INVITATION
IBSA SHOWDOWN EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2026 in KRAKÓW
Kraków – the historic
capital of Poland – will host the IBSA
Showdown European Championship 2026 at the foot of the Royal Wawel Castle,
along the picturesque Vistula River.
On behalf of IBSA, the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, the Polish
Association of Disabled Sports “START”, the Mayor of Kraków and the Nie Widząc Przeszkód Foundation, we warmly invite national teams to
register their players.
Preliminary
schedule:
3rd July -
Arrival day recommendable
4th - 5th July -
Classification days with two pannels, training
sessions
6th - 9th July -
Individual and team competition / Match fixtures
10th July -
Departure day
Additional schedule info:
4th -5th July – optional tours (Kraków city tour, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Wieliczka Salt Mine)
organized by external companies – please contact the
LOC for details
9th July evening – Barbecue &
farewell dinner.
Note:
Airport Transfers
Free transfers are
provided only to/from Kraków John Paul II International Airport (KRK Balice) and „Kraków Główny” railway & bus station.
- Distance to KRK
(Kraków-Balice): 11 km
- Distance to KTW (Katowice-Pyrzowice): 90 km
- Distance to WAW
(Warsaw Chopin): 340 km
CLASSIFICATION
Classification will be done according to the IBSA Classification, which can be found on this
page on the IBSA Website.
The Classification
Process is as follows:
1. The
first step in the classification process is to establish that the athlete has
an Underlying Health Condition (UHC) that leads to an eligible vision
impairment. This is done by classifiers
who review the athlete’s Medical Documentation Form (MDF) and supporting
medical documents. This review takes
place before the athlete is assigned a classification evaluation
appointment. If the information is not
complete, or there is not sufficient evidence of an UHC leading to an eligible
vision impairment, the athlete will not be scheduled for a classification
appointment.
2. Once an
UHC is established, the athlete can be scheduled for a classification
evaluation appointment.
3. At the
classification evaluation appointment, the classification panel will
a. confirm
(or not) the UHC,
b. if the
UHC is confirmed, the classification panel will proceed with a vision
assessment to determine
i.
if the athlete meets the minimum
impairment criteria,
ii.
assign a sport class and sport class
status to the athlete
All athletes must
be licensed for the current year.
Submission
Deadline
•
MDFs must be received by no later than
15th May 2026. Athletes will be assigned a classification
appointment only after the MDF and supporting medical documents have been
approved by the classifiers as establishing an UHC and any additionally
requested information has been received, reviewed, and accepted as sufficient.
Only Athletes with
a sport class status of Confirmed, Review or Review Fixed Date after
international classification at the Competition will be eligible to compete.
Reminder
The IBSA Medical
Documentation Form (MDF) can be found on this
page on the IBSA Website.
The MDF must
indicate if the athlete wears optical correction (glasses, contact lenses,
filters) either when they compete or in daily life. Optical Correction must be
brought to the classification appointment.
During the classification, athletes must attend with their best possible
optic correction. Athletes who wear contact lenses are obliged to bring their
contact lenses and the characteristics of those contact lenses to
classification. All athletes to be classified at an event need to be ready for
classification at the first hour on the first day and rested especially if the
travel has been long distance. Sleepy/tired athletes cannot cooperate well, and
they risk not being classified. Late arrivals will not be considered for the
Classification schedules.
Registration
Registration
entry form process, see Qualification criteria manual attached.
15th February -
Confirmation for Top 25 men and women players by their respective IBSA Member
Federations
28th February -
Reserve list for any withdrawals from Top 25 WR and part of wild card
allocations
15th March -
Entry form by number into ISAS database
15th March -
Final squad list with wild cards, Entry qualification form by name sent to ibsashowdownchair@gmail.com for
final approval
15th
May – Entry form by name into ISAS database only after Entry qualification form
by name approved by IBSA Showdown Chair
Importat notes:
-
Please confirm your Top 25 men and women participation
through your IBSA Member federations first to the e-mail: m.
-
All entry
qualification forms by name must be first approved by Mr. Zdeněk Barlok, IBSA
Showdown Chair not later than by 15th March.
-
Every athlete who will také part at IBSA Showdown European Championships 2026 must pass the
antidoping education before the 15th of May 2026.
-
Any IBSA
member federation which will not complete the entry forms by name by 15th May
is to pay IBSA sanction fine.
It is mandatory to manage the entry of athletes using the IBSA ISAS database
https://www.ipc-services.org/isas/
Please
remember that you must complete ISAS registration for every IBSA Championship.
• You
should complete ISAS entry by number
• You
should complete ISAS entry by name
• All
athletes need to be licenced on ISAS. For licensing, you need to upload
passport/face photo/Athlete Eligibility Agreement/personal
information/MDF/Anti-Doping Certificate to be sent to cate to Juliana@ibsasport.org / paying invoice/send proof of payment to
IBSA Finance finance@ibsasport.org
Please
check these links with all important information:
Anti-Doping
Certificate https://ibsasport.org/news/anti-doping-education-and-cooperation-with-national-federations/
Licensing an athlete https://ibsasport.org/news/how-to-use-isas-a-guideline-for-ibsa-members/
All athletes participating must hold a current 2026 ISAS license.
