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Asian Paralympic CommitteeP.O.Box: 38483 Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

4th APC General Assembly Minutes

28 & 29 November 2016Bangkok, Thailand

Asian Paralympic CommitteeP.O.Box: 38483 Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

APC Executive Board membersAttendance Name Position InitialsAll sessions Mr. Majid Rashed President (MR)All sessions Mr. Masayuki Mizuno Vice-President (MM)All sessions Mr. Rajesh Tomar Vice-President (RT)All sessions Prof. Dr. Faisal Abdullah Vice-President (PDF)All sessions Dr. Tetsuo Suyama Chairperson Medical & Sports Science

Committee(DTS)

28 November only

Mr. Ho-Gyoung You Chairperson Athletes Committee (HGY)

All sessions Mr. Manabu Aso Chairperson Games Liaison Committee (AM)All sessions Ms. Anisa Alhooti Chairperson Women in Sport Committee (AA)All sessions Mr. Imran Shami South Asia representative (IS)All sessions Mr. Michael Barredo South-East Asia representative (MB)Absent with excuse

Mr. Umid Akhmatdjanov Central Asia representative (UA)

Absent with excuse

Ms. Zhao Su-jing East Asia representative (ZSJ)

All sessions Mr. Abdulrazak Banirasheed West Asia representative (AB)All sessions Mr. Tarek Souei CEO (TS)

SpeakersAgenda item

Name Organisation Initials

5.1 & 5.2 Mrs. Puan Sri Saraswathy Devi Nadchitrum

Messrs. N. Saraswathy Devi (PSN)

5.1 & 5.2 Mrs. Rajee Alagendra Messrs. N. Saraswathy Devi (RA)7.1 Mr. Kim Ki Hong Pyeong-Chang 2018 Organising

Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

(KKH)

7.2 Dr. Bayu Rahadian Sport Youth Affairs for the Ministry of Indonesia

(DBR)

Member nations

4th APC General AssemblyMinutes 2

1 Afghanistan – absent on 28 November afternoon2 Bahrain3 Cambodia4 People's Republic of China5 Hong-Kong, China6 India7 Indonesia8 Islamic Republic of Iran9 Iraq10 Japan11 Jordan12 Kazakhstan – only 28 November morning13 Republic of Korea14 Kuwait15 Lao People's Democratic Republic16 Lebanon17 Macao, China18 Malaysia19 Myanmar20 Oman21 Pakistan22 Democratic People's Republic of Korea23 Philippines24 Qatar25 Saudi Arabia26 Singapore27 Chinese Taipei28 Thailand29 Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste30 United Arab Emirates31 Uzbekistan – absent on 28 November afternoon32 Vietnam


Event: 4th APC General AssemblyDate: 28 & 29 November 2016Place: Millennium Hilton Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand

Agenda

Monday 28 November 2016 9:00 – 10:00 1. Welcome and opening

1.1 President’s opening remarks1.2 Roll call1.3 Appointment of scrutineers1.4 Adoption of the agenda

2. Minutes of the previous General Assembly2.1 Adoption of the minutes of the 3rd APC General Assembly, Abu Dhabi, UAE2.2 Matters arising from the minutes

10:00 – 10:30 Coffee break

10:30 – 12:00 3. APC Handbook3.1 Constitution3.2 Membership fee policy

12:00 – 13:30 Lunch break

13:30 – 14:15 4. Biennial report

14:15 – 16:00 5. Finances5.1 Report financial year 20135.2 Report financial year 20145.3 Report financial year 20155.4 Financial update budget 20165.5 Budget 2017 – 2018


16:00 Adjournment

Tuesday 29 November 2016 9:00 – 10:00 6. Motions submitted by APC members

10:00 – 10:30 Coffee break

10:30 – 12:00 7. Organising committees’ presentations7.1 Pyeong-Chang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games7.2 Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games7.3 Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

12:15 8. Closing


Summary

1 Welcome and openingo Meeting called to order at 9:15am by APC President Mr. Majid Rashed.o Mr. Majid Rashed welcomes all delegates and observers to the 4th Asian Paralympic

Committee (APC) General Assembly (GA) and thanks them for travelling to Bangkok for this meeting and/or for the surrounding meetings (Executive Board meeting, Standing Committees meetings, Asian Awards Gala Dinner). On behalf of the APC, (MR) thanks the National Paralympic Committee of Thailand for their support in organising this full week, and offer his condolences for the passing of the King of Thailand in October.

