of the Lakeshore Foundation. The foundation has taken on different forms over the years but traces its origins all the way to 1925 as the Jefferson Tuberculosis Sanitorium. Since then, its focus has turned to a much wider spectrum, and in 1984 began as something close to its current form as the Lakeshore Foundation, with Jeff Underwood taking the helm as the first president and CEO. As the relatively new leader, Kemp oversees a program that is now an official U.S. Paralympic Training site, and serves over 4,000 people annually through its various programs. Last year, it opened its Sports Science & Performance Center, a first-of-its-kind program that will help fuel the pipeline for Team USA and other elite athletes through a performance lab, strength and conditioning center and nutrition lab among other things.
In this conversation, we’re going to discuss Lakeshore’s amazing history, the rise of the Paralympic movement, the opportunities ahead with the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles and perhaps most importantly, what host cities and venues need to know about serving the community of adaptive sports athletes.

This episode is sponsored by:

The city of Los Angeles has signed an official Games Host City Accessibility Commitment, which will develop and oversee the implementation of a Games Accessibility Plan ahead of the 2028 Paralympic Summer Games, which take place from August 15–27, 2028.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass joined members of the Paralympic community to reaffirm the city’s commitment ahead of the 35th anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act. The event at John C. Argue Swim Stadium included Colleen Wrenn, International Paralympic Committee chief Paralympic Games officer; LA28 Chief Executive Officer Reynold Hoover; Councilmember Imelda Padilla, Paralympic athletes and other city and community leaders.

“While we have come a long way since the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed 35 years ago, we still have more to do to ensure that Angelenos of all abilities can thrive in Los Angeles,” Bass said. “We are working across city departments and alongside private partners to develop and implement a Games Accessibility Plan so that L.A. hosts the most accessible Games possible.”

The city has appointed its first accessibility chief within the Mayor’s Office of Major Events. The city’s Department on Disability and Braille Institute also collaborated to install Braille translation for the Olympic and Paralympic Flag Installation in City Hall.

“The commitment of the City of LA and LA28 to host open and accessible Paralympic Games and Olympic Games provides an incredible opportunity to advance the promise of the ADA,” said Wrenn. “Through the platform of the Paralympics, the LA28 Games will drive impact that extends far beyond the sport venues. The Paralympic Games shows the world what happens when barriers to success are removed and inspires us to imagine what could happen if barriers were removed elsewhere, any place where people with disabilities could live, work, play and contribute to wider society if given the opportunity.”

The Americans with Disabilities Act, signed on July 26, 1990, prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including employment, education, transportation, and access to public and private spaces open to the general public. In part because of the ADA, the John C. Argue Swim Stadium — originally built for the 1932 Olympic Games — was renovated to include accessible features including elevators, accessible restrooms and several swimming pool lifts. The venue currently offers free and adaptive swimming classes as part of the PlayLA program.

“As Los Angeles prepares to host its first-ever Paralympics in 2028, we have an incredible opportunity to help reshape the conversation around individuals with disabilities,” said Hoover. “Just last year, LA28 became the first organizing committee in history to propose and add a new sport to the Paralympic sport program, making LA28 the largest Paralympic Games in history.”

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has effectively barred transgender women from women’s sports, announced Monday with a quiet change on the USOPC’s website and confirmed in a letter sent to national sport governing bodies overseeing swimming, athletics and other sports it has an “obligation to comply” with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump.

The USOPC change is noted as a detail under “USOPC Athlete Safety Policy.” The executive order signed in February threatens to “rescind all funds” from organizations that allow transgender athlete participation in women’s sports. U.S. Olympic officials told the national governing bodies they will need to follow suit, adding that “the USOPC has engaged in a series of respectful and constructive conversations with federal officials” since Trump signed the order.

“As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations,” USOPC Chief Executive Officer Sarah Hirshland and President Gene Sykes wrote in a letter. “Our revised policy emphasizes the importance of ensuring fair and safe competition environments for women. All National Governing Bodies are required to update their applicable policies in alignment.”

The change was first noted by The New York Times. Female eligibility is a key issue for the International Olympic Committee under its new president, Kirsty Coventry, who has signaled an effort to “protect the female category.” The IOC has allowed individual sports federations to set their own rules at the Olympics in the past.

