Planning for Sydney and Beyond

The XI Paralympic Summer Games are nearing. On October 18, 2000, the opening ceremony will ring in eleven days of exciting, high profile competition. Soon, the list of athletes, who have qualified to come to the Games, will be completed and the final phase of training will begin. But we are already looking far beyond the 2000 Games. The process for reviewing the Paralympic Program for the XII Paralympic Summer Games Athens 2004, has started and will be completed this summer. Only sports, which are widely practiced in at least 24 countries on three different continents, are eligible to be included at the Paralympic Games. Several new sports are applying to become part of the Paralympic Program. Even 2008 is already on our minds, since the host City of the XIII Paralympic Summer Games is due to be selected next year in Moscow.

It was an honor and privilege for me to have been appointed to the IOC 2000 Commission on Reform, the Report from which was tabled at the IOC 110th Session in December 1999. I am proud to share with you that the results of the Commission have remarkable and enormous implications for a very successful contractual relationship between our two organizations. In the next issue of The Paralympian, I hope to be in a position to discuss with you further details concerning this important matter.

Five delegates represented the Paralympic family at the 2nd IOC Conference on Women and Sport, which took place in Paris in March: Carol Mushett (IPC Technical Officer, USA), Katarina Brandoburova (Athlete and Secretary General of the Slovak Paralympic Committee), Andrea Scherney (Athlete and Sport Manager, Austrian Paralympic Committee), Béatrice Hess (Athlete, France) and Dr. Susanne Reiff (IPC Media and Communication Manager, Germany).

The professional staff at our headquarters in Bonn now number twelve full-time and part-time employees. They are progressively taking responsibility for the day-to-day operations and are gradually removing the political leadership from their administrative duties. As an organization with a new Headquarters, we can be proud of our new team of staff, each of whom I must emphasize is not only a competent professional, but, also extremely committed and enthusiastic about the entire Paralympic movement. I cannot overstate how very busy they are; at the same time how willing they are to learn, and how eager they are to be contributing members of our Paralympic Family. However, I do wish to emphasize to you the importance of sharing your wisdom and guidance with our Headquarters staff, and of the rewards we will all enjoy by sharing their positive attitude.

I had the opportunity to meet with members of the IPC Marketing Task Force in February, and was impressed by the work they have accomplished. It became obvious that the constituencies of the International Paralympic Committee need to set clear directions for the future policy of the organization, in order to be successful on the market as a future-orientated, reliable and dynamic organization. Therefore, the tasks of the 2001 IPC Strategic Planning Congress will be highly significant. Dr. York Chow, Vice-President Policy and Planning, has been appointed as the Chairman of the Congress Organizing Committee and will be in charge of the congress preparation.

Dr. Robert Steadward, OC
President