Entry
fee policy:
7-day package =
1190 EUR per person / twin room, required for all participants who need to have
the classification.
Single room for 7
days = 1540 EUR
Note:
Participants who
do not need to have the classification can arrive from Friday to Sunday and
their entry fee will be deducted by 170 EUR for a twin room and/or 220 EUR for for a single room for every day.
Example:
If you decide to
arrive on Sunday and wish to have a twin room, your fee is 850 EUR per person.
Your
classification status can be checked by your IBSA Member federation in the ISAS
database or you can contact Mr. Zdeněk Barlok, IBSA Showdown Chair.
IBSA Member
federation additional costs:
·
50 EUR - IBSA annual licence fee into ISAS database
·
100 EUR - Capitation fee for any athlete
·
50 EUR - Capitation fee for any team staff member
·
Classification Fee
• IBSA Classification Fee:
€100 per athlete. IBSA will invoice each country after the Entry by Name deadline, based on the number of athletes requiring classification. The invoice must be paid to IBSA prior to the classification day. These funds contribute to the development and sustainability of the IBSA classification system, including classifier education, international classification panels, classification database management, and the centralized classification project.
Late ISAS
registration
After the official ISAS registration deadline, late registration will be possible under the following conditions:
Entry by Number:
A late Entry by Number registration on ISAS will be accepted until 2 weeks before the start of the competition.
Fee: €250 per country
Requests must be sent by email to sports@ibsasport.org
Entry by Name:
A late Entry by Name registration on ISAS will be accepted until 2 weeks before the start of the competition.
Fee: €150 per athlete (if the athlete does not require classification)
Fee: €250 per athlete (if the athlete requires classification)
Requests must be sent by email to sports@ibsasport.org
Important note:
All the IBSA manadatory fees must be paid directly to IBSA account, please contact Narmin Zarbaliyeva, IBSA Finance Manager
at finance@ibsasport.org.
IBSA details for bank transfers will be informd
in each invoice.
Deadlines:
Entry qualification
form by name for final approval to IBSA Showdown Chair: 15th March
LOC and IBSA entry
fee payment deadlines: 15th April, non-refundable
Entry form by
name and ISAS Classification documents uploaded: 15th May
To receive an
invoice, please contact the LOC: tk@blindfootball.pl
Bank: ING Bank Śląski
SWIFT/BIC: INGBPLPW
IBAN: PL09
1050 1445 1000 0090 8015 2714
Beneficiary: Fundacja Nie Widząc Przeszkód
Address: ul. Zaporoska
8/3, 30-389 Kraków, Poland
NIP:
6793144724
Additional options
- Upgrade to a
4-star hotel: price on request
- Early arrival or
late departure: price on request
Medical and
Insurance Information
Participants are
strongly recommended to have medical insurance covering treatment during the
event. EU residents should bring their **European Health Insurance Card
(EHIC)**.
ANTI-DOPING INFORMATION
Any
delegate is eligible to inscribe in the competition provided he/she is:
·
Not under suspension for anti-doping rule
violation (IBSA or any other ADO).
·
Had sent to IBSA the Anti-Doping Education
Certificate (valid)
DOPING CONTROL
In all IBSA Events it is mandatory to carry out
anti-doping controls according to the regulations of the IPC and IBSA.
Doping Control will be carried
out by the Sample Collection Authority appointed by LOC in accordance with IBSA
the Anti-Doping Rules and management where all the data will manage by ADAMS.
Prior to doping control, athletes can take part in
the awarding ceremony and fulfil their press commitments or receive medical
treatment if needed. The selected competitors will be constantly accompanied by
an official chaperone (appointed by the organizing committee) from the time of
notification until arriving at the Doping Control Station or ending the
process. A person of the athletes’ choice (team doctor, coach, trainer,
delegation head etc.) may accompany them. IBSA keep the right to test any participating
athlete beyond the above selection during an event. All additional tests are
deemed in-competition tests. At its own discretion IBSA may allow Testing
Authorities to conduct out-of-competition tests as well.
For more
information; link to IBSA Anti-Doping Website
Participating Delegation Members are encouraged to
complete online learning on anti-doping; link to
WADA’s ADEL system.
The National Federation is responsible for
obtaining legal approval and permission for minor athletes to compete in
competitions. When travelling with minors the team official/coach must have all
the necessary documents in place that authorizes them to act on behalf of the
parents/guardians “in loco parentis”. This also applies to doping control. The
National Federation must ensure that minor athletes have their
parental/guardian permission to undergo testing.
Visa Requirements
Participants who
require a visa to enter Poland should contact the organizers as soon as possible, as visa procedures may
take longer than indicated by diplomatic missions. Entry to Poland is also
possible with a valid Schengen visa.
Optional Additional
Services
Physiotherapist /
medical support services during and after matches (external provider, limited
availability) – available for an additional
fee.
Hotel Amenities
- Free Wi-Fi
throughout the hotel
- Gym and swimming
pool (details available at check-in)
We look forward to welcoming you to Kraków!