A USA Swimming spokesman told The Associated Press it had been made aware of the USOPC’s change and was consulting with the committee to figure out what changes it needs to make. USA Fencing changed its policy effective August 1 to allow only “athletes who are of the female sex” in women’s competition and opening men’s events to “all athletes not eligible for the women’s category, including transgender women, transgender men, non-binary and intersex athletes and cisgender male athletes.”

The USOPC oversees around 50 national governing bodies, most of which play a role in everything from the grassroots to elite levels of their sports. The Associated Press noted that it raises the possibility that rules might need to be changed at local sports clubs to retain their memberships in the NGBs.

“By giving into the political demands, the USOPC is sacrificing the needs and safety of its own athletes,” said National Women’s Law Center President and CEO Fatima Goss Graves.

The road run to Los Angeles is already in process for USA Track & Field, which has started the process to find a host for its marathon trials and hopes to have the selection of a host wrapped up within the next year.

The 2028 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon will select the U.S. team of six athletes (three men, three women) for the Games in Los Angeles. It is assumed the trials will also coincide with the USATF Marathon Championships.

The date must be the weekend of March 25–26, 2028, and preference will be given to bids that include the Para Marathon Trial as well. Interested destinations must signal an intent to bid by September 1 before site visits in the first part of 2026 with an eye toward awarding the bid in May 2026.

“Hosting the Trials means you are a part of the journey toward LA 28 and saying that you sent athletes to L.A.,” said Rob Mullet, USATF’s associate director of events. “That’s probably the biggest selling point for the hosting is to is just to be a part of something that that hasn’t happened for 32 years.”

Around 400 destinations received information on the bidding process between USATF, Playeasy and the Sports ETA portal. Mullet, a 2016 Olympian for Team Great Britain who joined USATF within the past year, is working on the site selection process along with Amy Begley, USATF director of long distance running programs and a 2008 Olympian.

“Athletes are going to start qualifying (for the Trials) September 1,” Mullet said. “It’s such a big event that that one athlete might qualify, but they might have in some cases 10 people who want to come to watch. From an event experience, the more planning time for the athletes and families and spectators is important. And from a logistical standpoint, obviously more time to plan is better.”

What a Bidder Needs

Both Begley and Mullet have worked in the past for the Atlanta Track Club, which hosted the Trials in 2020, “so for us being able to work on the RFP this time around, we probably pulled more life and job experience from the past,” Begley said.

Weather conditions for the race are crucial, obviously — “it needs to be in a place that’s not going to snow on March 28,” said Begley with a laugh. Between CVBs and sports commissions, working with a local organizer well-versed in race organization will also be key.

“(In 2024,) Greater Orlando Sports Commission, they were the ones that started the bid, but they also worked with Track Shack who did the operational stuff,” Begley said. “When Atlanta Track Club hosted, they pretty much did it all by themselves because they are a big organization and they had the organization and the people to be able to do it. We know some people are already reaching out and working with different people to help them put bids together.”

The RFP also includes detailed needs for (among other things) security planning, volunteer recruitment, transportation for athletes and emergency medical service needs along the course.

“The personal aid stations and bottles is a huge thing, especially for the athletes, along with safety and security,” Begley said. “Having the network of being able to pull in enough high quality volunteers, being able to work with the city is huge as long as they and most of the cities are involved in the RFP process.”

One thing that is also important is the course and making sure it’s fast enough to get qualifying times for runners. Having a course that replicates what competitors will see at LA28 is not as high a priority.

“We don’t know what the course in L.A. will be for the Olympics,” Begley said. “And second of all, we need our athletes to be able to run fast and be able to get times. That is what we’re really emphasizing to any of the places that come and want to bid is really looking at your course and make sure that you’re going to be able to give us a fast race for better opportunities for our athletes to qualify.”

New RFP Aspects

One change for the 2028 Trials is the housing element for athletes and the return of an A standard and B standard for competitors. A-Standard qualified athletes are provided cost-free housing and where B-Standard athletes are given ample options to book into similar housing blocks at their own cost. Mullet said depending on what a bidder provides for B standard athletes, it would be roughly a $250,000 savings.

“Not that if someone wants to pay for every single athlete to go and have the same experience — I think that’s awesome,” he said. “But it is also a costly thing to do. So I think returning to that (A/B standard) is positive for the LOCs.”

