International Paralympic Committee introduces PLY title to recognize all Paralympians

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced their PLY post-nominal initiative in an effort to recognize all Paralympians’ achievements and contributions to the Olympic Movement.

In honor of that, PLY can now be added after any Paralympians’ name on any official document, business card, email signature or anywhere their name might be used.

The first two Paralympians to officially receive the PLY initials are Ragnhild Myklebust and Kevin Coombs OAM.

Coombs, 80, was one of the first 219 Paralympians, and represented Australia in the 1960 Paralympic Games in Rome. He competed in wheelchair basketball and athletics in five Paralympic Games.

The Norwegian Myklebust, 78, holds the record for most medals won at the Winter Paralympic Games. She won 27 medals, 22 of them gold from 1988-2002.

IPC president Andrew Parsons said, “The IPC believes it’s important to recognize all Para athletes who have devoted years to training and have made huge sacrifices to reach the Paralympic Games. To be a Paralympian is to be part of an elite club and only around 28,000 people can claim to be a Paralympian.”

Both Myklebust and Coombs were very honored and touched by the IPC’s decision.

“To be the first athlete to receive PLY status is very special to me and my family,” Coombs said. “I already have three letters after my name with my Order of Australia medal, but this goes down with that as something to be immensely proud of.”

Myklebust echoed those thoughts saying, “I feel very honored to receive this. One of the wonderful things for athletes about having these three letters on our signatures is that people are going to ask what does PLY stand for? For me it’s the feeling that I am equal, and I can do what other people do.”

Any Paralympian will be eligible to use a PLY designation once their application is approved, provided they are not serving a period of ineligibility for a doping violation.