(ATR) The sole International Paralympic Committee presidential candidate from Europe, John Petersson, tells Around the Rings his top priority is restoring relations between Paralympic and Olympic leadership.
"I think the biggest challenge facing the Paralympic Movement at the moment is to get back to very good relations on the political level between the IOC and IPC," Petersson tells ATR in an exclusive interview.
Petersson says it is a little bothersome that the IPC typically has only one vote in the host city elections for the Olympics and Paralympics. That sole vote currently belongs to IPC president Philip Craven who ends his mandate on Sep. 8, five days prior to the 2024 host city election in Lima, Peru.
Petersson says the timing of the end of Craven’s mandate is "unfortunate" but that he will be in Lima for the IOC Session if elected as IPC president despite not having a vote in the election.
"In the future it’s very important that we have a vote and we have a voice in the IOC," Petersson says. "This is most of all to ensure our athletes' needs because for me the athletes in the Paralympic Games are the heart of the Paralympic Movement."
He adds that if elected as president at the IPC Assembly in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on Sep. 8, he will immediately seek out a position within the IOC to ensure representation for the Paralympic Movement.
A current source of discord between the IOC and IPC is the way each organization handled the Russian doping crisis ahead of the Rio 2016 Games. Olympics chief Thomas Bach opted to give each International Federation the option to allow Russian participation while Paralympics chief Craven opted for a full Russian ban. Petersson tells ATR he voted to support the ban but hopes Russia can rebound quickly.
"We need to get Russia back into the Movement; we need to get them to compete," he says. "I think both Russia and RUSADA are doing a good job and moving forward but it’s difficult to say if they will compete in PyeongChang.
"It’s not just a tick of boxes, it’s also just a change of attitude and culture and it will take time of course. If they improve in a good way then I think they have a chance."
A six-time Paralympic gold medalist who has competed in five Games, Petersson has been differently-abled since birth. The world champion swimmer says that his experience as a Paralympic athlete combined with his business savvy earned from firms such as KPMG and Ernst & Young gives him a unique insight into the movement.
"I want to show people that change can happen and that we can move barriers and overcome discrimination and so on.
"It’s not only just about sport; it’s about the entire inclusion of people with disabilities around the world and I have shown this in my own story and I have put this into real life and that’s why I’m standing [for president]."
If elected, Petersson will have reached the top of the governance ladder in Paralympic sport, starting as a member at large for his native National Paralympic Committee of Denmark in 2000. From there, Petersson became vice president of the Danish NPC and was elected to lead the European Paralympics Committees as president in 2009.
As head of the EPC for eight years, Petersson says he helped unify the region and institute new ideas that he could bring to the IPC, such as the Youth Paralympic Games.
"For me, it’s very important that we create opportunities for our youngsters because they are the future Paralympians," Petersson tells ATR. "The way to do this is to assist the members in doing different national competitions for the youngsters but it’s also very important that we get the youngsters into competition outside of their own country.
"Not just for sport, but also to learn different languages, cultures and meet different friends and friendships that can last many years. We have to build further on this and increase it in the region first and then build on it. We have to take into account the region before we do a worldwide competition."
Petersson is competing with three other candidates to become the next IPC president: Andrew Parsons of Brazil, Patrick Jarvis of Canada and Zhang Haidi of China. Each of the four candidates hopes to build on the legacy left by outgoing IPC president Philip Craven over the past 16 years.
"I think I can continue in my own personal way to further develop this," Petersson said. "Sir Philip and I are very much alike; we are coming with a disability and as sportsmen in the movement. We know how to struggle to get respect and with discrimination and barriers around the world and that’s one of the areas I can move forward with."
The four candidates go head to head for the IPC presidency on Sep. 8 in Abu Dhabi. Petersson is the only of the four candidates to also seek the IPC vice presidency if he is not elected president of the organization. He is contending with Duane Kale.
Stay tuned to Around the Rings for one-on-one interviews and ATRadio podcasts with each of the candidates as the election nears.
Click here to read about candidate Andrew Parson’s goals for the Paralympic Movement.
Written by Kevin Nutley
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