Press Release

11 December 2001
Philip Craven Elected President of the International Paralympic Committee


Athens, Greece - Philip Craven of Great Britain was elected the new president of the International Paralympic Committee at the IPC General Assembly in Athens.

Craven served as the President of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation for the past twelve years. A former Paralympic athlete in the sports of wheelchair basketball and swimming himself, Craven has a thorough understanding of athletes' concerns.

"The IPC's main responsibility has to be the organization, protection and development of increasingly successful Summer and Winter Paralympic Games," said Craven after his election. "The Paralympic Games have not yet become a marketing and business circus. Our values really are the combination of genuine amateur ethics and high performance sport."

Craven succeeds Dr. Robert Steadward, who had presided over the organization since 1989. According to the IPC Constitution, officers can only be elected for a maximum of three terms of four years. Thus, Steadward's term could not be extended.

The newly elected Executive Committee of the IPC is comprised of the following members:

President: Mr. Philip Craven, Great Britain
Vice President Policy and Planning: Dr. York Chow, Hong Kong
Vice President Games Liaison: Mr. Francois Terranova, France
Vice President Marketing: Dr. Nabil Salem, Egypt
Technical Officer: Ms. Carol Mushett, USA
Medical Officer: Dr. Bjorn Hedman, Sweden
Treasurer: Mr. John Teunissen, The Netherlands
Secretary General: Mr. Miguel Sagarra, Spain
Chief Operating Officer: Mr. Thomas Reinecke, Germany

Athletes' Representative: Mr. Kjartan Haugen, Norway

Regional Representatives:
Africa Mr. Ali Harzallah, Tunisia
Americas Mr. Jose Luis Campo, Argentina
East Asia Dr. Yasuhiro Hatsuyama, Japan
Europe Dr. Bob Price, Great Britain
Middle East Dr. Abdulhakim Al-Matar, Saudi Arabia
South Pacific Mr. Greg Hartung, Australia

Summer Sports Representative: Mr. Fred Jansen, Netherlands
Winter Sports Representative: Mr. Jack Benedick, USA
CP-ISRA Representative: Dr. Colin Rains, Great Britain
IBSA Representative: Mr. Enrique Sanz, Spain
INAS-FID Representative: Mr. Jos Mulder, The Netherlands
ISMWSF Representative: Mr. Bob McCullough, Australia
ISOD Representative: Mr. Juan Palau Francas, Spain

Craven feels that one of his first actions as IPC President should be to heat up the existing warmth between the IPC and the IOC. "Sports is about fun, it is about athletes. We want to talk about athletes, not disability."

Former president Steadward extended his wishes: "Congratulations to Philip. I appreciate his commitment to the movement. What is more, he brings an athlete's perspective to the movement as well."

Craven, a five-time Paralympian (1972 to 1988) and IWBF technical delegate (1992 - 2000), said he cherishes the unique nature of the Paralympics and acknowledges the importance of his new position. "I recognize that the president is the leader of the team - and that this particular team is the most important in sport in the modern world."