The Asian Paralympic Council was established on 30 October 2002 in Busan, Republic of Korea, following a motion presented by NPC Malaysia at the 1999 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) General Assembly. It consisted originally of three sub-regions (East Asia, South Asia and South-East Asia), under the leadership of Dato Zainal Abu Zarin from Malaysia.

In 2004, in order to align with the structure followed by the International Olympic Committee, the IPC decided that the Central Asia and West Asia sub-regions would also fall under the Council’s responsibility.

In 2006, the Asian Paralympic Council became the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC), with a President now directly elected by the APC General Assembly.

In 2010, Guangzhou, China, successfully hosted the first Asian Para Games. During the General Assemblyheld at these Games, Dato Zainal Abu Zarin was re-elected as President of the APC.

The 2014 Asian Para Games took place in Incheon, Republic of Korea, and the General Assembly saw the election of a new President, Mr. Majid Rashed from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

As a result of intense brain storming sessions at the Membership Gathering with its member nations in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in 2015, the APC has devised a Strategic Plan with a renewed vision and a fresh set of goals until 2018.