IPC to count down Top 50 Moments of 2015

“I am sure that the Top 50 will prompt debate amongst sport fans as it does every year, and I would encourage them to join the debate on social media as we countdown each day.”

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) will reveal the Top 50 Moments of 2015 starting on Thursday (12 November), publishing one moment for each of the next 50 days through to 31 December on Paralympic.org.

Each moment will be recognised with a look-back feature story on the IPC website, in addition to photos, videos and promotion on the IPC’s social media outlets.

The Top 50 Moments are ranked according to the overall impact they had on the Paralympic Movement in 2015 and are chosen based on sports performance, emotional impact and media attention, all regionally and globally. They will include performances from major Championships and events, such as the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games and a series of World Championships from a year packed with incredible para-sport. The moments also come from happenings away from the field of sport.

This is the fourth consecutive year the IPC has launched a countdown of the Top 50 moments.

In 2012, Alex Zanardi’s double gold medal success at London 2012 was judged the best moment, whilst in 2013 it was NBC signing a broadcast deal to show the Sochi 2014 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games in the US.

Last year the top moment came from Sochi 2014 where multiple records were broken, including most tickets and most TV viewers for a Paralympic Winter Games, and perceptions on people with impairments were significantly changed in Russia.

Fans can follow and interact with all of the moments as they are revealed at the IPC's website, as well as the IPC’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube channel.

Craig Spence, the IPC’s Director of Media and Communications, said: “This year has seen some incredible performances and memorable moments from the world of para-sport, as shown once again in the quality of the Top 50 Moments.

“With a huge number of World and regional Championships as well as Toronto 2015, we have not been short of moments to choose from.

“With Rio 2016 fast approaching, summer sport athletes have been particularly impressive but so have the winter sport athletes in the first year back following the success of Sochi 2014.

“I am sure that the Top 50 will prompt debate amongst sport fans as it does every year, and I would encourage them to join the debate on social media as we countdown each day.”

Nominations for the Top 50 Moments of 2015 were invited from all IPC Members before the final order was decided by a judging panel.