President of the International Paralympic Committee works with the Vietnam Paralympic Committee

The President of the International Paralympic Committee (fourth from left) was pleased to receive the welcome from the leaders of the Vietnam Paralympic Committee.

At the meeting, Chairman Huynh Vinh Ai gave an overview of the situation of sports for people with disabilities in Vietnam. Mr. Huynh Vinh Ai emphasized that the country currently has more than 6 million people with disabilities, accounting for about 6.11% of the population, many of whom have post-war consequences.

Sports are identified as an important environment to help people with disabilities improve their health, improve their courage, confidently integrate into the community and affirm their self-worth. In that context, the Vietnam Disabled Sports Organization was established to accompany and support this vulnerable group.

The Vietnam Paralympic Committee, formerly the Vietnam Sports Association for the Disabled, was established in 1995. After nearly 30 years of development, the sports movement for the disabled has been present in 45/63 provinces and cities, with about 33-35 localities regularly sending athletes to participate in national competitions. Each year, more than 1,300 athletes compete and more than 25,000 people with disabilities participate in sports training.

In the field of high-performance sports, Vietnamese disabled athletes have made their mark at many Southeast Asian and Asian Games and especially the three recent Paralympics. Typically, at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, the Vietnamese delegation won 1 gold medal, 1 silver medal and 2 bronze medals, ranking 55/162 countries and territories - the highest achievement in the history of Vietnamese disabled sports.

The reception took place on the morning of May 15, in Hanoi.

Also during the meeting, Chairman Huynh Vinh Ai pointed out the remaining difficulties and proposed many recommendations to the IPC such as supporting facilities, sports equipment, operating costs of the Committee, supporting projects to promote the Paralympic movement, creating conditions for athletes to compete internationally towards the 2028 Paralympics in the US, and enhancing professional training for the team of doctors classifying injuries.

In response, IPC President Andrew Parsons expressed his honor in his first visit to Vietnam and highly appreciated the efforts to develop para-sports here. “Currently, about 15% of the world’s population is disabled. We always aim to support member organizations like Vietnam to promote sports activities, helping people with disabilities integrate into the community. Through today’s meeting, I have a better understanding of the difficulties of para-sports in Vietnam and pledge to make every effort to support through specialized channels,” Mr. Parsons affirmed.

Regarding specific proposals, the IPC President said that support for movement projects should be through the representative in charge of the Asia-Pacific region. As for the work of classifying injuries - a complex task - Vietnam can completely proactively implement it domestically after receiving proper training.

At the end of the meeting, Chairman Huynh Vinh Ai expressed his emotion at the IPC's interest and hoped that this visit would create a foundation for deeper cooperation in the future, contributing to promoting the development of the sports movement for people with disabilities in Vietnam.

According to the schedule, in the afternoon of the same day, IPC Chairman Andrew Parsons will have a courtesy visit to the leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/chu-tich-uy-ban-paralympic-quoc-te-lam-viec-voi-uy-ban-paralympic-viet-nam-20250515152752158.htm