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Seven Persons Receive Paralympic Order
Torino, Italy - The Paralympic Order is the highest award of the IPC and is given to persons who have made outstanding and long-lasting contributions to the Paralympic Movement, who have illustrated the Paralympic ideal through their action, who have achieved remarkable merit in the Paralympic sporting world, or have rendered outstanding services to the Paralympic cause. This year (2003) the IPC recognized seven individuals who have, during
their careers, helped to make sport for athletes with a disability
better, and have provided these athletes the opportunity to shine.
Yasuhiro Hatsuyama, from Japan, is a former IPC Executive member and
East Asia Representative. He has been involved in sport for athletes with
a disability for more than 30 years. In 1998, he was the Chief Co-ordinator
between the IPC and the Nagano Paralympic Organizing Committee.
Colin Rains, of Great Britain is the President of CP-ISRA and has
been since 1999. He was a member of the IPC Sports Assembly Executive
Committee of Athletics from 1991 to 1995 and the Chair of the CP-ISRA
Sport Advisory Group from 1984 to 1996. He was a British Paralympic
team coach from 1988 to 1999.
Hector Ramirez, from Argentina was an Executive Committee Member
of the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation,
has been President of the Pan American Wheelchair Sport Federation
since the organization was founded and is the President of the National
Paralympic Committee of Argentina.
Since 1984, Canadian Donald Royer has been President of the Quebecois
Wheelchair Sports Association. He is also the current President of
the Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association and Vice-President of the
Canadian Wheelchair Basketball Association. Mr. Royer is also a member
of the IPC Legal Committee. He served as President of the International
Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation from 1993 to 1997 and
contributed to the formation and operation of the IPC Sports Council.
Jean Stone from Great Britain has been involved with sport for athletes
with a disability for more than 40 years. Her international involvement
stemmed primarily from her past commitment on behalf of the British
Wheelchair
Sports Federation to the International Games. She is now the Secretary to the IPC Sports Council and is involved with the IPC Commission for Women in Sport. Ms. Stone acted as Technical Secretary for the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation from 1981 to 1988. In 1971 Carl Wang of Norway was elected Chairman of the Norwegian
Sports Organization for the Disabled. He has been involved in the
Paralympic Movement ever since. He has served as Vice-President of
the International
Handicap Sport Union, Chairman of the Executive Committee for the International Sport Organization for the Disabled (ISOD), the ISOD Representative for the IPC and President of the European Paralympic Committee. Xavier Gonzalez has been organizing Paralympic Games for more than
a decade. He has managed the organization for the Barcelona 1992,
Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Paralympic Summer Games, as well as the
Salt Lake 2002 Paralympic Winter Games. In Salt Lake City he served
as the Managing Director of Paralympics. He is currently working at
the IPC headquarters as the Paralympic Games Liaison Director and
interim COO. Miriam Wilkens IPC Media and Communication Director Tel: +49 228 209 7180 E-mail: Miriam.wilkens@paralympic.org Web: http://www.paralympic.org. Photos are available on request. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the international
governing body of sports for athletes with a disability. It supervises
and co-ordinates the Paralympic Summer and Winter Games and other
multi-disability competitions, of which the most important are World
and Regional Championships. The IPC also supports the recruitment
and development of athletes at a local, national and international
level across all performance levels.
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