IPC Releases Socia Media Guidelines for London 2012 Paralympic Games

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) released on 25 August its Social Media Guidelines for Accredited Persons at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, which are set to take place in just over one year’s time.

One element of the guidelines sees the IPC actively encourage athletes participating in London 2012 to embrace and use social media during the Games to share their experiences from one of the world’s biggest sporting events with a wider audience via the vast online community.

Craig Spence, IPC Media & Communications Senior Manager, said: “The IPC wants to make the London 2012 Paralympics a truly digital Games.

“We want to use the power of social media to spread the Paralympic vision and share the Paralympic experience so that anyone anywhere in the world can be part of these Games.

“In producing the new guidelines we have gone back to the drawing board and also consulted with the IPC Athletes’ Council to ensure their views are represented.

“Many of our athletes are already on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. What these Guidelines aim to do, as well as encouraging them to embrace social media, is also protect the integrity of the Paralympic Games and anyone associated with them.”

Besides sharing their experiences via photos and postings, athletes will also be able to share videos of the Opening and the Closing Ceremonies via www.paralympic.org, the London 2012 Paralympic Games website, London 2012 social media channels or via official London 2012 mobile applications through an application that will be set up by the London 2012 Organizing Committee (LOCOG).

National Paralympic Committees, International Paralympic Sport Federations and also LOCOG may publish their own Social Media Guidelines, as long as they operate within the framework set by the IPC guidelines.

The IPC Social Media Guidelines can be found on the IPC’s website at http://www.paralympic.org/sites/default/files/document/120208111714089_2011_11_24_IPC_Social_Media_Guidelines_FINAL_update.pdf

The London 2012 Paralympic Games will take place from 29 August to 9 September and will see more than 4,200 athletes from over 150 countries compete in 20 different sports.

Tickets will go on-sale on 9 September 2011 via the London 2012 ticket website www.tickets.london2012.com. More than one million people have already shown their interest in purchasing tickets.

Notes to the Editor:

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.