Change Starts with Sport, and no other sport event on this planet has such a profound impact on society.Creating a framework to better articulate such impact is a key component of the IPC’s first ever Impact Strategy that will be shared at September’s IPC Member Conference and General Assembly. Guided by input from IPC members […]
Change Starts with Sport, and no other sport event on this planet has such a profound impact on society.Creating a framework to better articulate such impact is a key component of the IPC’s first ever Impact Strategy that will be shared at September’s IPC Member Conference and General Assembly. Guided by input from IPC members and aligned with the IPC Strategic Plan, this strategy will also emphasise the importance of building an empirical evidence base of the benefit and impact of Para sport.
Another 2024 highlight was the IPC’s move into one of the most accessible offices in Germany.
Our new Bonn headquarters has had an immediate impact on how we do business and is enabling us to get even closer to our athletes, members and the Paralympic community.
This new Classification Code will improve classification systems and processes across the Paralympic Movement and ensure better classification for athletes. It delivers on a promise I made to the 2019 IPC General Assembly that improving classification would be my top priority.
Following approval by IPC members in May 2024, the 2025 IPC Classification Code will become effective for all IPC members from 1 January 2025, except for International Federations governing sports on the Paralympic Winter Games programme.
The event set a new benchmark for all future Paralympic Games and had a tremendous transformational impact.
Thanks to Toyota Mobility Foundation’s grant support, Sport for Mobility will enable the IPC to deliver an even greater scope of programmes that will benefit our member organisations, and ultimately, the athletes we all serve.
With outstanding sport, iconic venues, a record number of competing athletes and delegations, and more press and broadcast coverage than ever before, Paris 2024 was a stunning success.
In June 2025, we are excited our new home will host the IPC Athletes’ Forum, bringing together athlete representatives from across the Paralympic Movement.
As I look forward to the busy year ahead, I want to celebrate some of our successes from 2024.
2025 will also see the rollout of the IPC development programme Sport for Mobility, advancing the work and capabilities of our members.
On behalf of everyone at the IPC, I wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2025.
Hosting the Games triggered the French government to invest EUR 1.5 billion into inclusion and accessibility projects, led the City of Paris to spend EUR 125 million improving accessibility, and acted as a catalyst for the Ile de France region to announce plans to make the Paris Metro accessible. It also led to the UNESCO-IPC Call to Action which made several key policy recommendations to advance the rights and opportunities of the world’s 1.3 billion persons with disabilities.
Over the next four years, we aim to make for a more inclusive world by delivering programmes in the three priority areas of athletes, leadership and participation.
Following a highly successful 2024, I’m extremely excited for the year ahead.
