BY ROMULUS HUTA
THE head of the Oceania Paralympic Committee (OPC) has congratulated Nihal Seneviratne upon his recent election as the new president of the Solomon Islands National Paralympic Committee (SINPC).
OPC President Paul Bird issued his congratulatory remarks when he met with Seneviratne at last weekend’s International Paralympic Committee Gathering held in Madrid, Spain.
Mr. Seneviratne attended the event onbehalf of SINPC and was accompanied by his organisation’s General Secretary Casper Pule.
The OPC president was delighted to see Solomon Islands join the Oceania delegation which includes representatives from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Vanuatu for the Madrid meeting.
Mr. Bird said that the big delegation is to ensure the Oceania Region had a strong voice at this key international event.
Mr Bird added: “This is a great start for representatives of the newly elected SINPC Board to engage and contribute on the international stage.
“Our focus in Oceania has been to develop and demonstrate effective governance of our NPC’s through an inclusive approach, which will lead to confidence in the organisation from Government, National Sports Federations and sponsors.
“I am delighted with the knowledge, experience and capability demonstrated by the newly elected executive of the SINPC and I’m confident that they will provide the effective leadership required to raise the standard and opportunity for Para Sport athletes in the Solomon Islands.”
Meanwhile, the Madrid 2018 IPC Membership Gathering brought together more than 200 representatives from National Paralympic Committees, Regional Organisations and International Sports Federations to discuss the future directions of the Paralympic Movement.
During three days of meetings and workshops, the newly elected President and Secretary General from SINPC had the opportunity to share their views and opinions on key areas that will form part of the next IPC Strategic Plan due to be published in 2019.
Mr Seneviratne and Mr Pule are due back in the country on Wednesday.
