Offering the advice 'Equivalent and Inclusive' to Andrew Parsons
On April 19, the Netherlands Sports Council met with Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The reason for this meeting was the publication of the advice 'Equivalent and inclusive - advice on the continued development of Paralympic sport'. Bernard Wientjes received Andrew Parsons on behalf of the Netherlands Sports Council joined by Raymon Blondel, board member NOC*NSF and chairman European Paralympic Committee. Together with Claudia Bokel (chair of the advisory committee) and Rita van Driel (committee member and former board member of the IPC), they spoke about the future of Paralympic sport, in the Netherlands and internationally.
Andrew Parsons thanked the council for its vision and recommendations for the further development of Paralympic sport. "When Paralympic sport has acquired an equivalent position as Olympic sport, the time is ripe to think about inclusion. I support the Netherlands Sports Council in its vision of inclusive elite sport, including athletes with disabilities. For now, Paralympic sport needs its own podium for further development and visibility of elite sport of athletes with a disability. I see this advice as an inspiring document to continue the discussion about further development internationally.”
If you are interested in the advice ‘Equivalent and Inclusive. Advice on the continued development of Paralympic sport’ you download here.
On 31 May from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm (CET), the Netherlands Sports Council is organizing an online English-language meeting to explain the advice and discuss it further with those present. Are you interested in attending this event? Send an email to info@nlsportraad.nl with your details. We will keep you informed of the program and send you a link for the meeting.