The third iteration of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletes’ Forum, which will be held in Icheon, Republic of Korea from June 25–27, 2023 and be hosted by the Korea Paralympic Committee (KPC), will have participation from the UAE. Mohammed Fadhil Al Hamli, Chairman of the United Arab Emirates Paralympics Committee, and member of the IPC, and Majid Al Usaimi, President of the Asian Paralympic Committee, will represent the UAE in the event. The three-day event will bring together representatives from across the Paralympic Movement to present and discuss topics that are relevant to the athletes’ community, including the recently published IPC Strategic Plan for the 2023-2026 cycle, the new IPC Constitution and its impact on athlete representation.
Over 100 delegates are expected at the Forum, and to ensure broad representation and promote diversity, the IPC has implemented a Solidarity Programme to support athlete representatives from 32 eligible NPCs to attend the 2023 IPC Athletes’ Forum.
The Forum will have a strong focus on key topics that affect all athletes, such as the Paralympic Games, classification, anti-doping, athlete well-being, and the advancement of the Paralympic Movement.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the last in-person IPC Athletes’ Forum took place in November 2019 at the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Training Centre in Colorado Springs. Before that, the inaugural Forum was held in Duisburg, Germany in 2017. The IPC Athletes’ Forum, according to its organisers, is a fantastic platform for athletes from around the Paralympic Movement to exchange best practises.