The celebration of these two milestones in the history of IPC took place at the World Conference Centre in Bonn, Germany. Official speeches of welcome were given by Federal Minister of the Interior Dr. Wolfgang Schaeuble, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General on Sport for Development and Peace Wilfried Lemke, International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice President Dr. Thomas Bach, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Lord Mayor of Bonn Baerbel Dieckmann and IPC President Sir Philip Craven.

More than 350 guests, personalities from the world of sport, economics and politics, as well as members of the Paralympic Movement, attended the celebrations.

IPC President Sir Philip Craven, on hand to welcome the many guests, said that the gathering reflects positively on the countless achievements over the last two decades. “I am very happy to see so many familiar faces here today. This is a chance to recognize the growth of both the organization and the Paralympic Movement,” Sir Philip said. “Whether we look to the development of the Paralympic Games or Paralympic Sport in general, the global audience has become more aware about athletes with a disability. This has always been our aim, and will continue to inspire us further.”

The full programme also included panel discussions on themes such as “The Paralympic Movement – A History of Change” and “The Paralympic Games – From Challenger to Frontrunner”. The first discussion was led by Mr. Lemke and addressed the topic “Paralympic Sport – A catalyst for the implementation of the UN Convention on Rights for Persons with a Disability”. Further panellists included Deputy Secretary General of the National Paralympic Committee of China Guozhong Zhang, President and CEO of the Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee Dmitry Chernyshenko, former IPC President Dr. Robert D. Steadward, and former IPC Athletes’ Council Chairperson Ljiljana Ljubisic.

The second round of discussions, led by the Chairman of the London 2012 Organizing Committee Lord Sebastian Coe, addressed the topic “The London 2012 Paralympic Games Approach”. Those taking part included IPC President Sir Philip Craven, IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Gilbert Felli, Head of ABC TV Sport and Events Justin Holdforth, Chief Marketing Officer Otto Bock Healthcare Dr. Helmut Pfuhl, and British Paralympian Danielle Brown. They discussed the future of the Paralympic Movement and debated its challenges and opportunities.

The evening was closed with an official dinner of the Paralympic Family celebrating the reunion of friends and companions, providing the opportunity to reminisce about the past and look ahead to future endeavours.