McNamee will deliver a keynote titled “Towards a Philosophy of Paralympism”, addressing the absence of a widely accepted philosophical framework for the Paralympic Movement. Using the method of conceptual engineering, he will explore how such a framework could integrate values such as sporting excellence and inclusion, while safeguarding integrity both in competition and within institutions.

The professor underlined the importance of this approach in advancing Paralympism: “I am really looking forward to joining up with the Paralympic scientific community at VISTA 2025 in Cairo. I am eager to try to navigate the concept of Paralympism in my talk, trying to articulate some key ideas that might help clarify what this concept amounts to and how it might balance its commitment to elite sport and the principle of inclusion which has been central to its ethos since the early days of disability sport more generally.”

Academic trajectory and leadership in sport ethics

An emeritus professor of sport ethics, McNamee holds joint appointments at KU Leuven in Belgium, within the Department of Movement Sciences, and at Swansea University in the United Kingdom, in the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences. With over four decades of interdisciplinary experience spanning philosophy, sport sciences, medicine, engineering and policing, he has established himself as a key international voice in the ethical discourse on sport.

He currently directs the Interdisciplinary Centre for Ethics, Regulation and Integrity in Sport -iCERIS-, and leads two Europe-wide graduate programmes: the Erasmus Mundus MA in Sport Ethics and Integrity -MAiSI- and the Marie Sklodowska Curie Doctoral Training Network -DAiSI-. His academic work includes more than 20 books and 200 scientific publications on anti-doping, Paralympic ethics, athlete welfare and governance.

VISTA 2025: advancing innovation in Paralympic sport

McNamee highlighted the collaborative nature of the conference: “Working through these ideas I intend to show how this debate sheds light on promoting and preserving the integrity of Paralympic competitions. I hope very much that I can draw on the expertise of this community to help me chart these difficult issues.”

VISTA 2025 will bring together thought leaders, researchers and practitioners from around the world in Cairo, with the aim of advancing innovation, inclusion and integrity in Paralympic sport. The event has become the premier international forum for research and new perspectives on the Paralympic Movement.

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This year’s meeting will focus on the theme “Developing Para Sport: Inclusion, Transformation, Health, and Performance” and will feature keynote lectures, symposia, and oral and poster sessions. The IPC Scientific Award, which recognises a researcher for their academic contribution to the field of Paralympic sport, will be one of the highlights of the event.

Leading international forum

Registrations will open soon, with an early bird rate of 375 euros available until 30 September. For students, the early registration fee will be 180 euros.

The VISTA Conference has established itself as a leading international forum for the exchange of information, research, and experiences related to sport for people with disabilities. It brings together experts from areas such as sports science, medicine, technology, sociology, public policy, education, and ethics, with the goal of collectively contributing to the development of Paralympic sport.

Since 1993, addressing the lack of research

The first edition of VISTA took place in 1993 with the aim of addressing the shortage of scientific research on elite sport for athletes with disabilities. Since then, the event has evolved into a key space for interaction among scientists, coaches, athletes, and sports administrators.

Over the years, VISTA has travelled to several countries: Germany (1999, 2006, 2011, 2013), Sweden (2003), Spain (2015), Canada (2017), and the Netherlands (2019). In 2021 it was held virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions, while the edition planned for 2023 was postponed until this year.

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