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Governing Board Meets in Bonn
Bonn, Germany - Last weekend, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Governing Board (GB) concluded its 49th official meeting in Bonn, Germany.

New Additions to ODI
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) welcomed six National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) into the Organizational Development Initiative (ODI) yesterday. There are now a total of 15 NPCs from four regions participating in the ODI. The new NPCs are from Azerbaijan, Cape Verde, Kenya, Rwanda, Tunisia and Uruguay. They joined the NPCs of Burundi, Lesotho, Morocco, Namibia, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, Turkey and Zambia who joined in the first year of the initiative in 2007.

IPC Celebrates Start of Chinese New Year
On the evening of 7 February, athletes, representatives from sport, the German government, partners, sponsors and media gathered for the annual International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Reception at the Headquarters of the Deutsche Telekom AG in Bonn, Germany.

'Athlete First: A History of the Paralympic Movement' Now Available
On the occasion of the annual International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Reception, Gudrun Doll-Tepper, the President of the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE), presented IPC President Sir Philip Craven with a copy of “Athlete First: A History of the Paralympic Movement”.

Paralympian Ambassadors Announced
Bonn, Germany – Today, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) proudly announced the launch of its Paralympian Ambassador Programme.

10th Anniversary of Bernd Best Wheelchair Rugby Tournament
From 14 to 16 March 2008, the tenth edition of the International Bernd Best Wheelchair Rugby Tournament will take place in Cologne, Germany.

Paralympic Sponsor Workshop Held in Beijing
On 29 January, the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (BOCOG) organized a workshop with sponsors of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China.

Preparations for Beijing 2008 Well Underway
Last week, a delegation from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) lead by President Sir Philip Craven and CEO Xavier Gonzalez was in Beijing, China, to observe the Good Luck Wheelchair Basketball Invitational Tournament, as well as the Olympic Test Events of Weightlifting and Swimming, which will use the same venues during the Paralympics.

Nominees for Laureus 2008 Announced
The Laureus World Sports Academy recently announced the five nominations for the World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Category for the Laureus World Sports Awards 2008. Nominees are:

IPC and Atos Origin Sign Partnership Agreement
Today, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) signed an agreement with Atos Origin to become its Worldwide IT Partner.

2008 ICSEMIS Abstract Deadline Extended
The 2008 International Convention on Science, Education and Medicine in Sport (ICSEMIS) is the successor of the Pre-Olympic Congresses and the Paralympic Congress, and will be held in Guangzhou, China, from 1 to 5 August 2008, themed "Sport Sciences and Harmonious Society in the 21st Century". The deadline for submission of abstracts has been extended. If you are interessted in participation please submit your abstract until 31 January 2008. Submission information can be retrieved from www.icsemis2008.org.

Embedded Version of PSTV on www.paralympic.org
Today, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) started an embedded version of its web TV channel ParalympicSport.TV on its official website www.paralympic.org.

Loterias Caixa International Meeting in Brazil
At the end of last year, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, hosted the Loterias Caixa International Meeting (LCIM) for the first time.

All 2016 Applicant Cities Return Responses
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that all seven cities applying to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games have returned their Application Files, which contain their responses to the IOC Candidature Acceptance Procedure questionnaire.

IPC Position Statement on IAAF's Commissioned Research on Oscar Pistorius
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) offers the following position statement in light of the recent media attention generated by a scientific study initiated by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) that reports that sprint performance with Cheetah prostheses offers clear mechanical advantages compared to the sprint performance of able-bodied athletes who are capable of similar levels of performance.

'Get Set London Roadshow' Launched
The London 2012 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (London 2012) recently launched the ‘Get Set London Roadshow’ 2008, which will now be travelling throughout London in the coming weeks and months.