Andrew George William Parsons (; born 10 February 1977) is a Brazilian sports administrator and journalist. He is the current president of the

International Paralympic Committee The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; ) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nin ...

(IPC). In 2018, Parsons became a member of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

(IOC).

Biography

Parsons was born in Brazil to

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

parents. He served as chairperson of the

Brazilian Paralympic Committee The Brazilian Paralympic Committee (BPC; – CPB) is the private, non-profit organization representing Brazilian Paralympic athletes in the Paralympic Games and the Parapan American Games. It is the governing body of Brazilian Paralympic sp ...

from 2009 to 2017, chairperson of the Americas Paralympic Committee from 2005 to 2009, and as a member of the Nominating Committee for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.. He is the current president of the

since 8 September 2017. Parsons took over from Sir

Philip Craven Sir Philip Lee Craven (born 4 July 1950) is an English sports administrator, former Paralympic wheelchair basketball player, swimmer and track and field athlete. Between 2001 and 2017 he was the second president of the International Para ...

, who had been in office since 2001, after being elected in the first round in the election held during the 18th assembly of IPC in Abu Dhabi. Parsons himself does not have a

disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, d ...

, a fact that, he says, takes some observers by surprise. While attending the

opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly constructed location or the start of an event.

for the 2022 Winter Paralympics, Parsons declared his horror at the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

and called on world authorities to promote peace. While addressing the spectators and athletes in attendance at Beijing, in China's

Bird Nest A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and Avian incubation, incubates its Bird egg, eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structures built by animals, structure made by the bird itself—such as th ...

, Parsons stated that “Tonight, I want, I must begin with a message of peace” and that "As the leader of an organization with inclusion at its core, where diversity is celebrated and differences embraced, I am horrified at what is taking place in the world right now.”

Distinctions

Commander of the

Order of Rio Branco Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...

* Diploma of Fair Play, awarded by the

International Fair Play Committee The International Fair Play Committee (), abbreviated as the CIFP or the IFPC, is a not for profit international non-governmental organisation which serves to foster sportsmanship in international competition. It presents awards annually at the ...

during the

2004 Summer Paralympics The 2004 Summer Paralympics (), the 12th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Athens, Greece, from 17 to 28 September ...

. *

Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (2025)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Andrew 1977 births Living people Brazilian journalists Brazilian International Olympic Committee members Presidents of the International Paralympic Committee Brazilian International Paralympic Committee members Brazilian people of Scottish descent Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun