IPC Conference Starts Off in Kuala Lumpur

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Conference and General Assembly started today with an official Opening Ceremony at the Kuala Lumpur Conference Centre (KLCC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Around 350 participants listened to speeches from the Prime Minister of Malaysia, The Honorouble Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, IPC President Sir Philip Craven and the Malaysian Paralympic Council President, Dato' Zainal Abu Zarin, as well as saw traditional Malaysain singing and dancing on stage.

In regards to the upcoming General Assembly, Sir Philip Craven said: "I am inspired by being amongst representatives from 115 NPCs, 22 Paralympic sports, the five regions and all four IOSDs. The IPC’s strength undoubtedly comes from the strength and abilities of its members."

"I am looking forward to meeting with you all to map out our course for the future. It will give us all great pleasure to reflect on the successes of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games and assess the progress being made towards the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, the London 2012 Paralympic Games, the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games and as we have known for seven weeks the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games," he added.

The day continued with break-out sessions on several agenda items, including the NPC Marketing Programme, the National Classification Strategy, the IPC Athlete Licensing and Sport Data Management System as well as the Organizational Development Initiatives.

Tomorrow, the IPC Conference will continue with more workshops and sessions on topics like "How to Promote your NPC/IF" (conducted by Edelman), the Winter Paralympic School Day, Anti-Doping Education and the IPC-Adecco Athlete Career Programme (conducted by Adecco).

The IPC Conference is an opportunity for members of the Paralympic Movement to get together before the IPC General Assembly and exchange views and thoughts on various topics.

The IPC General Assembly 2009 will take place on 21 and 22 November, closing with the celebration of the Paralympic Awards Gala.