International Paralympic Committee
Encyclopedia
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games
and functions as the international federation for nine sports. Founded on September 22, 1989 in Düsseldorf, Germany, its mission is To Enable Paralympic Athletes to Achieve Sporting Excellence and Inspire and Excite the World. Furthermore, the IPC wants to promote the Paralympic values and to create sport opportunities for all persons with a disability, from beginner to elite level.
The IPC has a democratic constitution and structure and is composed of representatives from 161 National Paralympic Committee
s (NPC's), four International Organizations of Sport for the Disabled (IOSD's) and five Regional Organizations. The IPC's headquarter is located in Bonn, Germany.
On the basis of being able to organize the Paralympic Games
more efficiently and to give the Paralympic Movement one voice, the four international organizations combined under the IOSD founded the International Co-ordination Committee of World Sports Organizations for the Disabled (ICC) in 1982. In the upcoming years, other organizations joined and the need for a democratically guided organization emerged, demanded by the nations participating in the Paralympic Movement. They desired a democratic structure, to improve national and regional representation, which led to the foundation of the IPC as we know it today. The 1994 Winter Paralympics
, Norway, were the first to be organized by the IPC.
The IPC functions as an umbrella organization, representing several sports and disabilities, in contrast to other international sports organizations for athletes with a disability, which are predominantly limited to a single sport or disability.
The word "Paralympic" derives from the Greek
preposition "para" ("beside" or "alongside"). and "Olympics". The first connotation connected to the syllable "para" was paralysis
or paraplegia
. But since the Paralympics cover different disability groups and the close association to the Olympic Movement, "para" underlines the existence of both movements side by side.
A fifteen-member Governing Board oversees the IPC between meetings of the General Assembly. Dr. Robert D. Steadward became the first President in 1989. Since 2001, Sir Philip Craven
is President of the IPC, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee
.
The number of athletes and nations participating in the Paralympic Games and thus being part of the Paralympic Movement is constantly increasing, alongside with the audience. Sport for persons with a disability is growing on a national and international level.
, who had previously founded the Canadian Sports Fund for the Physically Disabled. He was succeeded in 2001 by Sir Philip Craven
, a British former Paralympic athlete, who remains president as of 2010.
(IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) signed an agreement that would ensure that the staging of the Paralympic Games
is automatically included in the bid for the Olympic Games
. The agreement came into effect at the 2008 Paralympic Summer Games in Beijing, and the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
However, the Salt Lake 2002 Organizing Committee (SLOC), chose to follow the practice of "one bid, one city" already at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, with one Organizing Committee for both Games, which was followed up by the 2004 Games in Athens and Torino in 2006.
The agreement was adjusted in 2003. An extension was signed in June 2006. The IPC and IOC currently hold an agreement through 2016.
s receive financial support for the training and development of Paralympic teams, Paralympic athletes and Paralympic hopefuls.
IPC Alpine Skiing (IPC AS)
Supervises and co-ordinates the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships and other competitions
IPC Athletics (IPC AT)
Supervises and co-ordinates the IPC Athletics World Championships
and other competitions
IPC Ice Sledge Hockey (IPC ISH)
Supervises and co-ordinates the IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships
and other competitions
IPC Nordic Skiing (IPC NS)
Supervises and co-ordinates the IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships
and other competitions
IPC Powerlifting (IPC PO)
Supervises and co-ordinates the IPC Powerlifting World Championships and other competitions
IPC Shooting (IPC SH)
Supervises and co-ordinates the IPC Shooting World Championships and other competitions
IPC Swimming (IPC SW)
Supervises and co-ordinates the IPC Swimming World Championships
and other competitions
IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport (IPC WDS)
Supervises and co-ordinates the IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport World Championships and other competitions
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
and functions as the international federation for nine sports. Founded on September 22, 1989 in Düsseldorf, Germany, its mission is To Enable Paralympic Athletes to Achieve Sporting Excellence and Inspire and Excite the World. Furthermore, the IPC wants to promote the Paralympic values and to create sport opportunities for all persons with a disability, from beginner to elite level.
The IPC has a democratic constitution and structure and is composed of representatives from 161 National Paralympic Committee
National Paralympic Committee
National Paralympic Committees are the national constituents of the worldwide Paralympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Paralympic Committee , they are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Paralympic Games.The Paralympic Games are a major...
s (NPC's), four International Organizations of Sport for the Disabled (IOSD's) and five Regional Organizations. The IPC's headquarter is located in Bonn, Germany.
