Move United is holding its Annual Leadership Conference this week ©Move United

Move United is holding its Annual Leadership Conference online across five days, after the in-person event in Colorado Springs could not go ahead due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In partnership with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the Conference will be held virtually, delivering 25 sessions over five days.

It comes after Disabled Sports USA and Adaptive Sports USA merged to form Move United earlier this month.

The Conference began yesterday and will now run through until Friday (May 15).

Registration fees for the Conference are being waived thanks to financial assistance from the Bob Woodruff Foundation.

This has allowed increased access, broader information sharing and extended connections beyond the Move United membership, it is claimed.

Executive director of Move United, Glenn Merry, welcomed the adapted Conference.

"Move United is based on the concept that sport brings people together and drives them to achieve more, that is true even when we are apart," he said.

"During this period of COVID-19, it is more important than ever to adapt.

"Our decision to move to an online format follows the successful launch of #AdaptAtHome, a health and fitness campaign delivering daily online live videos for our athletes to remain active.

"We are removing barriers to participation in order to bring people together, working collaboratively to support the health and wellbeing of people of all abilities."

Move United's Adapt at Home initiative has delivered more than 330 live and on-demand fitness and health classes over the last six weeks.

The Leadership Conference is part of Move United's educational programme, providing adaptive sports training to more than 2,000 people across the US.

The Move United Virtual Leadership Conference opened with a keynote presentation called "Road Map to the Future" featuring Merry and director of competition Susan Rossi, who discussed the future of adaptive sports.

Today, the focus is on the theme of Pathways to the Paralympics, with management and development, inclusive outdoor activity and membership networking coming later in the week.

The closing keynote presentation will be conducted by Paralympic hopeful and Alpine skier, Cassandra Grenier.