Norwegian Tor Undheim, who passed away in 2022, among three names nominated for the Citi Volunteer Award as part of the 2023 Para Sport Awards, for his contributions in Para Nordic skiing.
Undheim passed away following a short illness. As a member of its Sport Technical Committee for 15 years, including time as Head of Competition, the Norwegian played a pivotal role in the development of the sport and its competitions worldwide.
His legacy can be felt in almost all aspects of Para Nordic skiing today; from the current ranking and results calculations to the development of the cross-country relay – one of the most popular events on the Para Nordic skiing competition programme.
The two others nominated for the same award are James Chiutsi from Malawi and New Zealander Rebecca Foulsham.
Chiutsi has been the President of the Malawi Paralympic Committee since 2018 and under his leadership Malawi has grown its number of Para athletes from 20 in 2019 to 300 in 2023.
Chiutsi also spearheaded the inclusion of Para sport and the IPC education initiative I’mPOSSIBLE in the Malawi school calendar.
Foulsham has been involved in Para sport for over 25 years as a classifier. A physiotherapist by profession, with experience in neurology, general medicine, and rehabilitation, she became part of the Movement through her husband Gavin who is a Paralympian.
In 2022 Rebecca was appointed Head of Classification globally for World Para Athletics. From 1 Jan 2022 to 30 April 2023, Rebecca engaged in ten international events in countries such as Mexico, Germany, Tunisia, Morocco and the UK. At a national level, she also showed great engagement in Para athletics and Para cycling events, where she mainly served as classifier.
The 2023 PARA SPORT Awards will be organised alongside the IPC General Assembly on 27 September in Bahrain.
They will celebrate the terrific achievements of summer and winter sport athletes in one event, along with recognising the work of volunteers, coaches, and members of the IPC whose efforts have contributed to strengthening the impact of Para sports worldwide.
Ten categories will be awarded overall, seven of which will be awarded during the ceremony in Bahrain. The Citi Volunteer Award is the only award that has a public vote.
Main image: ⒸNils-Erik Ulset / paralympic.org