The USATF revenue from the event would come from the event rights fee ($150,000), national sponsors approved by the USOPC, USATF hospitality suites and tents, merchandising and licensing rights plus TV/Internet broadcast rights, entry fees and more. A bidder would be able to receive revenue from tickets/gate receipts, local sponsorships and local hospitality suites, event publications and souvenirs, concessions sales and other avenues including spectator parking.

The Para Marathon Trial could also be a new component for bidders wanting to organize both in their destination with USATF taking over the Para Track and Field operations earlier this year.

“We would love to combine them as best we can,” Mullet said. “We’re going to work through that as it is a little bit of a new process for us and for the new staff that come in from Para Track and Field. We would love to bring them together and we’re exploring whether that’s realistic in 2028 or if it is a better option to keep them apart or not.”

U.S. Olympic Trials-Marathon Previous Hosts

Note: The men and women have been at same site since 2012. There was no women’s marathon in the Olympics until 1984.
2024: Orlando, Florida
2020: Atlanta
2016: Los Angeles
2012: Houston
2008: Men, New York; Women, Boston
2004: Men, Birmingham, Alabama; Women, St. Louis
2000: Men, Pittsburgh; Women, Columbia, South Carolina
1996: Men, Charlotte; Women, Columbia, South Carolina
1992: Men, Columbus, Ohio; Women, Houston
1988: Men, Jersey City, New Jersey; Women, Pittsburgh
1984: Men, Buffalo, New York; Women, Olympia, Washington
1980: Buffalo, New York
1976: Eugene, Oregon
1972: Eugene, Oregon
1968: Alamosa, Colorado

The medals that will be awarded at the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Italy were unveiled today at Palazzo Balbi in Venice, reflecting two halves for a Games that are being held in two city clusters and portraying the culmination of an athlete and Para athlete’s journey and all of those who stood by their side during the journey.

The medals were revealed by Federica Pellegrini, a two-time Olympic medalist in women’s swimming, and Francesca Porcellato, a 14-time Paralympic medalist known in Italy as ‘the flying redhead’ having competed in nine Summer Paralympics and three Winter Paralympics.

“The medals of Milano Cortina 2026 are much more than mere awards: they are the heartbeat of Italy, the essence of a design that moves, the reflection of a dream taking shape,” says Giovanni Malagò, president of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026. “Each medal, whether Olympic or Paralympic, is a story etched into metal: it speaks of effort, determination, sacrifice and the hopes of those who have lived to reach the podium. Those who win it will carry with them not just the tribute of victory, but a living fragment of the Italian spirit.”

The medals are crafted by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato with what organizers call “an eco-friendly, non-toxic and recyclable protective finish.” Each medal is 80 mm in diameter and 10 mm thick.

“The medals we have created to celebrate the Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Winter Games represent the mastery and excellence of Italian design,” said Paolo Perrone, president of the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato. “The Milano Cortina 2026 medals place the athlete and Para athlete at the center of it all, expressing the universality of sport, the struggle and the emotion of victory.”

The medal boxes and medal trays in Milano Cortina 2026 will be crafted by Versalis, which was involved in the creation of the Olympic and Paralympic Torches.  Medals will be awarded in 195 events: 245 gold, 245 silver and 245 bronze medals will be presented during the Olympic Winter Games and 137 gold, 137 silver and 137 bronze medals will be awarded during the Paralympic Winter Games.

“With our medals, we celebrate the strength found in difference: two unique halves that join through the Olympic and Paralympic symbols to deliver a bold and unified message,” said Raffaella Paniè, Brand, Identity and Look of the Games Director for Milano Cortina 2026. “This concept is also reflected in the surfaces of the medals, where two textures meet and begin a story written not only by the athletes and Para athletes, but also by those who supported them: coaches, teammates, family members and fans.”

When Ford Dyke’s phone rang in November 2023, on the other end was the voice of a former teammate from the USA Handball national team.

That phone conversation would lead to a whirlwind year-and-a-half that saw Dyke — with plenty of help from the Alabama communities of Auburn and Opelika — create a team that would compete in a world championship event four months after inception.

Dyke played for the USA Handball national team from 2013–2020. During that time he also attended Auburn University as a graduate student, working as a strength coach and helping with the wheelchair basketball program. After finishing his PhD and becoming a professor at Auburn, Dyke continued his work with adaptive sports.

