The European Paralympic Committee (EPC) is proud to join the European Olympic Committees EU Office (EOC EU Office) as a partner.
The EOC is the umbrella body for Europe’s 50 National Olympic Committees and works to spread the Olympic values and inspiring sport and healthy lifestyles across Europe. Thanks to the EU Office of the EOC, the organisation defends the interests of Olympic sport organisations at EU level and has built strong connections with EU policy-makers.
The EPC is the twin organisation of the EOC for Para sport, as it represents 55 sport organisations (46 National Paralympic Committees and 8 International Organisations and Federations) and aims at supporting the development of para sport in Europe and defending the interest of European athletes with disabilities.
Raymon Blondel and Jose Manuel Araujo, member of the EOC Executive Committee, made the partnership official at the 2024 EU Sport Forum in Liege, Belgium.
The EOC EU Office is very proud to open new perspectives and committed to helping EPC achieve its specific goals, while offering its expertise and network on topics common to all sport organisations. Despite being a relatively young organisation (founded in 1991), the EPC has undergone steady development and is already active at European level through numerous successful EU-funded projects. Being a partner of the EOC EU Office brings the EPC access to an experienced team who can provide expert advice on EU matters, with particular attention to funding opportunities, sport governance, and EU legislation related to sport.
EPC President Raymon Blondel commented; “The EPC is striving for a better representation of Para sport in Europe. We are very enthusiastic about this partnership with the EOC EU Office, as this offers new development opportunities for the EPC. This will help us break barriers, change perceptions on Para sport and bring the Paralympic movement in Europe to a new level”.
EOC President Spyros Capralos said; “We are very happy to welcome the European Paralympic Committee as a partner of the EOC EU Office. Links between the Olympic and Paralympic movement are continuously increasing, and this partnership is a perfect illustration of this. Working with the EPC will be very beneficial to the EOC EU Office as well as its partner National Olympic Committees and federations.”
EOC EU Office Director Folker Hellmund concluded; “EPC is already active at European level and working with our team will strengthen its positioning towards EU institutions while enhancing links with other sport organisations. We are very proud to start working with the EPC and to take up their specific fields of interest into our daily work”.