"Paralympics not in the Shadow, but in the Light of the Olympic Games"

"In the same way as sport in general can not live of and benefit from the Olympic Games only, the chances for sport for athletes with a disability lie not only in the realization and the success of the Paralympic Games. But nevertheless are the Paralympic Games and the cooperation with the International Olympic Committee, which is an essential factor for the organization of the Games, the basis for everything else.

If I mention that since 15 years, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has sustained relationships with world organizations for sports for athletes with a disability, which have been intensified year after year, I will have to mention, for completeness' sake, that these relationships are not confined to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) alone. At about the same time as the preceding organization of IPC, the International Coordination Committee for Sports for the Disabled, was formed with its five disability specific members, a similar relationship to Special Olympics, an organization of the Kennedy-Foundation for the intellectually disabled, already existed. And last but not least, there is also the International Committee for Sports for the Deaf. Attempts of the IOC to integrate this Committee into the Paralympic Organization, were abandoned for good reasons. The Committee, which is a lot older than the Paralympic Movement, presented convincingly that their interests are not fully represented within the IPC.

The more intensive cooperation with the IPC also required a lot more detailed consultations with regards to agreements. Not only the wish of the IPC to stage their world events in the Olympic rhythm and in close temporal as well as geographic connection to the Olympic Games presupposed very careful preparations. In connection with this, it has to be mentioned that for quite some years, great efforts have been made to integrate sports for athletes with a disability into the Olympic Games. In the meantime, both partners share the opinion that this integration would not be desirable from an organizational point of view as well as from the point of view of the Paralympic Movement itself. Groundwork, which was carried out over years, resulted in a joint agreement, which was signed by the presidents of both organizations in Sydney at the beginning of the Paralympic Games.

In my opinion, the IOC showed in spirit as well as in the wording of the agreement that the Paralympics are not to stand in the shadow but in the light of the Olympic Games. The most important passage in the agreement states the obligation of candidates for future Olympic Games, to include the Paralympic Games in their bid. This entails that the organizers of the Olympic Games will also be staging the Paralympic Games, using the same venues and the same management. As in previous years, the IOC will continue to assist the IPC with material as well as organizational support. It will also grant the IPC access to important parts of the infrastructure of the IOC. IPC representatives thus do not only have a seat and voting rights in the Coordination Committee for the respective Games but also on various other Commissions. In addition to that, the current President of the IPC was elected full member of the IOC at the 111th IOC Session in Sydney.

The Public Relations department of the IOC is at the IPC's disposal for the presentation of their concerns and needs. Another equalization with the national Olympic Committees is to be seen in the future support of the national committees of the IPC for the participation at Paralympic Games given by the IOC.

One matter of consultation right now is the so-called marketing of rights. The marketing department of the IOC is discussing, whether or not it is possible to buy IPC's rights on the Paralympic Games for an appropriate amount in order to include this into the marketing-activities of the IOC. This, by the way, is a suggestion I myself have made years ago already.

When the IPC emphasized once again at its legislative General Assembly that mission and focus of all its work are mainly the Paralympics, not rehabilitation, but elite sport, they were certainly sure of all the consequences this has. I think that the organization also knows that the details of these consequences have to always be thought over and, if necessary, revised. Some of the implications are not unquestionable and need constant negotiation. One of these elements is the classification system, the basis of the realization of the entire Paralympic Games. Whoever watched the competition for athletes with a disability, might regret the lack of clarity and concentration. But on the other hand, one of the major focuses when staging those Games has to be fairness and equality of chances in all the different classes and disability groups. Seeking rightfulness here, one is on a tightrope walk. The development over the last few years has to be praised explicitly. An ideal solution does not exist yet; if it does exist at all.

More important though is the attempt to bypass the qualification- and classification system for the participation at the Games. If this, as apparently happened in the cases, which became public, is relating to competitions of intellectually disabled athletes, then this is just perverse. Elite Sport for the so-called retarded is extremely controversial. I already mentioned the relationship, which the IOC sustains to Special Olympics International. Elite Sport for intellectually disabled is treated very carefully there. Their emphasis lies more on integration into sport clubs, the careful assessment of abilities, sporting achievement in general and the acknowledgement of participation rather than on the individual results. This seems to be different for the organization that is responsible for this disability group within the IPC. It sure says something that the president of the affected national federation, who resigned from all his national duties, also held the presidency of the responsible international organization.

I also welcome that the IPC has suspended the Organization which is responsible in this area, the International Sports Federation for Persons with an Intellectual Disability, until all instances which occurred in Sydney have been fully cleared and reassurance is given that similar incidents will not arise in the future.

I pointed out that the term "integration" needs to be more clearly defined. The full integration into the organization of the Olympic Games, as it has been demanded before, is not a predominant theme nowadays. The Paralympics and many other events of the IPC on world and regional level have found their places.

In my time as Sports Director, I, together with representatives of organizations for sports for athletes with a disability, was able to achieve that a number of international federations created or extended their programs in the area of elite sport for athletes with a disability. This could be extended considerably. The possibilities, which the IOC now offers IPC-representatives through the involvement in IOC work, could be of assistance. The International Football Association FIFA has just made a trend-setting decision in connection with this, which will hopefully be echoed and imitated in other associations.

I think that until now the area of integration has, to a large extent, not been developed. With this, I mean the direct integration of athletes with a disability into competitions under competent supervision of sport associations also on national, regional and local level. Different qualifications have to be observed here, of course. Elite-level wheelchair racers, for example, will have to start in a special, separate category in the athletics running competitions as they are far too fast for the other racers due to their equipment. Similar to this, there will be a number of different sports where qualified competition with able-bodied elite athletes will simply be impossible.

But is this really necessary? Is it not also possible to develop systems, so that using the system of equalization of different disabilities, joint, integrated events on local and regional level can be staged? I can think of a whole range of possibilities where, in individual sports, joint competitions are imaginable.

This however needs the joint effort of all parties involved as well as a lot of good will in order to overcome technical, but maybe also psychological, difficulties. This would be a way to real integration and I would be happy, if I could see my ideas fall on fertile ground."

Walter Tröger
IOC Delegate Member for Disabled Sport