The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced the winners of the Paralympic Awards 2009, which honor those who contribute directly to the Paralympic Games and the Paralympic Movement.
The winners were selected by three awards committees, composed of members of the Paralympic movement and specialists in the relevant areas. According to the IPC, all award recipients will be presented with a handmade trophy, designed and crafted by Italian design company GDE Bertoni, at a gala dinner during the 2009 IPC General Assembly, to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on November 22.
Paralympic Sport Awards
The Paralympic Sport Awards 2009 were awarded in five categories, based on performance at the Beijing 2009 Paralympic Games:
- Best Male Athlete: Matthew Cowdery (Australia), swimming
- Best Female Athlete: Chantal Petitclerc (Canada), athletics
- Best Team Performance: Australian men’s wheelchair basketball team
- Best Games Debut: Sophie Pascoe (New Zealand), swimming
- Exemplary Games Official: Wang Xinxian (China), chef de mission
Paralympic Media Awards
The Paralympic Media Awards 2009 honor members of the media who presented the highest quality and most dynamic coverage of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, in four categories:
- Broadcast: ABC TV (Australia)
- Written (Print/Online): The Sunday Telegraph (Great Britain)
- Radio: BBC Radio (Great Britain)
- Photo: Damir Sencar (Croatia)
Paralympic Scientific Award
The Paralympic Scientific Award 2009 recognized one outstanding contributor (academic or scientific) for research in the field of sport for persons with a disability.
- Paralympic Scientific Award 2009: Gudrun Doll-Tepper, PhD (Germany)
For more information visit www.paralympic.org
