IPC President receives Portuguese Paralympic Committee’s Paralympic Order

At a glittering awards ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal, on 29 October, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons received the Paralympic Order from the National Paralympic Committee of Portugal at its annual Gala. 

The event celebrated Portuguese Paralympic sport, distinguished athletes who won medals in European and World Championships, medallists at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, and individuals and groups that have contributed to the development and promotion of sport for people with disabilities in Portugal. 

Parsons was awarded with the Portuguese Paralympic Committee’s highest accolade in recognition of his 25 years of service to the Paralympic Movement. The award recognised the IPC President’s unwavering commitment to the development of Paralympic sport at a global level, leading the IPC over significant milestones in promoting equality and inclusion of people with disabilities through sport. 

The award also noted how Parsons has established excellent relationships with the Portuguese Paralympic Committee, which has led the development of several initiatives that benefit Paralympic athletes and Para sport in the country. 

Although the IPC President was unable to attend the event in person, he shared a video message which was played out to the guests attending the awards ceremony. 

Andrew Parsons said: "It’s an honour to receive the Paralympic Order from the Portuguese Paralympic Committee. Portugal is a country that I love so much, a country where I feel at home, and I feel immensely proud and moved by this recognition by one of our members. 

“The International Paralympic Committee exists to serve its members and athletes, to create the best conditions for the Paralympic Movement in every corner of this planet to offer opportunities for people with disabilities. This is our mission, and being recognised by such an important National Paralympic Committee makes me proud. 

“This is a special year for the Paralympic Movement, with the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games being the biggest in history and leaving a strong legacy. I want you to celebrate the achievements of your athletes, because they are fundamental for creating a more inclusive world.”

The 2024 Portuguese Paralympic Committee Gala awarded the Paralympic Medal to athletes Carolina Duarte (Para athletics), Diogo Cancela (Para swimming), Djibrilo Iafa (Para judo), Sandro Baessa (Para athletics), Miguel Monteiro (Para athletics) and Cristina Gonçalves (boccia) for winning medals at Paris 2024. 

The Executive Committee of the Portuguese Paralympic Committee also awarded the Paralympic Trophy to the Jorge Pina Association, the Portuguese Triathlon Federation and the Portuguese Shooting Federation for their outstanding contributions. 

The Portuguese Paralympic Committee also recognised the coaches of the athletes who won medals in Paris: Hélder Bruno (Cristina Gonçalves' coach), Rui Pinto (Sandro Baessa's coach), João Abrantes (Carolina Duarte's coach), Gonçalo Neves (Diogo Cancela's coach) and Jerónimo Ferreira (Djibrilo Iafa's coach).

Executive Director of the Portuguese Mission to Paris 2024, Jorge Correia, was also awarded with the Paralympic Insignia. João Amaral Mendes, Miguel Monteiro's coach, and Luís Figueiredo, the chef de mission to Paris 2024, had already received the Paralympic Insignia after Tokyo 2020 for which they were awarded a Recognition by the Portuguese Paralympic Committee.

The Inclusion Through Sport Award was awarded to António Rosado, Initiative, Gesloures and the Parish Council of Loures. The Sports Journalism Award was presented to José Cedovim Pinto and Tomás Delfim with the chronicles about the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games for Expresso, and an Honorable Mention was also awarded to Pedro Ribeiro from Antena1 for the podcast "Paris Para Todos" and the Young Revelation Award to university students Carina Ribeiro, Marta Ferreira and Soraia Fiúza for their multimedia report "Lives Adapted to Sport" published in the ComUM newspaper. 

Athletes who have won medals at European Championships or World Championships in the last 12 months received the Medal of Merit.

The athletes are Carolina Duarte, Miguel Monteiro, Sandro Baessa, Norberto Mourão, Diogo Cancela, Marco Meneses, Filipe Marques.  Deaflympic athletes João Marques and André Soares also received the Medal of Merit.

The Portuguese Paralympic Committee also thanked referees who participated at Paris 2024: David Henriques (boccia), Joana Vieira (wheelchair tennis), Óscar Soares (Para canoe), Sandro Monteiro (boccia) and Tiago Oliveira (blind football and goalball). The Paralympic Committees of Turkiye, Croatia and the European Championships were also thanked for their presence at the Gala.