Hall of Fame

THE PARALYMPIC HALL OF FAME

Welcome to the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC's) virtual Paralympic Hall of Fame.

The Paralympic Hall of Fame will ensure that a permanent record and institutional memory is kept of top Paralympic athletes and coaches of all-time, thus honouring the performers who achieved a high and sustained level of success in our greatest events: the Paralympic Summer and Winter Games.

In order to be eligible, athletes and coaches must have achieved a very high and sustained level of success at the Paralympic Games. They must also have consistently displayed a spirit of fair play, and made a positive contribution to the Paralympic Movement. They must have ceased their participation in Paralympic sporting competition for at least four years (one Paralympic Games cycle).

Having started with the first inductees at the time of the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games, the election and induction of new members will always take place to coincide with the Paralympic Games. The induction ceremony will always take place during the Paralympic Summer and Winter Games.

NOMINATION AND ELECTION PROCEDURE

CRITERIA

All candidates are nominated and elected based on the following criteria:

Athletic performance: played record, results and abilities in Paralympic competition, including number of Paralympic Games and World Championships in which the nominee took part, as well as total number of medals won.

Fair play: integrity, sportsmanship, contribution to a team/team spirit

Community service: activities undertaken outside sporting commitiments (this is an advantage and an asset for the nomination, not necessary)

METHOD OF ELECTION

Nominations for eligible candidates are received from members of the Paralympic Family (National Paralympic Committees, International Organisations of Sport for the Disabled, International Federations, Regional Organisations, IPC Sport Committees, IPC Regional Committees and IOSD Sports) during the nomination period (usually one year prior to the Paralympic Games).

Nominations are then reviewed by the IPC and the inductees are confirmed by the IPC Governing Board. The Induction Ceremony takes place at the time of the Paralympic Games.

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

  • Martin Morse
    Coach, USA
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    The Inductees to the 2016 Visa Paralympic Hall of Fame
  • Franz Nietlishpach
    Athletics, Cycling, Table Tennis, Switzerland
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    Franz Nietlispach of Switzerland
  • Neroli Susan Fairhall
    Archery, New Zealand
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    Woman in wheelchair doing archery
  • Chantal Petitclerc
    Athletics, Canada
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    Chantal Petitclerc of Canada<
  • Junichi Kawai
    Swimming, Japan
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    Junichi Kawai of Japan

Martin Morse

The USA’s Morse served as the head coach for the University of Illinois Wheelchair Track and Road Racing Team from 1981-2004, a time that saw his athletes win 52 Paralympic medals.

Twelve years after stepping down as head coach, the University of Illinois continues to produce some of the top wheelchair racers, many who are competing in Rio 2016.

Morse also invented the Harness Wheelchair Racing Glove, a glove to lower the risk of acute and chronic injuries and improve athlete performance. He also developed the “Illinois Para-Backhand Stroke,” providing a substantive analysis and explanation of wheelchair racing technique.

“This award is the culmination of the work ethic instilled in me by parents, Everett and Eleanor Morse, following an off-road motorcycle accident in 1975 which left me with an incomplete spinal cord injury,” Morse said. “While completing my rehabilitation at Boston University Medical Centre, I read an article about the wheelchair sports programme at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I wanted to coach distance runners and wheelchair athletes, however I wanted to approach my coaching from a science background.”

Morse also thanked his mentors Dr. Bradley Hedrick and Dr. Stephen Figoni; working with then-athlete Sharon Hedrick; physical therapists Dr. Anne Hart and Tim Millikan; his wife Karen and his two sons Steven and Sam.