Andrew Parsons re-elected Paralympic chief for third and final term

Seoul, Sep 27 (IANS) Andrew Parsons was re-elected President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for a third and final four-year term at the 2025 IPC General Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on Saturday. The Brazilian received 109 of the 177 valid votes to be chosen over fellow presidential candidate Dong Hyun Bae of South Korea, who received 68 votes.

“I’m really happy, I think it shows the confidence and the trust of the IPC membership with the direction of where we are going with the Paralympic Movement,” said IPC President Andrew Parsons. “From a personal point of view, being able to finish things that I started in 2017 when I was first elected, but also the opportunity to initiate new projects, open new doors and new fronts in my last four years, will be incredible. I’m grateful to the Paralympic family for this wonderful opportunity.

Parsons, the former President of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee and the Americas Paralympic Committee, was first elected to the IPC Governing Board in 2009. Before becoming the IPC’s third President in 2017, he served as Vice-President between 2013 and 2017.

During his first eight years as President, Parsons secured a long-term partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through to 2032 and changed the IPC’s strategic direction. Today, in addition to strengthening member organisations and delivering exceptional Paralympic Games, the IPC showcases the impact the Paralympic Movement’s activities have on driving social inclusion.

At the 2025 IPC General Assembly, IPC member organisations made up of National Paralympic Committees, International Federations, and International Organisations of Sport for the Disabled also elected Portugal’s Leila Marques Mota as First Vice-President and Denmark’s John Petersson as Second Vice-President. The pair succeeded New Zealand’s Duane Kale, who served the maximum number of terms as IPC Governing Board member and could not stand for re-election.

Leila Marques Mota is Vice-President of the Portuguese Paralympic Committee and serves on the Executive and Directors Board of the Portuguese Sports Foundation. John Petersson is a five-time Paralympian in Para swimming, who represented Denmark from 1984 to 2000, winning 15 medals.

He served two terms as IPC Governing Member-at-Large between 2013-2017 and 2021-2025, and is currently a member of the IPC Audit, Risk and Finance Board Sub-Committee. His governance career began in 2000, and in 2005, he became Vice-President of NPC Denmark before assuming the Presidency, a role he still holds, in 2018. Petersson served as President of the European Paralympic Committee from 2009 to 2017 and chaired the IPC Regions Council and the Supervisory Board of the Agitos Foundation.

The IPC General Assembly decided to adjourn after the first round of the elections for Members-at-Large due to time constraints. The election of the Members-at-large to the IPC Governing Board will continue at the earliest possible opportunity. The IPC will convene a remote Extraordinary General Assembly for this purpose in accordance with the IPC Constitution.

--IANS

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