o (MR) affirms the will of APC to continue doing more to grow the Para movement in the region and in the world. The APC Strategic plan was one of the first big challenges emanating from the Membership Gathering organised in 2015, and it was launched in December 2015 at the ASEAN para games in Singapore. The vision of the APC is to show the real performances of and give opportunities to our athletes to create their own pathways and increase their results and visibility. We need to secure media, sponsors etc. main targets for future. (MR) thanks the members of the EB for their positive role and action during the last two years. He re-affirms that ‘together we are stronger’, even though there are a lot of challenges in each of the five sub-regions, we are ready to depart and achieve our goals, we are ready to make our dreams come true with the support of all our nations. (MR) wishes all a wonderful stay in Bangkok and success for the GA. He concludes by reminding everyone that the next 3 editions of the Paralympic Games will take place in Asia: the APC will be ready to take advantage of the opportunities brought by this exposure.

o Mr. Andrew Parsons (AP), IPC Vice-President, attending the APC GA as a guest representing the IPC President Sir Philip Craven, addressed the Assembly to welcome all participants to the GA and outline the importance of a strong Asian region for the Paralympic movement given that the next three Games will take place there.

1.1 Roll call

Discussion o (TS) conducted the roll call. The presence is noted as detailed in the first page of the minutes. 32 NPCs present out of 42, means that the quorum of one third of the members is met and the meeting can proceed.

o (TS) introduced the scrutineers supervising the GA proceedings: Mr. Andy Yeo from Singapore (joined by Mr. Hussein Al-Lami on 28 afternoon and 29 November). A Legal & Ethics Committee (LEC) was established earlier this year by the APC and both Mr. Yeo and Mr. Al-Lami are members of the LEC, under the leadership of (PDF).

Motion o NoneAction(s) None


1.2 Adoption of agenda

Discussion o The tentative agenda and schedule have been distributed to the membership by e-mail prior to the meeting.

Motion o (TS): to adopt the agenda for the 4th APC General Assembly.o NPC Hong-Kong moves the motiono NPC Cambodia seconds the motiono The motion carries.

Action(s) None

2 Consent Agenda2.1 Adoption of the Minutes of the 3rd APC General Assembly, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Discussion o The minutes of the 3rd APC General Assembly have been shared with the membership by e-mail prior to the meeting.

o (TS) explains that they have not been signed by the previous APC Board, but that they have been endorsed, and asks if there are any questions from the membership.

Motion o (TS): to adopt the minutes of the 3rd APC General Assembly.o NPC United Arab Emirates moves the motiono NPC Hong-Kong seconds the motiono The motion carries.

Action(s) None

2.2 Matters arising from the minutes

Discussion o (TS): those of you present at the 3rd GA remember that there were a few issues raised in that GA and (MR) will say a few words on the outcome and follow-up.

o (MR): since 2014 we have been working hard on the handover with the previous Secretariat. We went to Kuala Lumpur three times after the 3rd GA to catch up with the Secretary General and the President and to collect the documents but that was not successful, given the fact that both of them disappeared after the GA in Abu Dhabi. We did not get much reports, financial documents or minutes of meetings to continue the work that they had already started. The APC EB therefore decided to carry on and transfer the issue to a lawyer to follow-up. The lawyer’s report will be presented later during the GA for the members to have full transparency on the actions.

o (TS): following the 3rd GA in Abu Dhabi, some financial pending payments from the previous President were supposed to be settled in March 2015, however to this day we are still expecting it. We are also missing the financial reports from 2013 & 2014 –


this is mostly why we have transferred the matter to be handled by lawyers and they are going to report on this.

o (TS): following the elections, the new APC EB decided to move the APC headquarters from Kuala Lumpur to the United Arab Emirates, and would like to express their thanks to NPC UAE for their considerable support until this day in terms of logistics (storage area) and human resources to facilitate the transition.

o (TS) opens the floor to questions from the membership.

o NPC Hong-Kong: what is the situation with the Chairman of the Sport & Development (S&D) Committee?

o (TS): Mr. Billy Lee from Malaysia was elected in 2014 as the S&D Committee Chairperson. Shortly after, we received a letter from NPC Malaysia explaining that a judgment from the Malaysian Court had declared that his nomination and election were not legitimate because he was not properly nominated by NPC Malaysia and he should not have been in the list of candidates. The GA was misled by false information, even if we are not sure where it came from. After careful consideration of the case, the APC EB decided to remove him from the position.

o (TS): on a separate note, Mr. Billy Lee was one of the directors of the APC, registered in Malaysia as private company. Currently both the company and Mr. Billy Lee are subject to a legal case in front of the Malaysian courts.