That’s where the phone call comes into play.

“My former teammate asked if I was familiar with wheelchair handball, and I told him I had no idea what he was talking about,” Dyke said. “He said, ‘you’re the only person we can think of in the country that has wheelchair specific experience as well as handball specific experience, and we want to merge those two worlds together and appoint you as the head coach.’”

Anybody who speaks for more than a few minutes with Dyke will realize that his competitiveness runs high. So yes, he accepted the challenge.

Assembling on the Fly

Wheelchair handball is co-ed sport that features an active roster of 10 players, with at least two of the players required to be women, and with one woman on the court at all times.

On May 16, 2024, Team USA received a wild card to compete in the third International Handball Federation Wheelchair Handball World Championship in Cairo.

“From May until September it was 14 hours a day, every day, building the program from A to Z,” Dyke said. “From not just athletes and staff, but partners, sponsors, support, getting the community involved, getting the right equipment and training facilities, all of the right resources necessary. But we weren’t just trying to get a team off the ground, we wanted to ensure we become the gold standard in the sport, pun intended.”

The task of identifying some of the top wheelchair athletes in the country, flying them to Auburn for tryouts, selecting a team and preparing for a world championship event in four months sounds impossible. But the community jumped into action, led by Anthony Terling, sports development director at Auburn–Opelika Tourism.

“We’ve got a laundry list of community members and officials that are behind us,” Dyke said. “We’re supported by Auburn–Opelika Tourism, and Anthony Terling has been incredible. His CEO Robyn Bridges is amazing. Karen Gilmore helps set us up with accommodations in town and makes sure our athletes are fed properly. Travis Harrison is doing PR stuff and shouting us out on the radio. Awbrey Mitchell is working behind the scenes on logistics for training sites. The City of Auburn Parks and Recs — Alison Hall and Sarah Cook — have been huge as well.”

Terling is passionate about helping those in need. He and his wife Lindsey are the creators of the Austin 1st Foundation, a nonprofit that raises awareness and research dollars for rare diseases. When Dyke called him to ask for help getting the team off the ground, Terling got to work.

“We made sure they were connected to the elected officials, the leaders in our community, the stakeholders — whether it’s Auburn Parks and Recreation making sure that we found the best venue that fit their needs from a training standpoint, down to what hotel or lodging accommodation would best fit the needs of athletes that have disabilities to make their experience great,” Terling said.

“We know these things are not easy to fund, but we told Ford we want to be your resource for that. And then let’s open up some doors and some conversations for him and really showcase this monumental opportunity to support amazing athletes, coaches, trainers — all the people involved with USA Wheelchair Handball.”

The saying “it takes a village” applies to the USA Wheelchair Handball movement in this Alabama community. Dyke is fortunate to have two Olympians as assistant coaches — Reita Clanton, a 1984 Olympian and 1996 Olympic coach in team handball and Lisa Eagen, a 1996 Olympian who was coached by Clanton.

The team also has goalkeeper coaches, physiotherapists, a technical director, athletic trainer and strength coaches.

“I’ve even got friends and family throwing in some help,” Dyke said. “We’re fully self-funded. I work as a volunteer and my entire staff works as volunteers. Is that sustainable? Definitely not. But that’s what it takes to start something meaningful.”

Silver Linings in Cairo

Once Dyke and his coaches narrowed the roster down to 14 and trained for months in Auburn, it was off to Cairo last September.

Team USA wasn’t expected to do much ahead of the tournament. That they were able to field a team in time for the event was a massive success in itself. However, Dyke’s competitiveness was on full display when the team arrived in Egypt.

“We show up in Egypt and as a wild card you’re perceived as the participant … just sit over there in the corner. Thanks for coming, let the rest of these teams do their job,” Dyke said. “So in the first interview in Egypt, I was asked by an IHF media official, ‘What are your plans for this tournament? What do you hope to get out of this tournament?’ And I said something like, ‘A lot of you think we came here to participate. You’re wrong. We’re going to play in the final match.’ And I saw the eyebrows of that individual raise up in pure shock.”

The makeshift squad — donning the Auburn–Opelika Tourism logo on its jerseys — stunned defending world champion Brazil in a sudden-death shootout in the semifinals to clinch a spot in the gold medal game against host Egypt.