On the basis of being able to organize the Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
more efficiently and to give the Paralympic Movement one voice, the four international organizations combined under the IOSD founded the International Co-ordination Committee of World Sports Organizations for the Disabled (ICC) in 1982. In the upcoming years, other organizations joined and the need for a democratically guided organization emerged, demanded by the nations participating in the Paralympic Movement. They desired a democratic structure, to improve national and regional representation, which led to the foundation of the IPC as we know it today. The 1994 Winter Paralympics
1994 Winter Paralympics
The 1994 Winter Paralympics, the sixth Winter Paralympics, were held in Lillehammer, Norway, from 10–19 March 1994. These Games marked the first time the Paralympic Winter Games were held in the same location as the Winter Olympics, a tradition that has continued through an agreement of cooperation...
, Norway, were the first to be organized by the IPC.
The IPC functions as an umbrella organization, representing several sports and disabilities, in contrast to other international sports organizations for athletes with a disability, which are predominantly limited to a single sport or disability.
The word "Paralympic" derives from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
preposition "para" ("beside" or "alongside"). and "Olympics". The first connotation connected to the syllable "para" was paralysis
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
or paraplegia
Paraplegia
Paraplegia is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek: παραπληγίη "half-striking". It is usually the result of spinal cord injury or a congenital condition such as spina bifida that affects the neural elements of the spinal canal...
. But since the Paralympics cover different disability groups and the close association to the Olympic Movement, "para" underlines the existence of both movements side by side.
A fifteen-member Governing Board oversees the IPC between meetings of the General Assembly. Dr. Robert D. Steadward became the first President in 1989. Since 2001, Sir Philip Craven
Philip Craven
Sir Philip Craven MBE is a British sports official and former athlete. He is the second and current President of the International Paralympic Committee .-Education:...
is President of the IPC, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
.
The number of athletes and nations participating in the Paralympic Games and thus being part of the Paralympic Movement is constantly increasing, alongside with the audience. Sport for persons with a disability is growing on a national and international level.
Presidents
The International Paralympic Committee has had two presidents to date. Its founding president, who presided it from 1989 to 2001, was the Canadian Robert SteadwardRobert Steadward
Robert Steadward, OC, AOE is a Canadian "author, sport scientist, manager, counsellor, consultant and community volunteer", who was the founding president of the International Paralympic Committee , which he presided from 1989 to 2001. Prior to that, he had founded the Canadian Sports Fund for the...
, who had previously founded the Canadian Sports Fund for the Physically Disabled. He was succeeded in 2001 by Sir Philip Craven
Philip Craven
Sir Philip Craven MBE is a British sports official and former athlete. He is the second and current President of the International Paralympic Committee .-Education:...
, a British former Paralympic athlete, who remains president as of 2010.
| Name | Origin | Year of Service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ludwig Guttmann Ludwig Guttmann Sir Ludwig "Poppa" Guttmann CBE, FRS was a German neurologist who founded the Paralympic Games while living in England, and is considered one of the founding fathers of organized physical activities for people with a disability.... |
 United Kingdom |
1948–1980 | Founder |
| Robert Steadward Robert Steadward Robert Steadward, OC, AOE is a Canadian "author, sport scientist, manager, counsellor, consultant and community volunteer", who was the founding president of the International Paralympic Committee , which he presided from 1989 to 2001. Prior to that, he had founded the Canadian Sports Fund for the... |
 Canada |
1989–2001 | |
| Philip Craven Philip Craven Sir Philip Craven MBE is a British sports official and former athlete. He is the second and current President of the International Paralympic Committee .-Education:... |
United Kingdom |
2001-Incumbent | |
Paralympic Hall of Fame
- 2006: Jouko GripJouko GripJouko Grip is a Paralympic athlete who has won medals in both the Summer and Winter Games. Most of his medals were in Nordic skiing. He is Finnish and has polio in his left hand. In 2006 he was inducted into the Paralympic Hall of Fame...
, Ulla Renvall 
, Annemie Schnieder 
- 2008: Connie HansenConnie HansenConnie Hansen is a noted Danish Paralympian. She competed in athletics at the Summer Paralympics three times, in 1984, 1988 and 1992, and won a total of nine gold medals, four silvers, and one bronze. She was inducted to the Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2008.-External links:...