o NPC Cambodia: what is the final decision from the APC EB with regards to the handover? When will the new face of the APC take over and forget about the situation?

o (MR): we have a GA every 2 years to share transparency in all matters and issues including administrative and financial topics. After 2014, the new EB was very patient and urged the APC to be friendly with the previous APC Secretariat. We found out during our first visit to Kuala Lumpur that the previous APC Secretariat was not ready to do the handover and after we tried a few times, we realized that a friendly approach would not work. It is the right of the NPCs to know the situation and where the money is – whatever belongs to the APC belongs to the NPCs and they need to know and agree on everything. After our second trip to Kuala Lumpur, the door was closed to us. The APC EB realised that we would not have answers we wanted for our GA. This is why we went to a team of lawyers, we explained the situation to them and asked for a clear report to our GA. The report will be presented later, it includes a financial report and a status on the legal claim. At the same time, the APC Management team continues doing their job, fulfilling our strategic plan and supporting our NPCs.


o NPC Indonesia: the APC is already registered in Malaysia. We understood that the new APC wanted to register in the UAE – what is the status? What is the status of having a permanent secretariat in Abu Dhabi or Dubai?

o (MR): APC was registered as a private company in Malaysia. In the UAE we applied for registration as an NGO, and we are in the final stage of registering now – it took more time than we thought because the Government had to investigate the situation and what happened with the previous APC administration. We could not provide them with much information/documents, hence the delays.

o (MR): for the headquarters, we are getting the support of both the UAE Government and the UAE NPC. Thanks again to Mr. AlHameli who provided offices for the APC staff currently based in Abu Dhabi, and another office in Sharjah to deal with sponsorship programmes and marketing opportunities.

o (TS): both offices in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah belong to NPC UAE. The physical headquarters of the APC are not yet there, but we have been promised by the UAE government that we will have it soon.

o NPC UAE: we will try our best to support. To clarify the point raised by NPC Indonesia: registering the APC as a private company will not be possible in the UAE, it has to be as an NGO. There is no intention to take the same step that has been taken by the previous management of APC. The APC should be independent from any local laws because it is an international organization.


3 APC Handbook 3.1 APC Constitution

Discussion o (TS) reminds that the previous handbook was adopted in 2005.o (TS): the new APC EB decided it was time to adjust it based on

the growth of the Paralympic movement in the last decade and the international requirements. The draft Constitution and the related motion have been circulated to the membership prior to the meeting. Minor amendments were made during the EB meeting in Bangkok, and hard copies of the new motion have been handed out to all members.

o (TS) reads out the motion and explains the changes about


section 5 (APC membership) and section 6 (APC Executive Board).

o NPC Hong-Kong: it is a good move to change the current Handbook. We also have APC by-laws, will they be changed as well?

o (TS): some of them have already been prepared and approved by the EB. The Constitution goes through the GA, but the by-laws go through the EB and are shared with the membership when approved. The next by-law to be worked on as a priority in the one describing the membership requirements.

o NPC Pakistan: NPC Malaysia had registered the APC as a company. Is that a violation of the provision of the IPC/APC law and if so are there any precautions in the Constitution to prevent that?

o (TS): we follow the provisions of IPC but we will try to research this question.

o NPC Pakistan: will the head office in Abu Dhabi be permanent? The Constitution is a permanent document, and it mentions Abu Dhabi as the headquarters, so what happens in two years’ time? Can we amend the Constitution to ‘no fixed headquarters’ or ‘provisionally based in the UAE’?

o (MR)/(TS): if we look at the IPC example, the headquarters are in Germany and it is working.

o (MB): there is a difference between ‘domicile’ and ‘headquarters’ – the domicile can be in any country and stay there, but the headquarters can change.

o NPC Korea: we agree on the extension of membership, but regional sports federation should be composed by organizations recognized at the national level. For instance, if the Korea shooting federation is a member of the Asia shooting federation then Korea shooting federation should be member of NPC.

o (TS): correct, but this is not what is being discussed here – national federations are dealt with at another level. We are talking about regional federations here who need to go through the list of requirements to obtain APC membership. These membership requirements will be drafted in the next months.

o NPC Hong-Kong request for clarification: are we voting on the motion adopt this Constitution or shall we ask all our questions first? In section 4 for example, what is the quorum 50%+1? We have lots of questions about the document, shall we ask them before we vote?

o (TS): yes, but the Constitution has been sent in advance to all members for review.

o NPC Hong-Kong: 50%+1 is not clear, it would be better to put the number of nations to explain better what the quorum means.


