ATR First: No Paralympics Voice in 2024, 2028 Election

(ATR) Around the Rings is told that Philip Craven's successor as International Paralympic Committee president won’t have a say in the 2024 and 2028 Olympic host city election.

Craven will finish his mandate as IPC president on Sep. 8 in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. when the organization elects its next leader at the IPC General Assembly. An IOC spokesperson tells ATR that Craven’s IOC membership will end and that it will not be immediately passed on to the next IPC chief.

"It does not mean however that his successor will automatically become an IOC member," an IOC spokesperson says. "His potential candidature will have to be proposed to the IOC Members Election Commission which is charged with preparing profiles and proposing candidates in order to achieve a diverse and balanced membership of the IOC.

"This process can take time so to answer your question, there will be no representative from the IPC voting in Lima."

IPC communications chief Craig Spence tells ATR the Paralympic body understands why it won’t be included in the election of the next two Summer Olympic hosts.

"The IOC Membership Sir Philip has is not like a baton so it cannot be passed to the new IPC President," Spence says. "It’s understandable that given the timing of the IPC Governing Board elections on 8 September, the new IPC President will not be able to vote in Lima.

Spence notes that while it will not have a voice in the election, the IPC has been integrated in the 2024 bidding race since day one.

"The IPC has had great input and liaison with both LA and Paris on the Paralympic elements of their bids and provided feedback to the IOC," he says. "We also have an IPC Governing Board member on the IOC Evaluation Commission so we feel that the views of the IPC are well and fairly represented within the IOC and its membership.

"The huge positive for us is that both LA and Paris have put forward excellent bids with extremely strong Paralympic elements."

Three candidates have confirmed to ATR their intention to campaign for the IPC presidency and potentially replace Craven as an IOC member.

The Brazilian Paralympic Committee nominated BPC president Andrew Parsons, the Canadian Paralympic Committee submitted former president Patrick Jarvis as a candidate and European Paralympic Committees chief John Petersson tells ATR he was nominated by the National Paralympic Committee of Denmark for the positions of IPC president and vice president.

Candidates may not campaign until June 19 once they have all been vetted.

Reported and written by Kevin Nutley

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