NIPPON FOUNDATION PARA SPORTS SUPPORT CENTER MAKES IPC DONATION TO SUPPORT CLASSIFICATION EDUCATION

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has received a donation of nearly EUR 40,000 from the Tokyo-based Nippon Foundation Para Sports Support Center to support the production of classification education resources.

Over the past few years, as part of its commitment to improving the understanding of classification within the Paralympic Movement, the IPC launched and continued developing an online Classification Fundamentals Course featuring high-quality illustrations of athletes and officials from various Paralympic sports. Targeting primarily classifiers, athletes, coaches, officials and support staff within the Paralympic Movement, the course was developed in response to feedback from IPC member organisations calling for an introductory classification resource.

Now, courtesy of the donation from the Nippon Foundation Para Sports Support Center, the IPC is to create additional classification education resources to ensure even greater quality of the material produced, including illustrations representing athletes across different sport classes, specific impairments and other resources.

Dr Mike Peters PLY, IPC Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are tremendously grateful to the Nippon Foundation Para Sports Support Center for its continued support of IPC initiatives.

“As an organisation we are committed to improving the understanding of classification across all stakeholders and this donation helps us build on the strong foundations that were established in 2023 when the Classification Fundamentals Course was launched.

“Having a greater range of high-quality illustrations that highlight the diversity of athletes and sports within the Paralympic Movement will add a whole new dimension to our classification education initiatives.”

Yasushi Yamawaki, Chairman of the Nippon Foundation Para Sports Support Center, said: “Since its establishment in 2015, the Nippon Foundation Para Sports Support Center has contributed to the development of the Paralympic Movement in Japan and around the world through ongoing engagement with the IPC. We are pleased to make this donation to the IPC classification education programme, with a view to enhancing the understanding of classification within the Paralympic Movement. We are committed to continuing our efforts to create a diverse, inclusive and equitable society through sports.”

This is not the first time the Nippon Foundation Para Sports Support Center has supported the IPC.

Ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, the two organisations partnered to develop “I’mPOSSIBLE”, an educational programme aimed at promoting youth participation and inclusion through Para sport. Launched in 2017, “I’mPOSSIBLE” is now a cornerstone of Paralympic education in Japan creating a lasting shift in societal attitudes and perceptions towards disability. Such has been its success that the programme has been rolled out by the IPC in more than 40 countries.

In 2018, Japanese musicians Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Shingo Katori donated JPY 7.8 million to the IPC through the Nippon Foundation Para Sports Support Center from the proceeds of their Para sport charity song “Ameagari no Step”. The donation was used to support the global distribution of Paralympic educational materials.

In 2023, Japanese musician and artist Shingo Katori donated JPY 39 million to the Nippon Foundation Para Sports Support Center after selling 10,000 limited Non-Fungible Token (NFT) for the “Shingo Katori NFT Art Charity Project”. JPY 24 million was used to support the promotion of Para sports in Japan, while the remaining JPY 15 million was donated to the IPC through the Nippon Foundation Para Sports Support Center to support the creation of a new athlete internship programme designed to help Para athletes make the transition from an athletic career to a professional career.

The IPC and Nippon Foundation Para Sports Support Center continue to explore future initiatives.