IPC mourns the death of Argentinean Paralympic trailblazer Héctor "Pocho" Ramírez

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Héctor "Pocho" Ramírez.

A pioneer of Para sport in Argentina, he helped found the Argentina Paralympic Committee (COPAR) in October 2003. In the same year he received the Paralympic Order from the IPC, the highest award of the Paralympic Movement, for his work over five decades on developing, understanding, and promoting Para sport in Argentina and the Americas.

Ramírez was born on 5 December 1932 and was a physical education teacher. He began working in the disability environment at the National Institute of Rehabilitation in Argentina.

His determination to use recreational sport as an important method of therapy for persons with disabilities led him to Great Britain to train with Sir Ludwig Guttmann at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Guttman had pioneered the development of physical activities for persons with disabilities and created in 1948 the Stoke Mandeville Games, the first sporting competition for Para athletes.

Guttmann taught Ramirez everything he knew so that he could apply his techniques in Argentina. Ramírez enthusiastically did this and soon the National Institute of Rehabilitation was a forerunner and promoter in Argentina in the rehabilitation and promotion of sports for people with physical disabilities.

Thanks to his relationship with Guttmann, Ramirez championed Argentina’s participation in the first Paralympic Games in Rome 1960. The team comprised of five swimmers, and Argentina was the only South American nation to compete. Argentina has competed in every summer edition of the Paralympics since.

Andrew Parsons, IPC President, said: “Héctor Ramírez was a trailblazer of Para sport not only in Argentina but across the world. He is one of those founding fathers of the Paralympic Movement that we owe a huge debt of gratitude to. Pocho was dedicated to inclusion and thanks to him there are generations of persons with disabilities in Argentina and the Americas whose lives have been transformed through Para sport.”

His passion and interest in promoting Paralympic sport in Argentina led Ramirez to found FADESIR - Federación Argentina de deporte en silla de ruedas (Argentine Federation of Wheelchair Sports), which brought together several sports, and is still in operation today.

He continued to pioneer in Argentina, and as President of the Pan American Committee of Wheelchair Sports organised the first Pan American Wheelchair Sports in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1969.

Ramírez was also the creator of the EFE subject (Special Physical Education), which serves to train all teachers in the development of sport for people with disabilities. He was declared an Outstanding Personality of Education and Sport by the City of Buenos Aires, and was Honorary President of COPAR.