Members of three of the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) Standing Committees gathered in Bad Honnef, Germany, last weekend (16-17 May), for the first time since their new membership was announced in early 2015.

Following the IPC Governing Board in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in February, the Women in Sport, Development and Education Committees had the chance to meet together to talk about how their agendas align as well as individually to discuss their own priorities.

The Women in Sport Committee continues to advocate for gender balance across the Paralympic Movement in athlete participation, coaching and leadership, as well as prevention of sexual harassment in sport. Progress in the pioneering WoMentoring programme was discussed, which has paired mentors and mentees together with the aim of empowering female leaders across the Paralympic Movement.

The Development Committee looked extensively at the athlete development pathway and how programmes can be shaped and tailored to recruit, retain, enhance performance of para athletes and their further contribution to improve para-sport and to bridge the gap between developing and developed NPCs.

The Education Committee aims to raise awareness amongst young people about inclusion through the Paralympic values and para-sport as well as strengthening athlete education. A major step towards this is the 2015 trial of Proud Paralympian – an education programme for athletes which aims to support para-athletes to be the best that they can be, living the Paralympic values, both on and off the field of play.

Another major part of the meetings was to introduce new members to the landscape of the Paralympic Movement, in particular to the relationships between the IPC and its development arm, the Agitos Foundation, and the IPC Academy.

There are various projects currently ongoing that concern all three Committees, such as the Agitos Foundation’s Grant Support Programme, now entering its third year, and its Organisational Capacity Programme, which aims to train and support National Paralympic Committees in a variety of areas.

In addition, the Paralympic School Day, Proud Paralympian and WoMentoring all have synergies between the three Committees.

Over the next month, the Committees will immerse themselves in all areas of work so they can help to shape the strategies for the coming years.