Introduced this year, the FIA EmPowering Disabled Motor Sport Award aims to recognize and reward companies or individuals who are making motor sport more accessible to people with physical disabilities.

This initiative, pushed forward by the Disability and Accessibility Commission and its President Nathalie McGloin, is part of the #PurposeDriven movement launched by the FIA to improve the contribution of motor sport and mobility to society, including diversity and inclusion.   
 
The application was open to companies or individuals that operate anywhere in the world, with at least one of the following concept: organisation or running of dedicated racing events for participants with disabilities; or significant support to facilitate them (equipment loan or grant, philanthropic actions, sponsorship, guidance, etc.), vehicle adaptations design or engineering ; training, and pathway or guidance for people with disabilities to get involved with the sport.

Among all the applications, the Award Committee chose the FFSA International Handikart Trophy as the winner of this first edition. The Trophy was created in 2014 to facilitate the media coverage of handikart to the largest population and to encourage persons with disabilities to discover the sport. This initiative was part of the programme implemented in 2001 by the FFSA to integrate as many people as possible in the different disciplines of motor sport and particularly in Karting.
 
The Award Committee also praised the quality of the many applications received. In addition to the winner, the other candidates have remarkable initiatives, in line with the strategy of the FIA Disability and Accessibility Commission, which intends to help them develop their project in the future.
 
FIA President, Jean Todt said: "I would like to warmly congratulate the FFSA International Handikart Trophy for winning the first FIA EmPowering Disabled Motor Sport Award. The FIA is strongly committed to recognising and rewarding those who make motor sport more accessible. I hope that this new award and its first winner will act as a catalyst for awareness and progress in this direction."
 
Nathalie McGloin, President of the Disability and Accessibility Commission said: "I am very pleased to present this award to an organisation as deserving as the FFSA International Handikart Trophy. Since its inauguration in 2018, our Disability and Accessibility Commission has worked hard to increase the number of disabled people in motor sport. To really make a lasting change, we need initiatives like this competition dedicated to disabled drivers. As a result of this programme, some of them have been able to compete in high-level FIA championships. I would like to personally thank the organisers of the FFSA International Handikart Trophy for their dedication and I hope that this award will inspire other projects, which will help our Commission to achieve its ambition of making motor sport accessible to all."
 
The President of the FFSA, Nicolas Deschaux said: "The FFSA and I are honoured to receive this first FIA EmPowering Disabled Motor Sport Award. This award is a recognition of the work undertaken by the Federation towards developing a form of karting that is tailored for people with disabilities. The figurehead of this is the International Handikart Trophy, which has been held in France for four seasons now. I would like to give a special mention to our Handikart Working Group, headed by Mr Alain Nicolle, whose dedication to the organisation of this event has led to the Federation receiving this honour. I would also like to commend all the other dossiers that were submitted, for their investment in the deployment of sporting practices dedicated to people with disabilities, and to thank the FIA Award Committee for selecting our dossier. We must all continue together down this path, to ensure the longevity of handisport.”