PARA SPORT AWARDS

The Para Sport Awards, organised by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), celebrate individuals and organisations whose efforts have strengthened the global impact of Para sports. The 11 categories of the Award recognise summer and winter sport athletes, coaches, IPC members, and volunteers.

Explore all 11 award categories here.  

VOTE FOR THE VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

The Volunteer Award is the only Award that is voted for by the public. Cast your vote for the 2025 Para Sport Volunteer Award below:

2025 PARA SPORT AWARD VOLUNTEER NOMINEES

Sima Limouchi (Iran) 

Sima Limouchi has demonstrated unwavering commitment to the Paralympic Movement through academic outreach, technical expertise, and strategic leadership. She has inspired university students through educational workshops, served as a Technical Classifier in Para table tennis, coordinated national events, and successfully advocated for the creation of a Para Table Tennis Committee within the Asian Table Tennis Union. 

Betty Miangindula Mabenza (Congo) 

Professor Betty Miangindula Mabenza has been instrumental in building the Paralympic Movement in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As President of NPC Congo and a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, she has established provincial leagues, founded national federations for wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball, trained technical personnel, and led outreach initiatives focused on athlete empowerment and inclusion. 

Anvar Mursakulov (Uzbekistan) 

Anvar Mursakulov serves as Executive Director of the Adaptive Sports Association of Uzbekistan. Under his leadership, Para sport participation has grown exponentially, from 360 athletes in 2021 to over 9,000 in 2025. He has launched grassroots campaigns, organised national competitions, introduced coach certification programmes, digitised athlete management systems, and initiated Para sport engagement among university students through the “Student League.”

How are individuals/organisations nominated?  

Nominations for all 11 categories of the Para Sport Awards are submitted by IPC Members, members of the Governing Board, and the IPC Athletes’ Council, with a limit of one entry per award. 

Except for the Volunteer Award, the Governing Board votes to determine the winners of the Para Sport Awards from all the nominations received. 

The Volunteer Award is the only Award that is voted for by the public and follows a shortlisting of candidates by the IPC Governing Board. Nominations are submitted for those who have given up their time to support the Paralympic Movement, such as a volunteer, classifier, technical official, event support, or IPC member support. In 2025, over 200 nominations were received for the 11 categories, reflecting the incredible depth and diversity of talent across the Paralympic Movement. 
 

Past winners

Winners from the earlier Para Sport Awards, dating back to the first edition in 2005, can be found in this document.