The Japanese Paralympic Committee (JPC) has been named “International Sports Organisation of the Year” by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, whose focus for 2018 was youth empowerment.

It was recognised for its successful implementation of the Agitos Foundation’s I’mPOSSIBLE education programme to schoolchildren across the country ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

“This enriches the Paralympic values and enhances the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) aspirations to make the society more inclusive for people with impairment through sport,” stated the Board of Trustees of the "MBR Creative Sports Award".

The prestigious awards, created 10 years ago by HE Sheikh Mohammed, are given to athletes, officials and organisations who have demonstrated dedication and creativity in the field of Arab and international sport.

The 2018 Award Ceremony will take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on 9 January 2019. Other winners include Egyptian football star Mohamed Salah, and the United World Wrestling Federation.

Morocco’s Para taekwondo fighter Abdel Nour Al-Fadini and UAE’s Para cyclist Ahmed Mubarak Al Mutaiwee will also be recognised for their performances throughout this season.

I’mPOSSIBLE is an education programme developed by the Agitos Foundation, the IPC´s development arm, to spread the Paralympic values and the vision of the Paralympic Movement to young people throughout the world.

Through education of inclusion and the Paralympic values, I’mPOSSIBLE aims to challenge and change the perceptions of how young people perceive people with an impairment, thus bringing about a more inclusive society.

The programme offers teaching resources, lessons plans, worksheets and inspirational videos to teachers and learners, targeting children aged between 6-8 years and 9-12 years.

Its materials feature information on different Para sports and the inspirational achievements of Para athletes that showcase their abilities. I’mPOSSIBLE was launched globally in December 2017 and has since impacted thousands of schools and students across Japan and the world.

Japan was the first country to pilot a version in early 2017, in the build up to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and so far about 15 per cent of elementary schools have used the programme.