PARALYMPIC ARCHIVE

 

The IPC Documentation Centre in Bonn, Germany, was established as a resource for the IPC management team as well as external scholars conducting research on the Paralympic Movement. The Documentation Centre offers insights into the IPC, the Paralympic Games and world and regional championships in various Paralympic sports.

It consists of:

Archives & collections
It contains hard copy and electronic records of everything from administrative documents, press clippings and maps to torches and medals from previous competitions. The photo collection currently contains more than 60,000 digital images, in addition to 1,000 photographs and slides.

Library
Currently comprised of about 1,000 books, 105 periodicals and numerous flyers, brochures and leaflets that discuss everything from the history of Paralympic Sport and the Paralympic Games to medical science and sport sociology.

Objectives
Organisations, companies and individuals worldwide can benefit from the IPC Documentation Centre materials which feature many items and showcase the history of the Paralympic Movement. Recorded information is the lifeblood of an organisation. Records and items reflect the organisation’s activities, decisions and overall development. Through our archives and historical records, the IPC will be able to better promote knowledge of the global Paralympic and sporting phenomenon for now and future generations. The IPC is following the Universal Declaration on Archives endorsed by the United Nations as a powerful statement of the relevance of archives in modern society which emphasises its key role in administrative transparency and the preservation of collective social memory.

Research facilities
Researchers who are interested in conducting studies on the Paralympic Movement and who would therefore like to consult materials kept in the IPC Documentation Centre are asked to contact the IPC.

Call for donations
In order to enhance our inventories we would like to encourage you to donate or lend the IPC any personal items collected from previous Paralympic Games which illustrate the history and development of the Paralympic Movement. We are particularly interested in materials from the early Paralympic Games.
These may include:
- Personal notations
- Certificates and awards
- Photographs and footage
- Media coverage of an event and of your participation
- Books, brochures, flyers and posters
- Medals, pins, flags, merchandising items etc.

The idea of creating a permanent International Paralympic Museum and Heritage Centre or a Paralympic Museum has been discussed and hopes to be achieved in the near future.

The Information and Records Co-ordinator would be glad to support you at any time. For further information please contact the IPC Documentation Centre at [email protected].