Sir Philip Craven re-elected as IPC President

Sir Philip was chosen over fellow Britain and CPISRA candidate Alan Dickson who polled 20 votes.

Great Britain’s Sir Philip Craven has been re-elected as President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for a fourth successive term following Sunday’s (24 November) elections at the 16th IPC General Assembly in Athens, Greece.

The 63-year-old five-time Paralympian, who was first elected as IPC President in 2001, will serve a final four year term after he received 127 votes in the IPC Governing Board elections. Sir Philip was chosen over fellow Britain and CPISRA candidate Alan Dickson who polled 20 votes.

In total 147 IPC members made up of National Paralympic Committees (NPC), International Federations, Regional Organisations and International Organisations of Sport for the Disabled (IOSDs) were in attendance in Athens and eligible to take part in the election, meaning that no-one abstained from voting.

Sir Philip Craven said: “I’m honoured and delighted to be re-elected as the President of the IPC and I’d like to thank my colleagues and peers for their continued and steadfast support. Today, this wonderful Movement has reaffirmed its trust in me and I pledge to repay that faith by maintaining the momentum and building on the tremendous progress we have made in recent years.

“Our success has brought about fresh challenges which means we must adapt in order to evolve. This is why I propose a gathering that will allow the Movement to come together to create a dialogue about tackling the issues and strategic forward planning; ensuring that the exciting path we are on doesn’t end here.

“I look to the future, to Sochi, Rio, PyeongChang and Tokyo with great excitement and I’m very confident that we can continue to grow and develop while still keeping our inspirational athletes at the core of the Movement. Together, with continued hard work and dedication from all, we can ensure that we progress as an organisation that makes a difference, not just in sport, but also in society.

“Finally, I would like to thank Alan Dickson for the contribution he has made to the election debate and the Paralympic Movement. I wish him well for the future.”

Vice President

The new IPC Vice President is Andrew Parsons who is also the President of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee, a role he took over in 2009. Parsons, 36, served as President of the Americas Paralympic Committee between 2005 and 2009 and has been an IPC Governing Board member since 2009. Parsons, who received 96 votes to finish ahead of America’s Ann Cody with 52 votes, replaces Australia’s Greg Hartung who did not seek re-election in Athens.

Andrew Parsons said: “I would like to thank the membership for their trust. I now aim to deliver on the expectations I set out in my manifesto. I look forward to working with IPC President Sir Philip Craven over the next four years.

“It’s an exciting moment for Paralympic sport. We not only have to keep the momentum but take advantage of it and work hard to further develop the Movement for the benefit of all our members.

“I’d like to thank Ann Cody, she put forward a strong case for election and I look forward to working with her and the other members of the newly elected Governing Board.

Governing Board

Ten Members at Large were also elected to the IPC Governing Board on Sunday.

In the first round the following members were elected:

• Mohamed Alhameli (UAE – NPC United Arab Emirates)

• Kyung-won Na (KOR – NPC Korea)

• Yasushi Yamawaki (JPN – NPC Japan)

In the second round of voting, the following members were elected:

• Ann Cody (USA – NPC USA)

• Rita van Driel (NED – NPC Netherlands)

• Patrick Jarvis (CAN – NPC Canada)

• Duane Kale (NZL – NPC New Zealand)

• Jairus Mogalo (KEN – NPC Kenya)

• John Petersson (DEN – NPC Denmark)

• Miguel Sagarra (ESP – NPC Spain)

Composed of 12 members elected at the General Assembly, the IPC Governing Board is representative of the IPC Membership and responsible for the implementation of policies and directions set by the General Assembly. It meets at least three times a year and meetings are chaired by the President.

The Governing Board is elected every four years and members can serve a maximum of three terms.

The IPC’s first President was Canadian Bob Steadward who served between 1989, when the organisation was formed, and 2001. He is now an IPC Lifetime Member.

Linda Mastrandrea, Chairperson of the Legal and Ethics Committee acted as Chairperson of the Election Session.

Results

President

• Sir Philip Craven 127

• Alan Dickson 20

Vice President

• Andrew Parsons 96

• Ann Cody 52