o NPC Pakistan: suggestion to include in the Finances section to consider creating a permanent fund or trust.

o (TS) with regards to NPC Hong-Kong’s question: first part of APC GA composition shows that the minimum quorum is 50%+1, and the second part says ‘regardless of the number’. The second part will be reworded to ‘if a minimum of 1/3rd of the members with voting rights are present’.

o NPC India agrees that it should not be less than one third.o NPC Bahrain: to enable the GA to go on a quorum of 1/3rd shall

be possible.o NPC Hong-Kong: the last paragraph of the motion form

received says that the sub-regions will become full members, so they have to pay membership fees. How are you going to take care of this in the sub-regions where there are no federations? Where is the money from?

o (TS): this will be part of the by-laws and membership requirements that will be devised.

o NPC Hong-Kong: at the moment, the NPCs do not have to pay a fee to the sub-region so how is the sub-region going to get money to pay the APC?

o (TS): this will have to be decided by each sub-region, they will have their own requirements and resources.

o NPC Hong-Kong: once again, the re-draft of the Constitution is very positive but if the sub-regions become legal entities they have to have a structure.

o (MR): the sub-regions must be active and they are not recognized by the IPC, they are the responsibility of the APC. The sub-regions need official recognition by APC and the next step is to define the by-laws in the next months to ensure that sub-regions are organized and structured and follow rules. Some sub-regions already exist like APSF or West Asia, they are doing activities already but they are not officially recognized or approved and we want to formalize this process.

o NPC Hong-Kong: in the last sentence of the motion, it says the membership requirements will be defined. Does it refer to the last 3 categories of members only? Not to NPCs?

o (TS): yes, it does.o NPC Singapore: the sub-regions are already comprised of NPC–

what is the rationale of giving the sub-region a vote in the APC EB? Isn’t there a double vote if the sub-region can vote?

o (TS): we are following the IPC format where the regions can vote in addition to the NPCs. The sub-region as a whole (i.e., as a federation if they exist) would vote.

o NPC Cambodia: the motion is good but following what has been said by NPC Hong-Kong and Singapore, the APC should be clear on what a sub-region is, just to make sure that one or two


countries cannot create sub-regions on their own. We need clear requirements.

o (TS): we already have the five sub-regions identified, they are aligned with the sub-regions of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), i.e., South Asia, South-East Asia, West Asia, Central Asia and East Asia. There cannot be more.

o NPC India: what is stopping the APC to recognize 5 more sub-regions later?

o (MR): we follow OCA so at the moment there is no plan to add any other sub-region. If things change in the future, this could be considered, but this will have to go through the membership anyway during the General Assembly, because new members will have to be endorsed by the GA.NPC India: the membership requirements are still to be developed. The motion cannot be voted on if the membership requirements are not developed.

o (TS): the membership by-laws need to be approved by the EB, not by the GA as it is an administrative matter. The vote here is about the new Constitution and its changes.

o NPC Oman: can you clarify the categories: regional IOSDs and non-para sport federations?

o (TS): at the international level, there are four IOSDs: INAS, IBSA, CPISRA, IWAS. Some of them have representation at the Asian level, and if the regional bodies want to become members of APC, they can. The non-para sport federations are for other sports like ten-pin bowling, chess, etc. which are not on the Paralympic programme but they can become members of APC if they wish.

Motion o (TS): first vote = on the amendment decided by the EB on 25 November.

o 86% in favor of amendment, 14% against. APPROVED.

o (TS): adopt the motion proposed by the APC EB to adopt the new Constitution.

o 93%: yes, 3% approved, 3% abstention. APPROVED.Action(s) Reword section 4 – APC General Assembly from: ‘The APC

General Assembly is the official gathering of the APC members. It shall be competent to pass a resolution if at least 50% plus one (+1) of the members with voting rights are present. Should the number not be reached, a new assembly may be called which shall be competent to make decisions regardless of the number of members present.’ to ‘The APC General Assembly is the official gathering of the APC members. It shall be competent to pass a resolution if at least 50% plus one (+1) of the members with voting rights are present. Should the number not be reached, a new assembly may be called which shall be competent to make


decisions if a minimum of 1/3rd of the members with voting rights are present. Should the number not be reached, a new assembly may be called which shall be competent to make decisions regardless of the number of members present.’ before publication.

