International Paralympic Committee (IPC)

The International Paralympic Committee was founded 22 September 1989 in Dusseldorf, replacing an earlier 1982 coordinating body, with Canadian Robert Steadward as its first President. As of January 2026 it comprises 187 National Paralympic Committees, three international disability sport organizations, five regions and eighteen international federations. In 2001 it signed a one bid, one city agreement with the IOC tying Paralympic host selection to the Olympic host. It suspended athletes with intellectual disabilities in 2001 after finding 69 percent of medalists in that category lacked correct disability verification, suspended the Russian Paralympic Committee in 2016 over non-compliance with its anti-doping code, and declined entries from Russia and Belarus for the 2022 Beijing Paralympics.