IPC President attends landmark celebration of Nordic Para sport

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons was in Reykjavik, Iceland, last week (10-13 September) to celebrate 50 years of cooperation in Nordic Para sport. 

On Saturday (12 September), Parsons gave a welcome address at a celebratory dinner to mark the milestone which was attended by representatives of the National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) and National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of Iceland, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Norway and Sweden. At the dinner, the IPC President was awarded the Nordic Para Sport honorary pin for his dedication to Para sport progress and development globally.

The Nordic Para Sport cooperation was founded in Iceland 50 years ago at Hótel Loftleiðir, today named Hotel Reykjavik Askja.

Ahead of the celebration, Parsons met with Inga Sæland, Iceland’s Minister of Education and Children, to discuss the development and impact of Para sport in the country. Also attending the meeting was Thordur Arni Hjaltested, President of NPC Iceland; Petur Elias, President of NPC Faroe Islands, and Willum Þór, President of NOC Iceland.

Andrew Parsons, IPC President, said: “For half a century the Nordic nations have worked together to further the Paralympic Movement, and I was delighted to be in Reykjavik to celebrate this important milestone with them. 

“Whether it is combining resources to provide the support team for the Paralympic Games to joint development programmes to advance grassroots participation, the Nordic nations have developed a superb model that works really well and could serve as a blueprint for other parts of the world.”

Jón Björn Ólafsson, Secretary of NPC NPC Iceland, said: “It was an honour to host Andrew in Iceland during our celebration of the Nordic ParaSport cooperation. His engagement with the membership is of high importance to our whole movement.

“His visit to Inga Sæland the Minister of Education, Children and Sports was an enjoyable occasion since the bridge between sports and authorities needs regular attendance and continued progression for public health.

“At last it was an honour for the Nordic ParaSports organisation to be able to present the IPC President with our Honourary pin for his dedication to Para sports on a global scale.“

During the trip Parsons attended a joint meeting of the Nordic NPCs and NOCs, and visited the Blue Lagoon. On Saturday morning he visited ParaSport Club ÍFR, the oldest Para Sport club in Iceland which was founded in 1974, where he met Para athletes and coaches.