Operation Gold — the name Dyke has given the team — was put on hold when the U.S. side fell to Egypt. But they had made a big statement to the rest of the world.

“In hindsight, I’m glad we didn’t win the gold,” Dyke said. “I think if we won gold, all the athletes would’ve said, ‘What else is there to do right now?’ There’s a carrot hanging in front of them and that’s what keeps a lot of athletes motivated.”

Raising Awareness (And Dollars)

Dyke has made his intentions clear with everybody in the wheelchair handball program — Operation Gold is the standard. That journey starts with an upcoming tournament in Europe, then attention turns back to world championships.

Team USA will head to the “Euro Hand 4 All” tournament June 19–22 in Lyon, France, against France, Hungary, Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands. Terling has organized a proper sendoff as Auburn–Opelika Tourism will host a Red, White and Blue exhibition match on June 15 at 5:30 p.m. at Lake Wilmore Recreation Center for the community to attend.

“Our state overall is a rich sports state from a history standpoint. There are a lot of Olympians that come out of Alabama,” Terling said. “We have people from the community coming out to watch any sport we host, whether it’s swim and dive, mountain biking, kickball. No matter what sport, our community will rally around it and support it. So what we can do very well as a destination marketing organization is get the word out.”

While Terling and his staff work to get the word out locally, Dyke encourages anybody who wants to support the program to go to the USA Wheelchair Handball website and reach out to him.

“Don’t be shy. I’ll take any call. I’m willing to talk to any business, any professional, anybody interested,” Dyke said. “We’re always open to opportunities to connect with anybody who can help provide resources, flights, room and board for our athletes. Anything is helpful at this stage of the game.”

After France, the team will continue preparations for the 2026 World Championships, but they also have an eye on future Paralympic competition. At the moment, wheelchair handball is not on the Paralympic program for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. But LA28 will feature a demonstration, or “showcase/test” event, that a sport must go through to be considered for inclusion into the full docket.

If that demonstration goes well, wheelchair handball could be on the Brisbane 2032 program.

“We are in conversation and in working groups with the International Handball Federation for the demonstration at LA28,” Dyke said. “So we’re continuing to make sure that what we’re doing is top-notch because everyone’s looking at us.”

As Dyke continues to juggle his full-time job as a professor with coach of the team, he knows what this opportunity means.

“I think they’ve already answered it just based on their actions, and seeing the level of growth from last year’s first tryout to this year,” Dyke said of his players. “We’re not in this for any sort of money or glory. We’re in this because I want to lower barriers. I want to open doors, and I want to set the tone to create a pathway for athletes to compete in a new Paralympic sport.”

Fort Wayne will host the 2025 World ParaVolley Sitting ParaVolley World Cup from October 12–18 at the Turnstone Center, the first time the event will be held in the United States.

“Hosting the WPV Sitting ParaVolley World Cup is the result of strategic efforts rooted in our Tourism Master Plan, which prioritizes accessibility,” said Nicolle Campbell, director of sales at Visit Fort Wayne. “Turnstone’s leadership, our past success with the 2019 IBSA Goalball & Judo event, and the city’s universal design practices have positioned Fort Wayne as a premier destination for elite adaptive sport.”

The WPV Sitting ParaVolley World Cup features both men’s and women’s divisions, with up to 16 national teams for both men’s and women’s divisions competing at Turnstone’s Plassman Athletic Center. This World Cup will be a key pathway for international teams and athletes preparing for the LA 2028 Paralympic Games.

“We are honored to work alongside WPV and Visit Fort Wayne to welcome the global Sitting ParaVolley community to Fort Wayne,” said Mike Mushett, chief executive officer of Turnstone. “Beyond the intense competition, this event exemplifies the power of inclusive sport and provides a transformational experience for our community.”

The tournament will be internationally live-streamed utilizing capabilities supported by the Indiana Sports and Tourism Bid Fund and builds on Fort Wayne’s recognition as an adaptive sports destination.

“We are extremely pleased to partner with an experienced event host like Turnstone,” said Juergen Schrapp, World ParaVolley president. “The World Cup is our biggest global event and we are very much looking forward to having women’s and men’s teams from all over the world competing for the crown.”