3.2 APC Membership Fee policy

Discussion o (TS) presents the membership fee motion circulated to all members by e-mail prior to the GA, and asks for any comment before vote.

o No comment. Proceed to vote.Motion o 81% yes, 13% no, 6% abstention. APPROVED.Action(s) Membership fee policy will be published on APC website and will be

applicable membership fees 2017 & 2018.

4 Biennial reportDiscussion o Diffusion of a highlights video summarizing the past two years.

o (MR) presented the key points of the biennial report that was shared with the membership by e-mail prior to the meeting:

Focus on strong organization, strong HQ with professional staff. Increase partnerships with various international organizations but

also with NPCs so it is beneficial for everybody. Professional competitions structure in Asia and clear pathway.

Increase competition opportunities of athletes in different parts of Asia + classifiers, coaches, administrators.

Asian para Games concept and management. Clear media plan to increase awareness of Paralympic movement

in the region in a sustainable way.

o (TS) takes over only to emphasize a couple of points: Challenging handover process but details already communicated

before and lawyers will also present their report. Positive meeting with OCA early 2015, communication

unfortunately has stopped now but this is independent to relationships between OCA and APC (it is actually due to internal problems in Kuwait affecting the OCA President personally).

The APC EB started from scratch with the management team – introduction of staff.

o (TS) asks if there are any comments from the membership.

o NPC UAE: not a question but wanted to say thanks to the APC EB and management team to have taken over from scratch, it is a very difficult heritage which deserve thanks and we wish you all the best.


o (MR): thank you, it is the responsibility of all of us here today, we are all working together and we will continue to do our best.


5 Finances5.1 Report financial year 2013

Discussion o (TS) introduces the lawyers’ firm working for the APC and the two lawyers who are here to report.

o (MR): as already mentioned, we are missing the financial reports from 2013 & 2014. The APC nominated the lawyers to get things going to finalise the handover because we could not get the reports, we tried in a nice way but it did not work so we had to start legal action.

o (PSN): we met with the former APC President Dato Zainal in May 2015 to ask for all documents and he promised to give them within a month, but we did not receive anything. It is necessary to litigate in this matter to get all documents and reports and finalise the handover. We are of the process of pursuing this matter in the courts of Kuala Lumpur.

o NPC India: why cannot we file a police complain? A legal litigation takes too much time. The new APC EB can get a statement from the bank.

o (PNS): the amount to be recovered is MYR 270,000: it is not a small matter and litigation is the only way to get it.

o (MR): decision in the EB meeting held in Bangkok to officially appoint the lawyers as our representatives and to formally report to the police and to initiate the litigation. We will do both at the same time, and it should not take more than 9 months. There will be one civil and one criminal case, we are confident that the lawyer is doing the right thing because she has lots of experience.

o NPC Cambodia: can you just clarify what the next step is and what the time frame is?

o (PSN): following discussions at the EB meeting, we have sent a retainer to the APC management – once it is signed the proceedings can start.

o (MR): according to information from lawyers, we understand that in a maximum of 9 months from now the case will be closed. The money and documents belong to us, APC and NPCs, so we wanted to inform you but we need focus in the positive things


and the actions that are being implemented by the APC. We will keep the GA updated about any development in the next months.

o (TS): thank you very much to the lawyers for their commitment and for having worked with us until now without charging any fees.


5.2 Report financial year 2014

Discussion o This topic was grouped together with 5.1 and the presentation from the lawyers.


5.3 Report financial year 2015

Discussion o (TS): the APC bank account in HSBC was shut off in 2014 due to suspicious transactions –the Central Bank of Malaysia needed an explanation as to why the APC was removing the amount from Kuala Lumpur to transfer it to Abu Dhabi. It was a long process until the cheque was transferred from HSBC bank in Kuala Lumpur to the new APC account in the UAE, but we finally received the amount of USD 800,637.

o (TS): revenues from 2015 were mostly from the membership fees and support in cash from NPC UAE.

o (TS): expenses were linked to bills and claims from the previous APC Secretariat, related to Games, suppliers etc. we had to pay many of them. The biggest invoice was for the IPC services provided at Incheon 2014 Asian Para Games.

o (TS): clarification that the financial reports for 2015 are only available from when the cheque was transferred to Abu Dhabi, and we could follow-up. Before that we could not get the reports and this is why they are missing. We are still missing MYR270,000 from Dato Zainal, he promised during the 2014 GA that he would return them by March 2015 and he has not, as the lawyer said.

o (TS) excuses the auditor who worked on these reports, he had another commitment and was not able to travel to Bangkok.

o (TS): the marketing programme from the 2014 Asian Para Games was very poor – we were expecting some money from it that we did not get. Incheon LOC sent a report without any contribution from marketing. Precision that the contribution from UAE NPC is not only cash, it is also in-kind (human resources or office used for free).


o (TS): reports for 2013/2014 will be shared when available and if we ever get them. Financial report for 2016 will also be shared when ready.

