The Windsor Auditorium last night played host to a talk from the President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Sir Philip Craven MBE, told the audience of his marathon journey from the newly founded Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball team to the very top of a global sports federation.

Craven started his address with a short description of what he had learnt from a decade as the figure- head of the Paralympic movement. He suggested that effective leadership is about “staying true to your vision and values and driving positive change”. Such leadership, it has been noted, has transformed the Paralympics from a modest competition for a handful of injured ex-servicemen, to the worldwide sporting phenomenon that it is today.

Sir Philip proceeded in regaling the audience with stories about a 1966 accident that left him unable to walk. The IPC President described how wheelchair basketball became a vital part of the recovery process. Sir Philip told how this eventually lead to his participation in five Paralympic Games.

The audience then learnt of how Craven began to switch his career focus from sportsman to sports administrator. He described how in 1988, he was elected Chairperson of Wheelchair Basketball in the IPC’s predecessor organisation. This, he suggested, prompted a chain of events that lead to his election to the top job in disability sport in 2001.

Craven concluded by speaking passionately about the IPC’s global strategic plan leading up to the 2012 London Paralympic Games and beyond. Crucially, Sir Philip stressed to all the importance of the Paralympics in challenging perceptions of disability around the world. He provided an example of the reaction of the Chinese Government after the 2008 Games in Beijing. The IPC President described how they said that “before the games, we saw disabled people as disabled, now we see them purely as athletes”.

Closing remarks were then made by Chris Solly, Director of the World Academy of Sport who thanked Sir Philip for his speech. The speech was organised as part of the celebration of Royal Holloway’s status as the Rowing and Canoe Sprint Village at the 2012 Games.

For more information, visit www.paralympic.org.