First year of Sport for Mobility makes a tremendous difference

In its first full year, the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) Sport for Mobility programme made a tremendous difference, benefitting 131 member organisations and hundreds of athletes, coaches and officials.

The product of a four-year agreement between the IPC and Toyota Mobility Foundation, Sport for Mobility is a key component of delivery of the IPC’s Impact Strategy and aims to advance the global development of Para sport.

During 2025, the design, structure and operational framework of 14 impactful initiatives were finalised and launched with the aim of meeting IPC members where they are at and strengthen their capacity to serve athletes. The initiatives are tailored and targeted to IPC members organisations in the thematic areas of Athletes, Leaders and Participation. As a result, the IPC is now delivering an even greater scope of initiatives than ever before.

Nine initiatives are implemented independently of each other, while a further five are delivered as part of the IPC Development Model which targets 50 of the least-resourced National Paralympic Committees (NPCs).

All IPC members had the opportunity to apply for at least one Sport for Mobility initiative during 2025.

Dr Mike Peters PLY, the IPC’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “From growing grassroots Para sport participation to increasing the quality and diversity of Para athletes at the highest level, Sport for Mobility is advancing Para sport in reach and impact.

“We are so grateful to the Toyota Mobility Foundation. With their support, lives are being changed, one athlete, one leader, one community at a time. From local communities to international arenas, together we are changing the world through Para sport, creating opportunities, tackling barriers and building a more inclusive society.”

Kristina Molloy, the IPC’s Deputy CEO, said: “Since announcing Sport for Mobility, our priority has been to lay the foundations, in lockstep with the Toyota Mobility Foundation, to ensure long-term success for our members and the wider Paralympic Movement.

“Our initial focus in year one was to finalise the design and structure of the programme to maximise impact across our 14 initiatives. Each initiative is tailored and targeted to IPC member organisations, with a specific focus on those most in need of support. Over the coming years, we will continue to learn, refine, and improve what we deliver to ensure the greatest return and benefit for our members.”

KEY SPORT FOR MOBILITY HIGHLIGHTS IN 2025

ATHLETES

Competition support: International events

• To support Para athletes to compete and undergo classification at international events, the IPC provided grants to 164 Para athletes from 39 nations across 12 sports.
• Two athletes to benefit were David Chavez and Jonathan Arias who went on to qualify for Milano Cortina 2026 and became the first El Salvadorian athletes to compete at a Paralympic Winter Games

Competition support: Refugee athletes

• The IPC awarded grants to five host NPCs to support seven refugee Para athletes with training, licensing, classification and attendance at international competitions.
• Guillaume Junior Atangana made history winning 400m T11 gold at the World Para Athletics Championships, becoming the first refugee athlete in any sport to win a world title.

Mentoring Hubs

• 84 athletes and coaches from 18 emerging NPCs benefitted from world class coaching, mentoring and facilities through leading NPCs and Regional Organisations passing on their expertise.
• Mentoring hubs were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Bogota, Colombia; and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Regional Sport Training

• As part of efforts to further develop Para athletes, coaches, classifiers and technical officials to the highest level, 86 participants from 16 African NPCs took part in a three-day camp focussed on Para athletics and Para powerlifting.

Sport Technical Training

• 22 International Federations received grant funding to grow the pool of coaches, classifiers and technical officials across 26 sports.

Classification research

• To support the development and improvement of best practice and evidence-based classification systems in Para sports, grants of up to EUR 250,000 were made available to organisations.
• The first round of grants led to 62 applications with grants to be awarded in early 2026.

LEADERS

Para Athlete Professionals

• 20 Paralympians transitioning from sport to life beyond competition were enrolled into a six-month long leadership course.
• Representing the diversity of the Paralympic Movement the 20 athletes come from 13 different sports and herald from 18 countries, five continents, and feature 13 women.

PARTICIPATION

Para sport equipment

• To address the challenges faced by NPCs, EUR 470,00 of grants were made available to NPCs to buy essential Para sport equipment with grants to be awarded in early 2026.

Mobility grants

• To help address the lack of accessible sporting facilities for persons with disabilities, Mobility Grants were made available to support member organisations in creating inclusive environments so that Para sport can thrive.
• Grant recipients will be announced in early 2026.

IPC Development Model

• The IPC Development Model helps increase grassroots participation, expand access to Para sport training, and nurture national-level athletes – strengthening the entire Para sport ecosystems from the ground up. In 2025 the IPC selected the first 44 least resourced NPCs to benefit from the IPC Development Model, with a further six to follow in 2026.

Details of all development initiatives implemented by the IPC, including those under the Sport for Mobility umbrella, can be found at: www.paralympic.org/impact