Motion o (TS): proceed to vote to accept financial report for 2015.o 85.7%, 0% no, 14.3% abstention.o Financial report for 2015 approved by GA.

Action(s) None.

5.4 Financial update budget 2016

Discussion o (TS) explains the figures in the report shared with the membership by e-mail prior to the meeting. Revenue is mostly coming from the support we get from NPC UAE.

o USD 2million are to be paid by INAPGOC in 3 instalments: the first one was supposed to be in August 2016, the second one in August 2017 and third one after the Games. The first instalment is still pending but it is expected before the end of the year (administrative and government procedures to be released). The APC is covering all the expenses for this GA – unfortunately the host city/nation was not able to contribute. We tried to reduce the costs as much as possible, but it was a commitment of the APC EB to have the GA happen so we did our best.

o NPC Indonesia: the Ministry of Finance will pay the first instalment by 10th December but it cannot be made directly to the account of APC because payment cannot be made in another currency than local currency. The amount will therefore be paid to NPC Indonesia and NPC Indonesia will transfer the full amount to the APC. Thank you to the the APC for the flexibility.

o (TS): thanks NPC Malaysia who have been very supportive of us and our proceedings in the past years.

Motion o None.Action(s) None.

5.5 Budget 2017 – 2018

Discussion o (TS): slight increase compared to 2015 due to hiring more APC staff and the organization/preparation of the Paralympic Games – this includes contribution and support to NPCs to prepare and qualify for the Games (participation in CdM seminar and/or competitions, etc.)

o (MR): we are waiting for a proposal from the UAE Government to have a sustainable fund for our headquarters and for the APC every year. The Government has promised to support the initiatives and programmes of the APC, and to come back with their approval by the end of the year. We will then be able to plan better and have sustainable funds. We are working to develop sponsorship and marketing programmes, but this will be a good


base to start with so we are looking forward to 2017/2018 with a stronger organization.

o (MR): clarification that receiving the support of the UAE government does not mean there will be interference from the Government with the management of the APC – it will just be in-kind (offices) and financial support to our initiative and the growth of the movement. Most of the funds will be used to hire staff, and the APC will remain an independent entity representing the NPCs. NPC UAE is a partner of the APC just like any other NPC in the region.

o NPC Korea: the total rights fee from the 2018 Asian Para Games is USD 2million?

o (TS): yes, to be paid in three settlements.o NPC Cambodia: thank you to NPC UAE and congratulations to

the APC for working hard to get government support.o NPC UAE: how come the second settlement from INAPGOC is not

included in the expected revenues for 2017?o (TS): it is not included in the document because the first one has

not even happen yet – this is a draft budget and will be refined later.

o (IS) informs the GA that the APC EB in their most recent meeting passed a resolution thanking the Government of UAE for their great support.

o NPC Bahrain: we are only approving the draft budget for 2017/2018, correct?

o (TS): yes.o NPC Hong-Kong: it is difficult to officially approve if it is not

complete, we do not have enough figures – it can only be approved in principle.

o (TS): yes, this is exactly what we are asking. Any changes will be distributed to the membership. This is in line with the transparency policy that we are committed to.

o NPC India: as there is no financial report for 2013 nor 2014, on what basis was the opening balance for 2015 made?

o (TS): it was based on the cheque from the previous bank that was frozen and then transferred to our account.

o (MR): there are still pending issues from the previous Board and we could not pay all debts yet. We filtered the most important and the most reliable one, this is why we paid the IPC first. Some of the invoices are shady and we are not going to pay them without any proof.

o (IS): we have to follow the procedures.o (TS): the debtors are unknown to us so far, apart from IPC for

Incheon. The Board appointed the lawyers to work on this and do it on our behalf so we can get everything. We are still waiting for


more clarification and we cannot provide it now, we need to wait for the lawyers’ feedback and the result of the Court cases.

Motion o Vote to approve estimate budget for 2017-2018 – it will be amended but just to make sure there is no problem with the figures proposed.

o 83.3% yes, 0% no, 16.7% abstentiono Draft budget approved.

Action(s) None.

