European Paralympic Committee

Last updated
European Paralympic Committee
Formation2 July 1999
Type Sports federation
Headquarters Vienna, Austria
Membership
49 National Paralympic Committees
Official language
English
President
Ratko Kovačić
Website Official website

The European Paralympic Committee (EPC) is an international non for profit organisation which serves a membership of 49 National Paralympic Committees and 9 European branches of disability. Based in Vienna, Austria, the EPC was founded as the IPC European Committee, it was later registered as an independent entity in 1999. [1]

Contents

The EPC is responsible for organising the European Paralympic Committee Youth Games. Furthermore, the EPC acts as an organisation which promotes and defends the collective interests of National Paralympic Committees, International Organisation of Sports for the Disabled or International Paralympic Sport Federation and European athletes with disabilities. [1]

The EPC has a democratic structure and the governing body of the organisation is elected every two years through a general assembly, where all registered members are entitled to send delegates and cast their vote. The Committee is made up of a president, secretary-general, treasurer, technical officer, athletes' representative and four members-at-large. The current president is Ratko Kovačić from Croatia, a former table tennis champion.

Member countries

In the following table, the year in which the NPC was recognized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is also given if it is different from the year in which the NPC was created.

Nation Code National Paralympic Committee CreatedRef.
Flag of Andorra.svg  Andorra AND Andorran Adapted Sports Federation
Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia ARM Armenian Paralympic Committee 1994
Flag of Austria.svg  Austria AUT Austrian Paralympic Committee
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan AZE National Paralympic Committee of Azerbaijan Republic
Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus BLR Paralympic Committee of the Republic of Belarus
Flag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium BEL Belgian Paralympic Committee
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  Bosnia and Herzegovina BIH Paralympic Committee of Bosnia & Herzegovina
Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria BUL Bulgarian Paralympic Association
Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia CRO Croatian Paralympic Committee
Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus CYP Cyprus National Paralympic Committee 1999
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic CZE Czech Paralympic Committee
Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark DEN Paralympic Committee Denmark
Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia EST Estonian Paralympic Committee
Flag of the Faroe Islands.svg  Faroe Islands FRO Ítróttasambandið fyri brekað - Faroese Paralympic Committee 1980
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland FIN Finnish Paralympic Committee
Flag of France.svg  France FRA French Paralympic and Sports Committee
Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia GEO Georgian Paralympic Committee
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany GER National Paralympic Committee Germany
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain GBR British Paralympic Association 1989
Flag of Greece.svg  Greece GRE Hellenic Paralympic Committee 2001
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary HUN Hungarian Paralympic Committee
Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland ISL Icelandic Sports Association for the Disabled
Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland IRL Paralympic Council of Ireland
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel ISR Israel Paralympic Committee
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy ITA Italian Paralympic Committee
Flag of Kosovo.svg  Kosovo KOS Paralympic Committee of Kosovo 2023 [2]
Flag of Latvia.svg  Latvia LAT Latvian Paralympic Committee
Flag of Liechtenstein.svg  Liechtenstein LIE Liechtensteiner Behinderten Verband
Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania LTU Lithuanian Paralympic Committee
Flag of Luxembourg.svg  Luxembourg LUX Luxembourg Paralympic Committee
Flag of Malta.svg  Malta MLT Malta Federation of Sports Associations For Disabled Persons
Flag of Moldova.svg  Moldova MDA Paralympic Committee of Moldova
Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro MNE Paralympic Committee of Montenegro
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands NED Dutch Olympic Committee*Dutch Sports Federation
Flag of North Macedonia.svg  North Macedonia MKD Macedonian Paralympic Committee - Federation for Sport and Recreation for Disabled of Macedonia
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway NOR Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland POL Polish Paralympic Committee
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal POR Portugal Paralympic Committee
Flag of Romania.svg  Romania ROU National Paralympic Committee, Romania
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia RUS Russian Paralympic Committee 1996
Flag of San Marino.svg  San Marino RSM San Marino Paralympic Committee
Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia SRB Paralympic Committee of Serbia
Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia SVK Slovak Paralympic Committee
Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia SLO Paralympic Committee of Slovenia - Sports Federation for the Disabled of Slovenia
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain ESP Spanish Paralympic Committee
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden SWE Swedish Parasports Federation
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland SUI Swiss Paralympic Committee
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey TUR Turkish Paralympic Committee 2002
Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine UKR National Sports Committee for the Disabled of Ukraine

Events

European Para Championships

The European Para Championships are held every four years in the year proceeding the Summer Paralympic Games and have been given the status of a regional games by the European Paralympic Committee.

