The athletes are the heart of the Paralympic Movement. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) would like to empower them with the knowledge and resources that will aid them in and after their sporting career in hosting the first ever IPC Athletes Forum between 8 - 11 June 2017 set to take place in Duisburg, Germany.This event will be a forum for open dialogue, consultation and information sharing on various topics such as effective athlete representation, anti-doping, classification and Paralympic Games.

Targeting different groups of athletes, the IPC Athletes Forum will include two different events:

1- The IF Days (8 – 10 June): will be dedicated to bringing the IF Athlete Representatives and the IPC Athletes’ Council together. The main goal is the development of sustainable communication lines between the IFs and the Athletes’ Council.

2- The NPC Days (10 – 11 June): will target athletes who hold a representative role within their NPC or are aiming to do so. The sessions will mirror the IF Days but will focus more on group discussions and experiences regarding athletes and their NPCs.

*You will be able to find a copy of the full event schedule here once it is finalised.

Invitations for this event have been sent and registration will be opened in due course. Athletes who have been invited to attend can register with the link that was sent to them. The deadline to register is Monday, 1 May 2017. For further information regarding registration please contact Kelly Berndt at kelly.berndt@paralympic.org.

The event will take place at the Sportschule Wedau in Duisburg, Germany. The venue is a fully accessible multi-purpose sporting facility that also hosts meetings, conferences and has on-site accommodation.

The IPC will be providing accommodation, meals and local transportation to and from Duisburg, Germany’s train station and Dusseldorf airport. However, the cost for athletes travel to and from Duisburg will be paid for by either the athlete’s organisation or NPC.