Paralympic Movement gathers in Korea for 2025 IPC General Assembly and Conference

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) member organisations will be gathering in Seoul this week (24-27 September) as the South Korean capital holds the 22nd IPC General Assembly and Conference.

Hosted by the Korea Paralympic Committee, the event is set to attract nearly 400 representatives from around 190 IPC member organisations and several IPC recognised international federations.

Activities will begin on Wednesday (24 September) with the first day of a two-day conference. Sessions will include update presentations from the IPC Chief Executive Officer Dr Mike Peters PLY and members of his senior leadership team on progress made by Team IPC since the 2023 General Assembly. There will also be an opportunity for several IPC members to present case studies of their outstanding work, serving as a transfer of knowledge to the wider IPC membership. The day will finish with IPC President Andrew Parsons presenting the Paralympic Order – the highest recognition anyone can receive within the Paralympic Movement – to three noteworthy individuals who have made exceptional contributions.

The second day of the conference (25 September) will see candidates standing for IPC Governing Board election present their candidatures to the IPC membership.

The 22nd IPC General Assembly will begin on Friday (26 September) and one of the main discussion points for IPC members will be around the membership status of National Paralympic Committee (NPC) Russia and NPC Belarus. Both NPCs were partially suspended at the 2023 General Assembly and on Friday, NPCs, International Federations, and International Organisations of Sport for the Disabled will decide whether to fully suspend NPC Russia and NPC Belarus, partially suspend them, or not impose any suspension at all.

Saturday (27 September) will see IPC Governing Board elections take place. Two candidates are standing for the role of President, the incumbent Andrew Parsons and South Korea’s Dong Hyun Bae. There are six candidates for the two roles of IPC Vice-President. The First Vice-President must not be the same gender as the President, and the Second Vice-President cannot be of the same gender as the First Vice-President. There are 26 candidates for the seven Member at Large roles. At least three elected members must be female and at least three male. One position is open.

As a membership-based organisation, the IPC’s General Assembly is its most important gathering. It serves as the primary forum where members come together to shape the future of the Paralympic Movement and make key decisions. The last IPC General Assembly was in Bahrain in 2023. 

In accordance with the IPC Constitution, only IPC members in Good Standing have the right to participate with full representation and voting rights at the IPC General Assembly, including the right to submit motions.

The selection of the Korea Paralympic Committee as host for the 2025 IPC General Assembly followed a competitive bid process.