Athlete representatives attend IPC Athletes’ Forum in Korea

More than 60 athlete representatives from across the Paralympic Movement were in Icheon, Korea, between 25-27 June participating in the third IPC Athletes’ Forum.

Hosted by the Korean Paralympic Committee (KPC) at their National Training Centre, with the support of the BDH Foundation, the Forum brought together athlete representatives from National Paralympic Committees, International Federations, Regional Organisations and International Organisations of Sport for the Disabled.  

Athlete representatives from the IOC Athletes’ Commission and the WADA Athlete Council were also in attendance, as were members of the IPC Governing Board and management team.

On the forum’s first day, following an opening ceremony attended by Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Cho Yong-man, there were discussions on a variety of topics including the impact of Para sports, leadership, Paralympic Games and anti-doping.

The forum’s second day was spearheaded by an in-depth discussion about classification, covering everything from the basics of classification to an update on the progress of the IPC Athlete Classification Code review.  

There was also a session on governance and how, under the new IPC Constitution, each IPC Committee must feature athlete representation. A lengthy Q&A session where attendees could ask questions to the IPC President Andrew Parsons and IPC CEO Mike Peters closed out the day.

On the final day of the forum on 27 June, there was a panel discussion regarding athlete representation, and talks on athlete well-being and career transition. There was also a breakout session on what qualities an athlete leader should have.

Josh Dueck, IPC Athletes’ Council First Vice Chairperson, said: “The IPC is deeply committed to having athletes at the heart of everything it does, and it was tremendous to bring together athlete representatives from the global Paralympic Movement in Korea.

“The discussions during and in between the sessions were extremely empowering and great progress was made during the three days.

“The KPC and BDH hosts exemplify collaboration, generosity and grace. Their support allowed athletes to express their most authentic selves.”

Andrew Parsons, IPC President, said: “The IPC Athletes’ Forum was a fantastic opportunity for the IPC to inform athletes about our ongoing work but most importantly for the IPC to hear first-hand from athletes about their issues, challenges and things that matter most to them.

“To engage with athletes for three full days, away from competition, to learn more will make the IPC an even better, more athlete focused organisation.

“Nine of the 14 current IPC Governing Board members are former Para athletes, and I was delighted that many could attend the forum to interact and hear from the athletes first-hand.”

Speaking during his keynote address on the opening day of the forum, Jung Jin-owan, President of the Korean Paralympic Committee, said: "For the development of sustainable Paralympic movement, athletes' leadership is needed, let's lead the development of Para sports in accordance with the situation in each country."

Chairman Bae Dong-Hyun from the BDH Foundation, who sponsored the forum, said "It was a valuable time to meet with Para athletes and officials from all over the world and communicate with each other for the development of Para sports, we will continue to foster Para athletes and support infrastructure not only in Korea but also in countries in need.”

Of the 60 plus athletes in attendance, 25 were supported to attend the event by the IPC Solidarity Programme which aims to ensure broader representation of all regions at the IPC events.