6 Motions submitted by APC members6.1 Motion 1

Discussion o Motion 1 from Iran shared with the membership by e-mail prior to the GA – read out by (TS).

o NPC Islamic Republic of Iran: basically, we want that the APC clarifies the procedures for sub-regions, to strengthen the movement.

o NPC Pakistan: is the exact wording ready for the roles and responsibilities of the sub-regions?

o (MR): this has been discussed in item 3.1 already – the APC is committed to create the by-laws and rules for the sub-regions. The motion is actually matching the new Constitution that has been approved yesterday and what has been discussed with the sub-regions individually so we are all on the same page.

o (TS): is NPC Iran happy with the withdrawal of this motion has this has been approved yesterday?

o IRI: yesMotion o NoneAction(s) None

6.2 Motion 2

Discussion o Motion 2 from Iran shared with the membership by e-mail prior to the GA – read out by (TS).

o NPC Islamic Republic of Iran: in line with IPC and IOC agreement and with the APC/OCA one, we need clarification in our Constitution on how to interact/communicate with sport committees and sport federations at the national level. If we have something written in the APC Constitution, we can use it to replicate at the national level.

o NPC Malaysia: motions totally make sense – next step would be to formalize a committee to have a structured response.

o (MR): when the IOC had the agreement with IPC this is where the


agreement comes from. What we discussed with OCA is already based on that. There will be some kind of opportunity/agreement in the future and it will channel back to the NPCs. This will not be added in the Constitution but we encourage the NPCs and we will provide all documents with the membership so they can replicate at the national level.

o NPC India: there can be an advisory condition if there is not amendment to the Constitution.

o (TS): yesterday we spoke about the relationship between APC and OCA and the MoU to be signed. It is on OCA’s desk since last year and we are waiting to hear back from them. The MoU relates to this motion, it describes the relationship between NPCs and APC. Suggestion from Iran is completely valid and will be reflected in the MoU with OCA – policies instructed by the umbrella organization at the sub-regional level.

o NPC UAE: thank you to NPC Iran for the suggestion. What is the reason why this comment shall reach this stage? NPCs have to be in line with IPC rules. Are there any challenges faced that made you suggest this motion and that other NPCs shall be aware of?

o NPC Islamic Republic of Iran: we have co-operation with our NOC and we know some other NPCs also do – we want to help all NPCs in Asia to reach the same stage because it is fruitful.

o (MR): we will work on that for sure in collaboration with OCA.o (TS): we are ready to educate and inform OCA what our

expectations are and what our NPCs want.o (MB): we can take all the motions into considerations and we will

take them into account when we write up our agreements.o NPC Malaysia: agree with (MB)’s suggestion. Perhaps we need a

mechanism, suggest a formal workshop.o NPC Cambodia: vote or not vote is not important on this issue,

what we need to make sure of is that the APC Strategic plan is implemented.

o NPC Hong-Kong: each country has their own issues so until we see the MoU, we should leave it to each country to decide what they want to do.

o (MR) we are all happy with the goal of the motion because it asks for more partnerships to strengthen the NPCs and the movement but there are some specificities that need to be taken into account. It is a wise idea to wait until the MoU with OCA is signed and formalized to see how we move forward. If IRI agrees then we can do that.

o NPC Islamic Republic of Iran: agreedMotion o NoneAction(s) None


7 Organising Committees’ presentations7.1 PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games

Discussion o Presentation by Mr. Kim Ki Hong, Vice-President of Pyeong-Chang 2018 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

o (MR): thank you POCOG for presenting, we appreciate that you are here. There are lots of initiatives to support NPCs in the lead-up to the Games and the APC will be happy to be part of it.

o NPC Islamic Republic of Iran: in the previous editions of Paralympic Winter Games, we only had 4 NPCs from Asia – is there any programme to improve the participation?

o (KKH): we are and will host many workshops to educate and provide support for Ice-Sledge Hockey and Wheelchair Curling with Agitos Foundation. We are also discussing with the IPC for by-partite invitations to have more Asian nations.

7.2 Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games

Discussion o Dr. Bayu Rahadian, Deputy Assistant for Sport Youth Affairs for the Ministry of Indonesia presents apologies for Deputy and Minister who are not present in Bangkok, and give a presentation regarding the Indonesia 2018 Asian Para Games.

o (MR): thank you for showing the details of the next Asian Para Games. APC will continue working together with you (EB & Management team).

o NPC Korea: thank you for the presentation and efforts. We are worried about the number of sports, which decreased by almost 30% compared to previous Games – is there any possibility to add more sports?

o (DBR): the host contract is already signed and has 17 sports. This was discussed with the APC EB members. We have had lots of requests to add sports but until now the Government has not given any green light for additional sports.

