Paralympic: Seychelles now part of International Paralympic Committee |07 December 2013

The Paralympic Association of Seychelles (PAS), the body with the mission to organise, promote and develop the paralympic movement in Seychelles, has been granted Full Membership to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

This occurred during a ceremony on the occasion of the 16th General Assembly of the IPC which was held in Athens, Greece between November 22 and 24, 2013. It was the Chairman of PAS, Alain Volcère, who received the membership certificate from the IPC’s President, Sir Philip Craven, together with the representatives of six other new members, namely – the National Paralympic Committees of Sao Tome and Principe, the US Virgin Islands, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Antigua and Barbuda, Chile as well as the Boccia International Sports Federation.

The creation of PAS some eight months ago is tangible evidence of the legacy of the London 2012 Paralympic Games and follows discussions which the minister responsible for sports, Vincent Meriton, had had with senior British officials while representing Seychelles at these Games.

UK Sport, which was identified as the UK government agency with the expertise to assist in the establishment of an appropriate structure for the development of the paralympic movement, conducted a two-week mission in Seychelles in March this year to assess the local context, carry out training workshops and propose recommendations as to the task that needed to be undertaken for the sound organisation and development of sports for people with disabilities. The mission also included the introduction of the disciplines of Boccia, Goal Ball and Sitting Volleyball.

At the end of the mission, it became clear to almost all workshop delegates and stakeholders that the way forward towards the implementation of the recommendations proposed, was for the creation of a coordinating mechanism which would bring the different players and interests under a unified command, mobilise the necessary resources and set the wheels of the paralympic movement in motion.

This led to the birth of PAS and the setting up of an interim governing committee and technical committee comprising members representing the National Sports Council, the National Council for the Disabled, Special Olympics, Community Development, Parents, Athletes, Officials, School for the Exceptional Child and the Rehabilitation Centre.

Within the span of eight months, PAS has organised sporting activities to maintain the momentum and enthusiasm within the movement while working on its application for membership to the IPC.

“Our successful bid to join the IPC family is a tribute to the dedication of the participants, volunteers and supporters of the paralympic movement. Our Association has the potential of achieving a lot for our athletes living with impairment. My participation in the General Assembly of the IPC has granted us the opportunity to network and lobby for support. We also needed to get acquainted with the systems, procedures and the various agencies or engines that propel the international paralympic movement,” said Mr Volcère upon his return from Athens.

Founded in 1989, and headquartered in Bonn, Germany, the International Paralympic Committee is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. Its purpose is to organise the summer and winter Paralympic Games and serve as the International Federation for nine sports for which it supervises and co-ordinates the World Championships and other competitions. The IPC is committed to enabling Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to develop sport opportunities for all persons with impairments, from the beginner to the elite level. In addition the IPC aims to promote the Paralympic values which include courage, determination, inspiration and equality. It is composed of a General Assembly (the executive body), a management team and various Standing Committees and Councils.

At the recently-held IPC General Assembly in Athens, Great Britain’s Sir Philip Craven was re-elected as President for a 4th successive term. It is believed that his re-election was in recognition of the resounding success of the London Games which according to him “had done so much for raising the profile of Paralympians, Paralympic Sport and changing perceptions of the people with impairments”.

As far as the chairman of PAS is concerned, the real work is about to start. “We have crossed the threshold of a new beginning and there is no turning back. We need to intensify our education effort while building partnerships to widen the circle of opportunity for training, development and participation in regional and international events,” he added.

The Paralympic Association of Seychelles would like to extend its sincere gratitude and appreciation to the minister responsible for sports, the British high commission in Seychelles and UK Sport, its members, volunteers, officials, participants and sponsors for their assistance and support in getting the Association off to a good start.