Paris 2024

Paralympic Games

28 August - 8 September

Paris 2024: New IPC Athletes’ Council elected

Six members elected (four women and two men) including an athlete with intellectual impairment for the first time 06 Sep 2024
Imagen
Para athlete Martina Caironi smiles and holds up a silver medal
Paris 2024 silver medallist Martina Caironi is one of six athletes elected to the IPC Athletes' Council
ⒸGetty Images
By IPC

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced the six members of the IPC Athletes’ Council who were elected by their fellow athletes in a vote that took place during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

There were close to a record 25 candidates representing 12 different sports from four continents.  In total, 1,821 athletes cast their ballot.  The six elected members will be presented during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony on Sunday (8 September). 

The election of the six summer sport athletes was noteworthy as Lenine Cunha (Portugal, Para athletics) has become the first athlete with an intellectual impairment to join the Council. 

London 2012 medallist Cunha is the first athlete with an intellectual impairment to be elected © Getty Images


Cunha was nominated by Virtus, the International Organisation of Sport for the Disabled (IOSD) which governs and promotes elite sport for athletes with an intellectual impairment. 

Two athlete members were re-elected, Martina Caironi (Italy, Para athletics) and Vladyslava Kravchenko (Malta, Para swimming), who took office in 2023 after Daniel Dias of Brazil stepped down from the Council.

Vladyslava Kravchenko of Malta was reelected to the Council © IPC

 

Also, elected and serving their first term will be Yoomin Won (Korea, wheelchair basketball), Yujiao Tan (China, Para powerlifting) and Denise Schindler (Germany, Para cycling).

Yujiao Tan of China has been elected for the first time © Getty Images


Luca Anna Ekler (Hungary, Para athletics) had the sixth highest number of votes but as per the IPC Athletes’ Council terms of reference, there can be a maximum of only two members per sport. 

The IPC Athletes’ Council is the collective voice of Paralympic athletes within the IPC and the Paralympic Movement. Its role involves providing 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. 

Cunha, who won a bronze medal in the men’s long jump in the London Paralympic 2012 Games said, “the athletes voice embodies sports’ heart and soul, advocating for change and ensuring rights.  It unites the community, inspires others, and fosters inclusivity.  I aim to amplify voices of athletes with intellectual impairments.” 

Making a difference 

Caironi, who is a well decorated Paralympian having won one silver so far at Paris 2024, two silver medals at Tokyo 2020, gold and silver at Rio 2016 to go along with gold at London 2012, said she’s learned how athletes can make a difference off the field of the play thanks to the work she has done with the IPC  Athletes’ Council over the past three years. 

“The Athletes’ Council can support athletes by conveying their needs to the IPC Governing Board. We bring fresh ideas to enhance the IPC and Paralympic Movement.” 

Kravchenko from Malta said being from a smaller country is what drove her to run.  “I want to represent athletes from countries where Para sport is currently underdeveloped and to support the IPC’s strategic objective of driving impact through Para sport in developing regions.” 

How election was held 

The election of the IPC Athletes' Council members took place from 26 August to 5 September in the PLY House in the Paralympic Village, close to the Main Dining Hall, and the Athlete Lounge at Chateauroux Village for athletes in shooting Para sport.  The IPC appointed an Electoral Commission to oversee the election and to ensure candidates adhered to the IPC Code of Ethics and Campaign Rules. 

All candidates had to be active Paralympic athletes.  This means they must have competed in the current edition of the Paralympic Games at which the election is taking place or have competed in either of the previous two editions of the Games.   

The IPC Athletes’ Council is made up of nine members which includes the six summer sport members elected at Paris 2024 who will serve a four-year term. They will join the three winter representatives who were elected during the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, as well as appointed member Greg Polychronidis of Greece, and the IOC Athletes’ Commission Chair.  The IPC can appoint up to five members to serve on the Council. 

Greg Polychronidis is the appointed member of the Athletes' Council © Getty Images


In a first at Paris 2024, athletes were given the option to vote for between one and up to six of the candidates.  This was a recommendation from the Athletes’ Council who heard from athletes they sometimes felt they didn’t have enough knowledge to vote for all six of the elected positions. 

One of the first orders of business for the new Athletes’ Council will be to elect a new Chairperson from among its elected members.  Dutch wheelchair basketball player Jitske Visser is ending her term as Chair after showing incredible leadership and dedication to the Council, promoting the athlete voice while still competing at the highest levels

The 25 athletes included: 

Name 

Country/Territory 

Sport 

Votes 

Lenine CUNHA 

Portugal 

Para athletics 

353 

Vladyslava KRAVCHENKO 

Malta 

Para swimming 

340 

Martina CAIRONI 

Italy 

Para athletics 

309 

Yoomin WON 

South Korea 

Wheelchair basketball 

296 

Yujiao TAN 

China 

Para powerlifting 

281 

Luca Anna EKLER 

Hungary 

Para athletics 

249 

Denise SCHINDLER 

Germany 

Para cycling 

244 

Takayuki SUZUKI 

Japan 

Para swimming 

238 

Leomon MORENO DA SILVA 

Brazil 

Goalball 

237 

Zahra NEMATI 

Iran 

Para archery 

235 

Tania NADARAJAH 

Great Britain 

Para archery 

213 

Maria DELGADO NADAL 

Spain 

Para swimming 

207 

Husnah Biramahiire KUKUNDAKWE 

Uganda 

Para swimming 

204 

Omara DURAND ELIAS 

Cuba 

Para athletics 

194 

Benjamin PRITCHARD 

Great Britain 

Para rowing 

177 

Mariska BEIJER 

Netherlands 

Wheelchair basketball 

174 

Najwa AWANE 

Morocco 

Wheelchair tennis 

164 

Charles ROZOY 

France 

Para swimming 

156 

Iaroslav DENYSENKO 

Ukraine 

Para swimming 

152 

Daniel HO YUEN CHAN 

Hong Kong, China 

Para badminton 

151 

Ayao Severin KANSA 

Togo 

Para athletics 

138 

Sherif OSMAN 

Egypt 

Para powerlifting 

127 

Saif ALNUAIMI 

United Arab Emirates 

Shooting Para sport 

124 

Mario Ernesto SAYES 

El Salvador 

Boccia 

84 

Fatmir SEREMETI 

Sweden 

Goalball 

80