Grenada hosts VIRTUS Delegation for Regional Paralympic Workshop

The Grenada Paralympic Committee, in collaboration with the Caribbean Adaptive Sports Alliance, yesterday, July 14, 2025, welcomed an international delegation from VIRTUS, the global federation representing athletes with intellectual impairments.

The delegation is led by Robyn Smith, a prominent Australian sports administrator and governing Board Member of both VIRTUS and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), a release on behalf of the beneficiaries states. Smith also serves as Chief Executive Officer of Sports Inclusion Australia and is a member of the Organizing Committee for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

A one-day virtual workshop was held on Monday, July 14, for member countries of the Caribbean Adaptive Sports Alliance: Grenada, Barbados, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana, Aruba, Suriname, and Trinidad & Tobago. The workshop focussed on membership pathways to the international federation, and explored development opportunities for athletes with intellectual impairments, as well as for coaches and technical officials.

Robyn Smith is widely respected for her decades-long commitment to disability sport. She is a life member of both the Goulburn Valley Netball Association and the Goulburn Valley Sports Association, and in 2000 was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for her outstanding contribution to the advancement of sport for the intellectually disabled.

Speaking ahead of the visit, Smith said, “My vision for the next decade is that every child born with or who acquires a disability sees sport as an avenue to inclusion and opportunity”.

The Grenada Paralympic Committee has expressed its delight in hosting the VIRTUS delegation, describing the upcoming workshop as a timely and valuable learning opportunity for the region. During the last two days of the July 14-16 visit, the team is also scheduled to pay visits to schools.

The visiting delegation will also pay courtesy calls on the Minister of Sports, the President of the Grenada Olympic Committee, the National Sports Council, and the Minister of Education.