New IPC campus in Bonn: A milestone for inclusion and sport!

New IPC campus in Bonn: A milestone for inclusion and sport!

On June 24, 2025, the time had finally come: the new IPC campus in Bonn was ceremonially opened, setting a striking accent for the Paralympic movement in Germany. Andreas Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), spoke of a “milestone” for the organization and emphasized the importance of this development. The campus, which is housed in the former state representation of North Rhine-Westphalia at the federal level, is a symbol of a strong commitment to inclusion and accessibility.

The investment of around 42 million euros in the project was not too much for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst praised the efforts to create a barrier-free environment and emphasized that NRW is ideally prepared to host future Olympic and Paralympic Games. “We are ready to organize events at the highest level and sustainably,” says Wüst.

A campus for inclusion

The innovations of the IPC campus are impressive: a completely barrier-free auditorium with 170 seats, 157 barrier-free workstations and numerous amenities such as automatic doors and tactile guidance systems for people with visual impairments. Particularly noteworthy is the first indoor navigation via smartphone app in Germany, which makes access to the premises much easier.

Wüst also emphasized that after the renovation work, the building is one of the most office barrier-free in all of Germany. The opening celebrations were attended by over 280 guests who were able to celebrate the progress and vision of the IPC for the coming years.

The Paralympics in focus

A look at the Paralympic movement shows the rapid development in recent years. At the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, athletes competed in 22 sports, including novel competitions such as boccia and goalball. Andrew Parsons said the Paralympics reinforced the focus on inclusion and showed how important sport can be for people with disabilities.

With regard to the last games, Parsons also mentioned the record numbers: over two million tickets were sold and more than 549 medals were distributed - a new record. This shows how public awareness of disability sport has increased significantly over the last two decades, supported by media exposure and investment in infrastructure.

Regardless of whether you are an athlete or a spectator – the Paralympics and now also the IPC campus will help to sustainably promote awareness of accessibility and the potential of people with disabilities. A nice step towards an open and inclusive society!

For further information on the details of the opening and the vision of the IPC, please visit the website of Deutschlandfunk, Sports show and Deutschlandfunk culture over.