PARALYMPIC AND PARA SPORTS NEWS

For the first time after Sochi’s election to host the 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) CEO Xavier Gonzalez and IPC Fundraising and Sponsorship Director Sergio Furman visited the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee in Moscow, Russia.

On the occasion of today’s International Volunteer Day, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) acknowledges the commitment of thousands of volunteers whose actions enrich the Paralympic Movement and help make Paralympic Sport the growing phenomenon it is today.

Today, people from all over the world will celebrate the ‘International Day of Disabled Persons’ with different activities, including forums, public discussions, information campaigns and sport events to focus on disability issues and raise awareness.

Tickets for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremony will be on sale from 10 December.

Yesterday, the composition of the IOC Co-ordination Commission for the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games was announced.

Samsung Electronics recently signed a sponsorship deal with the Chinese government to provide technical support for mobile communications during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, which will be held from 6 to 17 September 2008 in Beijing, China.

Bonn, Germany - Months of mystery and anticipation finally ended yesterday as hundreds of local schoolchildren were the first to personally meet Sumi, Miga and Quatchi, the mascots for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada.

On 25 November, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Sir Philip Craven presented Roh Moo-Hyun, President of Korea, with the Paralympic Honour. This award is bestowed on high-ranking dignitaries, officials and other persons outside the Paralympic Movement who have contributed significantly to the Movement.

Seoul, Korea - The 2007 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) General Assembly (GA) was held from 24 and 25 November 2007, in Seoul, Korea. Around 250 delegates from National Paralympic Committees (NPCs), disability specific sport federations (IOSDs), regions and sports attended the event.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Conference started today with an Opening Ceremony at the Grand Intercontinental Hotel in Seoul, Korea.

Seoul, Korea - Today, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Governing Board (GB) concluded its 48th official meeting, which was held in Seoul, Korea, on the occasion of the IPC 2007 General Assembly.

Today, a training for Paralympic leaders in advocacy and human rights has started in Seoul, Korea.

On 17 November, the third World Conference on Doping in Sport concluded with a resolution (Madrid Resolution) accepting amendments to strengthen the World Anti-Doping Code and bolster the fight to protect athlete health and the integrity of sport.

Yesterday, around 400 guests gathered at the 'Night of the Stars', the most important social event of the German Paralympic Movement. It was the first time that this event, organized by the German Fundraising Committee for Disability Sport, was held at the ‘Mercedes World’ in Berlin, Germany.

Bonn, Germany - The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced today that a Moroccan athlete in the sport of Athletics, tested positive for a prohibited substance and a sanction of two years ineligibility was imposed for his first doping offence.

Yesterday, the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (BOCOG) unveiled the medals for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games during a press conference at the Beijing Olympic Media Center in Beijing, China.

On 10 November, the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Disability Classification and Research Centre (DCRC) in Singapore signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalize and spearhead joint research and development in disability sports technology and to grow the pool of sports engineering researchers in Singapore and the Asian region.

Bonn, Germany - Last week, during the General Assembly of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and CGF signed a co-operative agreement in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to ensure a formal institutional relationship between the two bodies and secure the future participation of elite athletes with a disability (EAD) in future Commonwealth Games.

Last weekend, the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (BOOCG) celebrated the 300-day-countdown to the Paralympics next year, which will officially open on 6 September 2008.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) would like to offer its condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Joan Scruton who passed away on 1 November 2007.