Nominations for 2026 IPC Athletes’ Council elections now open

Ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has opened nominations for candidates for the IPC Athletes’ Council elections that will take place during the event. 

Three winter athlete representatives will be elected during Milano Cortina 2026 with the term of office of the athlete representatives elected during the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games concluding. 

The IPC Athletes’ Council is a highly engaged group consisting of current and retired Paralympians, and one representative from the IOC Athletes’ Commission. Chaired by Maltese Paralympic swimmer Vladyslava Kravchenko, the IPC Athletes’ Council is the collective voice of Paralympic athletes within the IPC and the Paralympic Movement. 

The IPC Athletes’ Council provide feedback, advice, and reporting to the Governing Board on IPC matters from the athletes’ perspective, representing the interests of Paralympic athletes, and actively engaging with the athlete community.

Both the Chairperson and the First Vice Chairperson of the IPC Athletes’ Council are full voting members of the IPC Governing Board, the body that is responsible for setting the policies and for ensuring that the directions set by the membership at the General Assembly are implemented. 

Vladyslava Kravchenko, Chairperson of the IPC Athletes’ Council, said: “I strongly encourage any winter Paralympian interested in shaping the future of the Paralympic Movement or representing the views of their peers to stand for election during the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.” 

National Paralympic Committees (NPCs), International Federations (IFs), and International Organisations of Sport for the Disabled (IOSDs) have been asked to nominate one candidate each for the IPC Athletes’ Council election. The deadline for candidate applications is Friday, 31 October 2025. 

Only athletes competing in the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, or those who have competed in at least one of the previous two editions of the Paralympic Winter Games (PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022) are eligible for nomination.

Three winter sport candidates will be elected at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. The election will begin on 4 March and run until 13 March. All athletes competing at Milano Coritna 2026 will be eligible to vote with polling stations located at each of the three Paralympic Villages. The results will be announced on 14 March, and the new Athletes’ Council members will be welcomed during the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games Closing Ceremony on 15 March. 

As only one athlete per NPC can be on the IPC Athletes' Council at the same time, NPCs that currently have a summer representative elected on the IPC Athletes' Council are not eligible to put forward a candidate. Additionally, IFs and IOSDs must adhere to the same principle when appointing a nominee. The countries affected by this rule for the upcoming election are China, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, South Korea and Uganda. The eligibility criteria for candidates are outlined in the “Athletes’ Council Terms of Reference”. 

If elected, athlete representatives are expected to dedicate the time required to fulfil IPC Athletes’ Council responsibilities and attend relevant activities, such as conference calls, in-person meetings, and gatherings. It is also important to have a high level of interest in the Paralympic Movement. 

As IPC Athletes’ Council meetings are conducted in English, effective communication skills both in written and spoken English are required, although it is possible for the responsible nominating organisation to provide an interpreter for the nominated candidate at all Athletes’ Council meetings or events that they may attend.

More information of the IPC Athletes’ Council can be found here.