IPC Honorary Board Meets in the Netherlands

The Honorary Board of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) met on Tuesday 13 September at the Het Loo Palace in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands.

The meeting was hosted by Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and saw the Board updated on the impact of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Paralympic Games and on the progress towards future Games.

They were also informed about the new IPC Strategic Plan and the vision of the International Paralympic Foundation to develop the Paralympic Movement and contribute to changing the lives of people with a disability in South America in the run up to and following the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Sir Philip Craven, IPC President, said: “The meeting was extremely productive and I would like to thank all members of the Board for attending. A number of fruitful outcomes came from the meeting and we will be working together to implement them in the weeks, month and years to come.”

Other attendees of the IPC Honorary Board included:

• HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium

• HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden

• Dr. James Wolfensohn, Former President of the World Bank

• Mr. Hassan Ali Bin Ali, Chairperson of the Shafallah Centre for Children with Special Need

• Rita van Driel, IPC Governing Board member and General Secretary of NPC Netherlands.

The main purpose of the IPC Honorary Board is to allow leaders of society an opportunity to support the vision of the Paralympic Movement and to strive to maintain the issue of sport for persons with a disability high on the agenda of the global community. Honorary Board Members assist the IPC in creating opportunities for raising awareness and funding, through the Member’s network of contacts and sphere of influence.

The efforts of the Honorary Board will ensure that the torch of Paralympic Solidarity continues to grow brighter, and that the development of Paralympic sport is given priority by governments and society alike. For more information on the Honorary Board, please visit http://www.paralympic.org/the-ipc/partnerships

About the IPC

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and serves as the International Federation for nine sports, for which it supervises and co-ordinates the World Championships and other competitions. The IPC is committed to enabling Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to developing sport opportunities for all persons with a disability from the beginner to elite level. In addition, the IPC aims to promote the Paralympic values, which include courage, determination, inspiration and equality.

Founded on 22 September 1989, the IPC is an international non-profit organization formed and run by 170 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) from five regions and four disability specific international sports federations (IOSDs). The IPC Headquarters and its management team are located in Bonn, Germany.

For further information, please contact Craig Spence, IPC Media and Communications Senior Manager on e-mail: craig.spence@paralympic.org or call +49-228-2097-230. Alternatively, please visit www.paralympic.org or www.ParalympicSport.TV