European Para Youth Games (EPYG)

The European Para Youth Games is a biennial multi-sport event for young para-athletes aged between 13 and 23. [3] [4] [5] [6]

European Winter Para Sports Event

The first European Winter Para Sports Event (ParaSki4Europe) was held in 2020 in Poland:

NumberYearHostSportsAthletesCountries
1 2020 Flag of Poland.svg Czarna Gora, Poland [7] [8] [9] 415012

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Paralympic Committee</span> Global governing body for the Paralympic Movement

The International Paralympic Committee is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nine sports. Founded on 22 September 1989 in Düsseldorf, West Germany, its mission is to "enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and inspire and excite the world". Furthermore, the IPC aims to promote the Paralympic values and to create sport opportunities for all persons with a disability, from beginner to elite level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Blind Sports Federation</span> International federation of sports for athletes with a vision impairment

The International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) is a non-profit organisation founded 1981 in Paris, France. It was formerly known as the International Blind Sports Association. IBSA's mission is to promote the full integration of blind and partially-sighted people in society through sport and to encourage people with a visual impairment to take up and practise sports. IBSA is a full and founding member of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paralympic sports</span> Type of sport with events contested at the Paralympic Games

The Paralympic sports comprise all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. As of 2020, the Summer Paralympics included 22 sports and 539 medal events, and the Winter Paralympics include 5 sports and disciplines and about 80 events. The number and kinds of events may change from one Paralympic Games to another.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asian Paralympic Committee</span> International regional committee representing Asia

The Asian Paralympic Committee is an organization based in United Arab Emirates. It has 45 National Paralympic Committees of the Asian continent as members. It organizes the Asian Para Games and is affiliated to the International Paralympic Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Virtus Sports Federation</span>

Virtus Sport is a federation established in 1986 by Dutch athletic professionals to promote the participation of athletes with mental handicap in elite sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B1 (classification)</span> Medical-based Paralympic classification for blind sport

B1 is a medical-based Paralympic classification for blind sport. Athletes in this classification are totally or almost totally blind. It is used by a number of blind sports including blind tennis, para-alpine skiing, para-Nordic skiing, blind cricket, blind golf, five-a-side football, goalball and judo. Some other sports, including adaptive rowing, athletics and swimming, have equivalents to this class.

Para-alpine skiing classification is the classification system for para-alpine skiing designed to ensure fair competition between alpine skiers with different types of disabilities. The classifications are grouped into three general disability types: standing, blind and sitting. Classification governance is handled by International Paralympic Committee Alpine Skiing. Prior to that, several sport governing bodies dealt with classification including the International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD), International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation (ISMWSF), International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) and Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CP-ISRA). Some classification systems are governed by bodies other than International Paralympic Committee Alpine Skiing, such as the Special Olympics. The sport is open to all competitors with a visual or physical disability. It is not open to people with intellectual disabilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Para-snowboarding classification</span> Classification system for para-snowboarding

Para-snowboarding classification is the classification system for para-snowboarding. The sport originally called Adaptive Snowboard is now practiced by hundreds of athletes around the world. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) defines three classes: SB-LL for athletes with a physical impairment affecting one or both legs, and SB-UL for athletes with a physical impairment affecting one or both arms who compete standing. The sport made its official Winter Paralympic debut in the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germany at the 2016 Summer Paralympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Germany competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016. The first places the team qualified were for four athletes in sailing events. They also qualified athletes in archery, cycling, equestrian, paracanoeing, paratriathlon, rowing and wheelchair basketball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweden at the 2016 Summer Paralympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Sweden is competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016. They won ten medals; one gold, four silver and five bronze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iran at the 2016 Summer Paralympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Iran competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China at the 2016 Summer Paralympics</span> Sporting event delegation

China has qualified to send athletes to the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016. Sports China competed in include blind football, archery, boccia, cycling, goalball, judo, paracanoeing, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ukraine at the 2016 Summer Paralympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Ukraine competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finland at the 2016 Summer Paralympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Finland competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016. They earned three medals, one gold, one silver and one bronze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkey at the 2016 Summer Paralympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Turkey has qualified send athletes to the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016. Sports the country qualified to compete in include 5-a-side football, archery, goalball and wheelchair basketball.

The IBSA European Judo Championships is an event organized by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA). It is a paralympic judo competition, that is judo for visually impaired athletes. Organised biennially, the competition is not run during years when the IBSA World Judo Championships or the Summer Paralympics are contested.

The IBSA World Games or World Blind Games are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA). The events enable blind and partially sighted athletes to compete in a number of sports. The first event took place at Madrid, Spain in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goalball at the 2020 Summer Paralympics</span> Tokyo 2022 Paralympics

Goalball at the 2020 Summer Paralympics was held in the Makuhari Messe in Tokyo. The event was held from 25 August to 3 September 2021.

Maria Odete Ferreira Fiúza is a Portuguese Paralympic athlete who competes in international elite events. She specialises in the marathon. She has competed at six Paralympic Games from 2000 to 2020 Summer Paralympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Para Youth Games</span>

The European Para Youth Games (EPYG) is a biennial multi-sport event for young para-athletes aged between 13 and 23 from the member countries of the European Paralympic Committee (EPC).

References

  1. 1 2 "European Paralympic Committee - About Us". europaralympic.org. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  2. "Bangladesh and Kosovo join IPC and three receive Paralympic Order at General Assembly". 28 September 2023.
  3. "European Para Youth Games line-up revealed".
  4. "2015 European Para Youth Games in Croatia (EPYG 2015)". www.oepc.at. Archived from the original on 2018-11-20.
  5. "Three IBSA sports on 2019 European Youth Games programme - News - IBSA". www.ibsasport.org. Archived from the original on 2018-11-20.
  6. "European Para Youth Games - Calendar - IBSA". www.ibsasport.org. Archived from the original on 2018-11-19.
  7. "European Winter Para Sports Event, Poland, 2020" (PDF). Europaralympic.org. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  8. "GAMES & EVENTS". Europaralympic.org. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  9. "INVITATION" (PDF). Europaralympic.org. Retrieved 29 July 2022.