The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have recently signed an extension to their current agreement, which sees the IOC support the IPC and the Paralympic Games.
The current Cooperation Agreement, which was signed in June 2006 and runs through 2016, will be extended to the 2018 and 2020 Games, continuing the practice of “one bid, one city.”
In addition to renewing the Cooperation Agreement, the IOC and IPC have signed a new partnership whereby the IOC and IPC have identified new IOC programs and activities that the IPC could participate in, including International Sports Federation (IF) development, IOC Olympic Solidarity, and Transfer of Knowledge. The parties also agreed to discuss other areas and projects of mutual interest and collaboration, such as further commercial cooperation and to explore the benefits of a closer cooperation on the Games planning and delivery functions. The agreement will also lead to an increase in funding from the IOC to the IPC.
“The IOC and the IPC have had a long and strong relationship and it is with great pleasure that that we are able to extend this agreement with the IPC and ensure that the Olympic and Paralympic Games continue to be held in the same host cities until 2020,” said IOC President Jacques Rogge, in an IPC press release.
Sir Philip Craven, MBE, IPC president, agreed. “These two agreements are excellent news for the Paralympic Movement as we, and our members, can continue our growth secure in the knowledge that our Games will benefit from using the same venues, infrastructure, and levels of detailed planning as the Olympic Games. We are grateful to the IOC for their continued and growing support.”
