Paralympic Photo Exhibition on Display

"I tried to capture the ultimate moment of passion, determination and excellence of these elite athletes with a disability", said Mr. Coudenys.

"Spirit in Motion", as it is presented there, includes 40 images from the Paralympic Games in Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Salt Lake City 2002, Athens 2004, Torino 2006 and Beijing 2008 taken by Lieven Coudenys, one of the official photographers of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). In this exhibition, Mr. Coudenys presents images of different Paralympic sports and of athletes with different disabilities. He not only gives an insight into Paralympic Sport, but at the same time depicts true sporting heroes.

"I tried to capture the ultimate moment of passion, determination and excellence of these elite athletes with a disability", said Mr. Coudenys. "For many, elite sport for athletes with a disability still raises a lot of questions and that is what I wanted to change with this exhibition - by showing the images to as many people as possible. It is a wonderful experience to be part of the Paralympic Games, because time and time again you are amazed by these athletes and the positive atmosphere."

In 2002, Mr. Coudenys donated the first photos of this exhibition to the IPC. The exceptional exhibition has been on display around the world, for instance during the ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games, at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne and at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, but also in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and Sweden. Thousands of visitors came to see it. The selected images of the exhibition are taken from a collection of thousands, which Mr. Coudenys has taken at the Paralympic Summer and Winter Games. For more information and to view all photos, please visit Mr. Coudenys’ official website at http://www.coudenys.be.

The IPC offers interested organizations, companies and individuals worldwide to display the exhibit items from the Documentation Centre's collections. Should you be interested in hosting the Paralympic Photo Exhibition which consists of a total of 51 framed photographs, please contact the IPC (Ms. Stefanie Pohle, IPC Information & Records Manager, stefanie.pohle@paralympic.org).