Six Named To International Paralympic Committee Athletes’ Council

Courtesy: International Paralympic Committee (IPC)

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced the six members of the IPC Athletes’ Council who were elected by their fellow athletes in a vote that took place during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

There were close to a record 25 candidates representing 12 different sports from four continents.  In total, 1,821 athletes cast their ballot.  The six elected members will be presented during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony on Sunday (8 September).

The election of the six summer sport athletes was noteworthy as Lenine Cunha (Portugal, Para athletics) has become the first athlete with an intellectual impairment to join the Council.

Cunha was nominated by Virtus, the International Organisation of Sport for the Disabled (IOSD) which governs and promotes elite sport for athletes with an intellectual impairment.

Two athlete members were re-elected, Martina Caironi (Italy, Para athletics) and Vladyslava Kravchenko (Malta, Para swimming), who took office in 2023 after Daniel Dias of Brazil stepped down from the Council.

Also, elected and serving their first term will be Yoomin Won (Korea, wheelchair basketball), Yujiao Tan (China, Para powerlifting) and Denise Schindler (Germany, Para cycling).

Luca Anna Ekler (Hungary, Para athletics) had the sixth highest number of votes but as per the IPC Athletes’ Council terms of reference, there can be a maximum of only two members per sport.

The IPC Athletes’ Council is the collective voice of Paralympic athletes within the IPC and the Paralympic Movement. Its role involves providing feedback, advice, and reporting to the Governing Board on IPC matters from the athletes’ perspective, representing the interests of Paralympic athletes, and actively engaging with the athlete community.

Cunha, who won a bronze medal in the men’s long jump in the London Paralympic 2012 Games said, “the athletes voice embodies sports’ heart and soul, advocating for change and ensuring rights.  It unites the community, inspires others, and fosters inclusivity.  I aim to amplify voices of athletes with intellectual impairments.”

Making a difference

Caironi, who is a well decorated Paralympian having won one silver so far at Paris 2024, two silver medals at Tokyo 2020, gold and silver at Rio 2016 to go along with gold at London 2012, said she’s learned how athletes can make a difference off the field of the play thanks to the work she has done with the IPC  Athletes’ Council over the past three years.

“The Athletes’ Council can support athletes by conveying their needs to the IPC Governing Board. We bring fresh ideas to enhance the IPC and Paralympic Movement.”

Kravchenko from Malta said being from a smaller country is what drove her to run.  “I want to represent athletes from countries where Para sport is currently underdeveloped and to support the IPC’s strategic objective of driving impact through Para sport in developing regions.”

How election was held

The election of the IPC Athletes’ Council members took place from 26 August to 5 September in the PLY House in the Paralympic Village, close to the Main Dining Hall, and the Athlete Lounge at Chateauroux Village for athletes in shooting Para sport.  The IPC appointed an Electoral Commission to oversee the election and to ensure candidates adhered to the IPC Code of Ethics and Campaign Rules.

All candidates had to be active Paralympic athletes.  This means they must have competed in the current edition of the Paralympic Games at which the election is taking place or have competed in either of the previous two editions of the Games.

The IPC Athletes’ Council is made up of nine members which includes the six summer sport members elected at Paris 2024 who will serve a four-year term. They will join the three winter representatives who were elected during the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, as well as appointed member Greg Polychronidis of Greece, and the IOC Athletes’ Commission Chair.  The IPC can appoint up to five members to serve on the Council.

In a first at Paris 2024, athletes were given the option to vote for between one and up to six of the candidates.  This was a recommendation from the Athletes’ Council who heard from athletes they sometimes felt they didn’t have enough knowledge to vote for all six of the elected positions.

One of the first orders of business for the new Athletes’ Council will be to elect a new Chairperson from among its elected members.  Dutch wheelchair basketball player Jitske Visser is ending her term as Chair after showing incredible leadership and dedication to the Council, promoting the athlete voice while still competing at the highest levels.

The 25 athletes included: