Taipei City, Chinese Taipei, to host 20th IPC General Assembly in 2021

Organised by the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) of Chinese Taipei and held at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, the 2021 IPC General Assembly will have extra significance as elections for the IPC President and the IPC Governing Board will take place, while a vote on a new IPC constitution will also take place.

The General Assembly is the supreme authority of the IPC and meets every two years. It last met in October 2019 in Bonn, Germany, on the occasion of the IPC’s 30th anniversary. The last IPC Governing Board elections took place in 2017 when the event was staged in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The IPC Governing Board is elected by the IPC membership every four years at the IPC General Assembly, and is responsible for setting the policies and for ensuring that the directions set by the membership at the General Assembly are implemented. Composed of 12 elected members, plus the IPC CEO and Chairperson of the IPC Athletes’ Council, it meets at least three times a year and meetings are chaired by the President.

There will be an election for IPC President. Current IPC President Andrew Parsons has held office since 2017, when he succeeded Sir Philip Craven. Also up for the election will be the position of IPC Vice President and 10 members at large. An interim agenda, along with a call for nominations for candidates will be circulated this week.

Members also will be voting on the IPC’s new constitution, which follows several years of dialogue with members about the IPC’s governance review, entitled “Remaining Fit for Purpose”. As the title of the effort suggests, the purpose of this dialogue has been to ensure that the IPC remains a world leading sports organisation. The final version of the new constitution will be made available to members six-weeks prior to the General Assembly.

The IPC and NPC Chinese Taipei, in its capacity of host of the 2021 IPC General Assembly, will be providing the opportunity for members to participate in the General Assembly in person or remotely. The assembly sessions will be live streamed for members attending remotely, which will include a mechanism for members to cast their votes.

Mike Peters, IPC Chief Executive Officer, said: “After a robust and transparent bid process, that attracted several highly competitive bids, we are thrilled that Chinese Taipei will host the 20th IPC General Assembly and would like to congratulate NPC Chinese Taipei for their excellent bid.

“This is a landmark meeting, as in addition to members electing a new IPC Governing Board, they will be asked to approve a new IPC constitution, both of which will have an impact on the future direction of the Paralympic Movement and the athletes we all serve, as well as the one billion people on this planet who have a disability.

“It is fitting that the General Assembly is held in east Asia this year between the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. It also will be exciting for us to join in person as a Paralympic Movement once more.”

Dr Mu Ming-Chu, President of NPC Chinese Taipei, said: "We are thrilled and grateful for this opportunity to work with IPC in staging the 2021 IPC General Assembly. NPC Chinese Taipei is committed to providing a safe and pleasant environment for all delegates to attend this biennial event. We are confident in hosting a successful IPC General Assembly with a smooth election and a spectacular Awards ceremony. This year is going to be extraordinary and memorable. I look forward to welcoming all members of the IPC family to join us to have a wonderful time in Taipei City.”

Representatives from the IPC’s 201 members made up of NPCs, International Federations, Regional Organisations, and International Organisations of Sport for the Disabled can attend and vote.