Sharing the Vision of Sports for the Disabled + International Status Up 2025 Seoul IPC General Meeting Closing
Sep 29, 2025
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More than 420 delegations from 187 member organizations around the world attended the general meeting to discuss the future of international sports for the disabled and the direction of the Paralympic Movement, drawing meaningful results.
On the 27th, the last day of the general meeting, the election of the IPC chairman was held. Out of 177 valid votes, incumbent chairman Andrew Parsons won 109 votes to win a second term. Bae Dong-hyun, chairman of the BDH Foundation (42, vice president of Changsung Group), who became the first Korean to seek the position of IPC chairman, remained on 68 votes, failing to win the election. However, through this challenge, it was evaluated that it imprinted the status and potential of sports for the disabled in Korea on the international stage. Chung Jin-wan, president of the Korea Sports Association for the Disabled, said, `Although the results were unfortunate, the fact that a Korean candidate received attention at the World Paralympic Games means a lot.'"This challenge raised the international status of sports for the disabled, while also leading to the expansion of exchanges and solidarity with other countries." he said.
This general meeting was also highly evaluated in terms of the operation of the event. For the convenience of participants, the Korea Sports Association for the Disabled operates a dedicated transportation system that connects airports, accommodations, and conference halls, and thoroughly supports all movements to be carried out smoothly. Accommodation and food and beverage services were also provided with high quality, receiving great acclaim from delegations from each country, and enhancing the overall completeness of operation.
The field of exchange also continued actively. During the general meeting, a welcome dinner hosted by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism on the 22nd, a welcome dinner hosted by Seoul Metropolitan Government on the 24th, and an official dinner presided over by the Prime Minister on the 25th were held in succession, which was an opportunity to strengthen networks and exchanges between major domestic and foreign figures.
At the IPC Executive Committee held from the 22nd to the 23rd, major agendas such as revision of regulations and approval of new member states were discussed, and the future policy direction of the IPC was set. At the conference held from the 24th to the 25th, excellent examples of activities from each country were shared along with the IPC CEO's performance report, and in the final session, the '2025 IPC Paralympic Medal' award ceremony was presented to those who contributed to the Paralympic movement. This year, Duane Cale of New Zealand, Anne Hart of the United States, and Tim Redish of the United Kingdom were chosen as the winners.
At the plenary session held from the 26th to the 27th, the new membership of the Bolivian NPC, the South Sudan NPC, and the International Federation of Sports Climbing (IFSC) was approved, expanding the number of IPC member organizations to a total of 211 (185 National Paralympic Committee, 18 International Federation, 3 types of international organizations, and 5 IPC sports).
In addition, the suspension of membership for the Russian and Belarusian NPCs was lifted at this plenary session. As a result, the two countries will be able to participate in international competitions, including the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics, scheduled to be held next year, as well as the use of flags and national flags.
At this general meeting, only two IPC chairmen and two vice-chairmen were elected, and seven executive members will be elected through a non-face-to-face extraordinary general meeting in the future.
Meanwhile, the Korean Sports Council for the Disabled announced its plan to further expand the base of sports for the disabled in Korea and spread the value of the Paralympic movement through this IPC regular meeting. In particular, we plan to actively promote the 'MOVE' campaign to revitalize sports for the disabled so that more people with disabilities can participate in sports activities.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
