A Colorado wrestling league has agreed to allow a child who has dwarfism to wrestle with younger kids, according to a settlement with the Justice Department.
The Pikes Peak Wrestling League, which has 4,000 youth members, had refused to modify its policies in practices to allow the boy to compete against kids his weight and size of a younger age, according to a Justice Department news release Thursday.
The settlement also involves the Pikes Peak Youth Sports Association and the Peak Youth Sports Association, the news release says.
The agreement was filed as a proposed consent decree, which must be approved by the U.S. District Court in Denver.
Under the agreement, the wrestling league will adopt and publicize a disability nondiscrimination policy, including procedures for handling requests to modify policies for wrestlers with disabilities.
The league will train employees on ADA requirements and invite coaches affiliated with Pikes Peak Wrestling League and USA Wrestling Directors to attend this training, free of charge.
In addition, the league will pay compensatory damages to the child identified in the complaint and report to the department on its compliance with the agreement, the news release says. The amount of the damages has not been released.
“Participating in athletic competition is a formative experience for children across this country, and children with disabilities are entitled to participate equally in youth sports,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the Civil Rights Division.
