IPC President attends Special Olympics
IPC President Andrew Parsons said, "The purpose of the visit was to learn more about the Special Olympics and identify where we can potentially work together to complement each other’s activities in the future as we aim to make an inclusive world for all." 20 Jun 2023International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons led a small delegation from his organisation to the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin this weekend (17-19 June 2023).
At Saturday’s Opening Ceremony in the Olympic Stadium, Parsons met with several political leaders, including German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
During the course of the weekend, he also met with Tim Shriver, Chairman of Special Olympics, attended several sport events, and presented medals to competitors in athletics.
Kristina Molloy, the IPC’s Chief Membership and Impact Officer, and Craig Spence, Chief Brand and Communication Officer, also met with their Special Olympics counterparts to share knowledge and experience between the two organisations.
Andrew Parsons said: “It was really fantastic to attend the Special Olympics World Games in the German capital and see 7,000 athletes from all over the world enjoying an experience of their lives.
“As an organisation based in Bonn it was also an opportunity to meet with German political leaders, continue dialogue, and thank them for their continued support of the IPC and the Paralympic Movement.
“Since the launch of WeThe15 in 2021, the IPC has been building closer working relationships with all the major organisations responsible for sport for persons with disabilities outside of the Paralympic Movement.
“The IPC, Special Olympics, Invictus Games Foundation and Deaflympics, all have very distinct visions of what they want to achieve as organisations, but the common thread that unites us all is a desire to use sport as a tool to drive inclusion for the world’s 1.2 billion persons with disabilities.
“The purpose of the visit was to learn more about the Special Olympics and identify where we can potentially work together to complement each other’s activities in the future as we aim to make an inclusive world for all.”
Following his visit to Berlin, Parsons will fly to Seoul, Republic of Korea, to chair this week’s IPC Governing Board meeting before attending the IPC Athletes’ Forum in Icheon later in the week.