The IPC and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) enjoy many years of close co-operation. The Paralympic Games have always taken place during the same year as the Olympic Games and since the Seoul 1988 Paralympic Games, the Paralympics have taken place in the same city and at the same sporting venues and facilities as the Olympics.

In October 2000, on the occasion of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, an Agreement of Co-operation was signed by the IPC and IOC, which outlined the principles of the further relationships between the two organizations. This represented a significant development in the IOC's support for sport for athletes with a disability.

A further Agreement was signed in June 2001, aimed at protecting the organization of the Paralympic Games and securing the practice of "one bid, one city", meaning that also the staging of the Paralympics is automatically included in the bid for the Olympics. The Agreement addresses the general scope and organization of the Paralympic Games, with the aim of creating similar principles for the organization of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This Agreement comes into effect beginning with the Beijing 2008 Paralympic (summer) Games and the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.

However, the Organizing Committee of the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Games chose to immediately make use of this constellation and Athens 2004 and Torino 2006 have followed the successful example of having one Organizing Committee for both Games.

In 2003, the IOC-IPC Agreement was adjusted. The amendment is aimed at ensuring that Organizing Committees for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (OCOGs) in 2008, 2010 and 2012 pay the IPC a certain amount of money for broadcasting and marketing related to the 2008, 2010 and 2012 Paralympic Games.

In June 2006, the IOC and the IPC signed an extension to their current agreement, which will continue to see the IOC support the IPC and the Paralympic Games through to 2016. The present accord, which runs through to 2012, will now be extended to the Games of 2014 and 2016 respectively.

Furthermore, the IPC is represented on several IOC Commissions and Committees and vice versa. For example, the IPC has a representative on the IOC Athletes' Committee, the Co-ordination Commissions of the Olympic Games, the IOC Medical Commission, the Women and Sport Commission, the Press Commission and the Radio and Television Commission.

For more information about the IOC, please go to the official website at http://www.olympic.org.