By Ndey Sowe
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Senior Manager, Carolin Rickers, has concluded a three-day in-country support programme training for members of the Gambia National Paralympic Committee (GNPC) in a bid to enhance the capacity and to help improve the administrative approach to Para Sports development in The Gambia.
In a press briefing held at the Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) Olympic house, Bakau on Monday, 30th January, 2023, officials of the two institutions witnessed the closing ceremony of the three-day in-country support programme training by the IPC.
Speaking to the press, Mama Faal Kah, Admin Secretary at GNPC who doubled as the coordinator of the programme, described the event as important and that the IPC seeks to conduct assessment programme on the in-country support programme that the GNPC is implementing.
Madam Faal Kah also said the IPC operates in three folds; evaluation, grant implementation and strategic plan.
“We have done a three-working day intensive programme for in-country support. The National Paralympic Committee (NPC) is implementing a grant project on the NDP Programme so the IPC is here to assess the programmes and standards of the NPC to where we are now and where we project to be in the future,” Madam Faal Kah outlined.
Carolin Rickers, Senior Manager from the IPC, said the in-country support programme is organised by the IPC as a component of the National Paralympic Committees Development Programme, financed by the world-wide Paralympic partner of the IPC.
She said the in-country support is an initiative to work directly together with the National Paralympic Committees around the world, to understand their situation, working context, and to collect data for the NPC’s in order to support them in developing an action plan.
Carolin Rickers also said that she is so passionate about is what it means for a person with disability to have access to paralympic sport, which she believes can really change lives; make a huge difference for the person, their family members, and the society.
“We really hope that the whole of the Gambia supports the NPC to develop para athletes and to use para sport for an inclusive Gambia”, Carolin Rickers encouraged.
The Paralympic sports comprise all the sports contested in the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games. As of 2020, the Summer Paralympics included 22 sports and 539 medal events, and the Winter Paralympics include 5 sports and disciplines and about 80 events. The number and kinds of events may change from one Paralympic Games to another.
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities or intellectual impairments. This includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy.
Paralympic sports also refer to organised competitive sporting activities as part of the global Paralympic movement. These sports are organised and run under the supervision of the International Paralympic Committee and other international sports federations.
