The Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) Conference and General Assembly took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 25 to 28 with around 150 delegates from 39 member nations gathering to chart plans and initiatives for the region’s Paralympic Movement for the next three years.
The two-day conference was followed by the APC General Assembly and elections, where delegates elected the APC’s new Board of Executives for the 2023-2027 term.
The APC Conference, opened by APC President Majid Rashed, included several topics highlighting APC’s vision and mission. The keynote address was delivered by His Highness Prince Fahad bin Jalawi Alsaud, Vice President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee who welcomed everyone to Riyadh and expressed his NPC’s honour in hosting this prestigious event.
In his opening remarks, President Majid Rashed thanked the hosts, NPC Saudi Arabia and said; “We are conducting very important business over the next four days and you have provided us with the best setting for this. Coming shortly after the spectacular Hangzhou Asian Para Games, which raised the bar for the Asian Para Games, this Conference and General Assembly will also set a new standard.
“And it is important that we keep improving. In Hangzhou, we saw the improvement on and off the field of play and we know that our region is improving performances at the Paralympic Games. We have heard about the progress we have made in the APCs Strategic Plan and how we are also benchmarking and measuring our performances. It is vital that we keep on raising the bar and doing everything we can to support our athletes. “
International Paralympic Committee CEO Michael Peters and representatives from various International Federations including Wheelchair Basketball Federation, World Taekwondo, World Ability Sport, World Wheelchair Rugby, International Canoe Federation, and the International Blind Sport Federation and attended the event.
The APC Strategic Plan was reviewed during the opening day of the Conference, and the progress of NPCs at the regional and Paralympic Games was also highlighted by the Games and Sport Development Committee.
The attendees also had a chance to see the success stories of the National Paralympic Committee of Bangladesh, the Maldives and Uzbekistan – the organisers for the next Asian Youth Para Games.
The organisers of past Games including Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games and Bahrain 2021 Asian Youth Para Games also shared the legacy of these Games and the positive changes the Games has brought in their countries.
The second day of the Conference included several facilitated workshops to support the development of the APC’s next strategic plan and presentations on opportunities within Asia by World Para Ice Hockey, Union Cycliste Internationale, World Wheelchair Rugby and World Amputee Football Federation.
After the two-day Conference, the General Assembly met and approved the financial reports and budget. They also voted to increase the number of Vice Presidents from two to four and add two further Member at Large Executive Board positions. These changes will come into effect at the next Executive Board Elections in 2027.
The Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games organising committee presented a Post Games report in the Assembly, while the Future Games organisers including Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Tashkent 2025 Asian Youth Para Games and Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games presented their report showing their readiness to host the upcoming Games.
After the meeting concluded, the delegates attended the Opening Ceremony of the Saudi Games.
