Nations, Small Tasks Help Towards the Larger Action!

For some IPC member constituencies, it is difficult to clearly determine their role within the Paralympic movement. In several cases, this has led to major problems with regard to athletes’ participation in the Paralympic Games. Against this background, a decision was taken at the 1999 IPC General Assembly for the IPC to reinforce to its national members their roles and responsibilities on a national level. The responsibilities and recommendations listed below are based on constitutional requirements and IPC principle guidelines and were adopted by the IPC Management Committee in February 2000. They are the first piece of a three-part document, which will be published consecutively in the next issues of "The Paralympian".

Mission

The mission of the NPC (National Paralympic Committee) is to undertake the co-ordination of all IPC member disability sport groups in order to develop and protect the Paralympic Movement in their respective country in accordance with the following ethical principles, business responsibilities and sport guidelines:

Responsibilities according to the IPC Constitution

• Establish a National Paralympic Committee (NPC) that undertakes the co-ordination within the country of all disability groups covered by the IPC. (Constitution Art.III.1)
  Submit to IPC the statutes of the NPC in English and inform IPC about any subsequent change to the statutes. (Art.III.1-III.2)
• Submit to IPC evidence of the recognition of the NPC by the Ministry of Sports, National Sports Council and/or (where appropriate) National Olympic Committee, as the only body with the right to represent sport for disabled in their country before IPC. (Art.III.1(d3))
• Maintain proactive and cooperative relations with the appropriate highest authorities of sports for disabled in the respective country, including establishing and/or improving relationship with the respective National Olympic Committee. (Art.III)
• Maintain the relations and communications with IPC on behalf of all national organizations/federations for the disability sports covered by IPC. (Art.III)
• Pay the annual membership fee to IPC by the end of March each year (Art.IV.3)
• Develop and protect the Paralympic Movement in the respective country. (Art.II.7-II.8)
• Inform IPC of any matter occurring in the country, which may hinder the effective development of sports for disabled in the country or which may adversely affect the IPC or the Paralympic Movement. (Art.II.7-II.8)
• Protect all categories of sponsors of the International Competition Program, which are published by IPC. (Art. III(d4))
• Ensure the presence of a mandated delegate at the IPC General Assembly to represent all disability groups covered by IPC. (Art. IV.1)
• Ensure the presence of a mandated delegate at relevant Sports Assemblies to represent all disability groups covered by that sport. (Art. IV.1)
• Maintain appropriate relations with the relevant IPC Regional Committee. (Art. VIII.1.8)
• Comply with all rules and regulations published in the IPC Handbook. (Art. IV.5)

A Celebration of Paralympic Champions:
Photos on Display at the Olympic Museum

Photographs of Paralympic champions will be shown in an exhibition called "Winners" at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne (Switzerland) from July 20 to September 10 2000. Photographer Jan Michael has worked extensively with Paralympic athletes, and some of this work has been published in major magazines like "The Independent on Sunday" (United Kingdom), "Marie Claire" (France, Indonesia, Hongkong, Greece) and "Stern" (Germany). He covered the Paralympic Games in Nagano as well as several other multi-disability sporting events.

The Olympic Museum building has been designed to be accessible to people with disabilities, whether accompanied or alone. In 1995, the museum was honored with the "European Museum of the Year Award". It is meant to be a living cultural center endowed with modern audiovisual and computer-based presentation equipment.

"The permanent exhibits are designed to let visitors rediscover the emotions experienced during the Olympic Games, to relive the beauty of effort and physical movement, and to feel the strength of will and the joy of victory as well as the pleasures of celebration and ceremony," says IOC President S.E.M. Juan Antonio Samaranch.

In addition to the exhibitions, the museum also houses the Olympic Museum Studies Center, an indispensable source for research in Olympism and sports. The Philatelic and Numismatic exhibitions tell their own story about the Olympic Games right from the start in 1896.

A New Face in the IPC Sport Department

David Grevemberg, former IPC Sports Administration Manager, has taken over the job of the Acting Sport Director until the position can be officially filled once more. Former Sport Director Christian Lillieroos resigned from his position in January due to personal reasons.

The new IPC Sports Administrator is Stephanie Nöthen, who was already a familiar face at the IPC headquarters, where she was an intern during September and October 1999. Stephanie obtained a degree in Sport Science with its main focus on special populations. After finishing her studies in 1998, Stephanie worked as a research assistant at the University of Bonn.

Sport for athletes with a disability is also one of Stephanie’s free-time activities. She is a rehabilitation sport coach, mainly in the areas of cardiac and orthopedic rehabilitation for older adults.