, Claudia Hengst , Peter HomannPeter HomannPeter Homann may refer to:* Peter Homann , Australian triple Paralympic gold medallist* Peter Homann, one of the Members of the Red Army Faction...
, André VigerAndré VigerAndré Viger, OC, CQ was a French Canadian wheelchair marathoner and Paralympian. He took part in five consecutive Summer Paralympics in athletics from 1980 to 1996, winning a total of three gold, three silver and four bronze medals.Born in Windsor, Ontario, Viger grew up in Sherbrooke, Quebec...
, Kevin McIntoshKevin McIntosh-Cycling:McIntosh is an Australian cycling coach. Cyclists he has coached include Andrew Panazzolo, Scott McPhee, Angela Fleming, Paralympic medalist Mark le Flohic, Paralympic medalist Michael Gallagher, and Paralympic medalist Kieran Modra....
(coach) - 2010: Tanja Kari , Chris Waddell
, Rolf Hettich (coach)
The Organizing Committees
In June 2001, the International Olympic CommitteeInternational Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) signed an agreement that would ensure that the staging of the Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
is automatically included in the bid for the Olympic Games
Bids for Olympic Games
National Olympic Committees select from within their national territory cities to put forward bids to host an Olympic Games. The staging of the Paralympic Games is automatically included in the bid...
. The agreement came into effect at the 2008 Paralympic Summer Games in Beijing, and the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
However, the Salt Lake 2002 Organizing Committee (SLOC), chose to follow the practice of "one bid, one city" already at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, with one Organizing Committee for both Games, which was followed up by the 2004 Games in Athens and Torino in 2006.
The agreement was adjusted in 2003. An extension was signed in June 2006. The IPC and IOC currently hold an agreement through 2016.
National Paralympic Committees (NPCs)
The NPCNational Paralympic Committee
National Paralympic Committees are the national constituents of the worldwide Paralympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Paralympic Committee , they are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Paralympic Games.The Paralympic Games are a major...
s receive financial support for the training and development of Paralympic teams, Paralympic athletes and Paralympic hopefuls.
International Paralympic Sports Federations (IFs)
There are 11 international federations recognized by the IPC, and there are four disability specific organizations, while the IPC itself serves as the international federation for 9 sports.IPC Alpine Skiing (IPC AS)
Supervises and co-ordinates the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships and other competitions
IPC Athletics (IPC AT)
Supervises and co-ordinates the IPC Athletics World Championships
IPC Athletics World Championships
The IPC Athletics World Championships is an event organized by the International Paralympic Committee . Athletes with a physical disability compete, and in a few events athletes with an intellectual disability compete...
and other competitions
IPC Ice Sledge Hockey (IPC ISH)
Supervises and co-ordinates the IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships
IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships
The IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships are the world championships for Ice Sledge Hockey. They are organised by IPC Sledge Hockey .The first sanctioned Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships was held in Nynäshamn, Sweden in 1996.-Champions:...
and other competitions
IPC Nordic Skiing (IPC NS)
Supervises and co-ordinates the IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships
IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships
The IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships, along with the Winter Paralympic Games, are the most prestigious level of international competition in Paralympic nordic skiing.-Championships:-See also:*Biathlon at the Winter Paralympics...
and other competitions
IPC Powerlifting (IPC PO)
Supervises and co-ordinates the IPC Powerlifting World Championships and other competitions
IPC Shooting (IPC SH)
Supervises and co-ordinates the IPC Shooting World Championships and other competitions
IPC Swimming (IPC SW)
Supervises and co-ordinates the IPC Swimming World Championships
IPC Swimming World Championships
The IPC Swimming World Championships are the world championships for swimming where athletes with a disability compete. They are organised by the International Paralympic Committee on a four year rotation with the Paralympic Games and regional championships .The first short course world...
and other competitions
IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport (IPC WDS)
Supervises and co-ordinates the IPC Wheelchair Dance Sport World Championships and other competitions
See also
- Paralympic GamesParalympic GamesThe Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
- Paralympic sportsParalympic sportsThe Paralympic sports comprise all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. As of 2010, the Summer Paralympics include 20 sports and disciplines and about 420 events, and the Winter Paralympics include 5 sports and disciplines and about 64 events...
- Disabled sportsDisabled sportsDisabled sports are sports played by persons with a disability, including physical and intellectual disabilities. As many of these based on existing sports modified to meet the needs of persons with a disability, they are sometimes referred to as adapted sports...
- International Olympic CommitteeInternational Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...