The Cycling and Paracycling Road World Championships in Zurich were a complete success for inclusion in sport. This fact is undisputed, but there are only a few more events of this kind on the horizon.
"We were a delegation," enthuses Olivia Stoffel, Head of Elite Sports at PluSport Disabled Sports Switzerland and Head of the Para-Cycling delegation at the World Cycling Championships. "We stayed in the same hotel, everything was well coordinated and the whole setting for the sport was better." Inclusion is a big plus for para-sport. "Centrally located, thousands of spectators, media presence. We've never had so many spectators since London 2012," she says, referring to a handbike race that is currently underway.
Normally, athletes with disabilities and those without rarely cross paths at competitions. This is also the case at the highest level; the Paralympics come after the Olympic Games. The World Championships in Zurich were a different story: professional cyclists without disabilities and paracyclists rode on the same routes and on the same days during the nine-day event.
"Yes, it was a seat-of-the-pants event," says Daniel Rupf, OC Director of the World Championships 24, referring not only to the large number of races, but also the barrier-free access - for athletes and spectators. The competitions themselves were easy to include, but the whole surrounding area had its price. The duration of the World Championships is protracted and all temporary structures have to be made accessible for everyone. And even though everything seems to have been thought of, improvisation is always necessary. For example, it turned out that going to doping control was initially not feasible for everyone.
Sport has a pioneering role
For Rupf, it should be a matter of course in the medium term for the world federations to decree inclusive title fights with para-sport - in Zurich, this came about on the initiative of the organizer. "Sport has an emotional pioneering role. As a sports federation, you have the opportunity to organize inclusive title fights if you are committed to doing so."
This will not be the case in road cycling over the next two years at world championship level, although, according to Rupf, "cycling is suitable. The roads are there. We can cross the same finish line." For Olivia Stoffel, everything that takes place in the stadium is the easiest. But the track and field athletes, for example, are not currently planning any unified title fights with the para-athletes - partly because they are not integrated into World Athletics in the association structures.
All together again in 2027
In some disciplines, there are occasionally included title competitions, such as in sport climbing or now with the 2025 CISM World Championships in Lucerne. But a major inclusive event like the one in Zurich is not on the cards until 2027. The UCI Cycling World Championships in France, in the department of Haute-Savoie, will bring together world championships in almost all cycling disciplines. As in Glasgow 2023 with road, track, mountain bike or artistic cycling - always including para-cycling.