o (MR): during the discussions, we did our best to negotiate with the Indonesian authorities, but the number of sports was originally set at 15 and we added two more in a very challenging context, and now we can’t add more.

o (DBR): there will be more than 500 events but we have not finalized which events yet, because we have to wait for the TDs to be appointed and then they can confirm.

o NPC India: 6th to 20th October in the presentation, isn’t there a discrepancy as it should be 15 days in total and not 14?

o (MR): the dates will be reviewed because the ones mentioned in the presentation are not in accordance with the host city contract – update coming soon.


o (DBR): the shift of dates has to be approved by APC – initially the Opening Ceremony was supposed to be on 8th October, which falls on a Monday and the Minister said last week that Monday is not a good day for Opening Ceremony, it would be better at the weekend. An official letter will be written to APC.

o NPC Hong-Kong: compliments to the Indonesian Government, organising these Games is not an easy task. We need a very detailed plan. 17 sports are enough for Hong-Kong as we are a small country but the question is: were the sports listed on the presentation approved? Are they sanctioned by the IFs? Do we have a handbook for entries and if not when will it be published? We need it asap.

o (DBR): the handbook will be written with the guidance of APC and will be shared mid-2017. Not all sports will be sanctioned, most probably, like in Incheon. Sanctioning has direct financial implications in terms of preparing the venues and we have to consult with the Ministry of Finance. But until now no confirmation which sports will be sanctioned. Athletics, swimming and badminton shall be sanctioned.

o NPC Hong-Kong: we appreciate the financial constraints but we need to know well ahead of time which sports will be sanctioned or not. Entry process will be a long one so it needs to be decided in advance.

o (DBR): we will try to inform ASAP.o NPC Hong-Kong: can the APC set a timeframe to let all NPCs

know?o (MR): lack of communication from INAPGOC to APC: we are very

worried in the EB as well. We know they are working and they have issues with the local Government. After the GA, a group led by (AM) and member of APC staff will travel to Jakarta to work on a plan with the people on-site and the timeframe will be a priority. As soon as we have it, it will be shared.

o NPC Hong-Kong: we are not pushing for the sports being sanctioned, but the Asian Para Games should be a forum for upcoming athletes to have a chance to participate in a high-level competition. But we need to plan for those which will be.

o (TS): the Games Liaison Committee will travel to Jakarta to sit with INAPGOC to discuss all these matters. APC is pushing to have as many sports as possible sanctioned, we started communication with the IFs already. Qualification criteria and all are on stand by and process will be accelerated as soon as possible. Positive side to having 17 sports – investing on the quality of the games instead of the quantity. High number of participation, opportunity for grass roots for the following major events including Tokyo 2020.

o NPC Islamic Republic of Iran: suggestion to the Indonesian


Government to have the same number of sports than in Incheon.o (DBR): we cannot change the number of sports now. The

decision to host the Games did not come from bidding – there was a discussion with the previous APC Secretariat about bidding, if there was no other country who would bid to host the Games, then Indonesia would do it, but there would not be as many sports as the previous editions.

o NPC India: 3 sports are on the programme that are not on the Paralympic programme. We should concentrate on the sports that are on the Paralympic programme.

o (MR): in the history of the Asian Para Games, we always have 10 pin bowling and chess. We need to give the opportunity at the regional level to practice sports that are not on the Paralympic programme at a high level. Compared to the previous Games, Jakarta was not able to reach that level. Negotiations were very difficult but we now have an agreement and we need to work on that. For the next Asian Para Games we will work on it and make it better.

o NPC UAE: thanks to INAPGOC for the detailed presentation, we appreciate the limited resources from the Government. We know it is going to be different from the previous edition of the Games. We are very happy that our athletes will have a chance to get together again in Asia and compete at this level.

o NPC Korea: more opinions of NPCs should be reflected before choosing the number of sports because it impacts the athletes’ career. How many countries are playing chess in Asia region?

o (DBR): this comment is coming too late for this time as the number of sports have been already decided.

o (MR): for chess, we have 7 nations – in Incheon we had some sports for 4 countries only so it is valid to have chess for 7 nations.

o NPC Hong-Kong: this is not the format to discuss the sports – it has been decided already so we should not discuss now, we should seek to move forward.

o NPC Malaysia: we understand the challenge very well, Asian Para Games is a pinnacle event. SEA Games and ASEAN Games are held together so it is important to elevate the sports and have the Asian Para Games at the same place than the Asian Games.

o NPC Cambodia: we need to promote our identities – the APC logo is not in the INAPGOC presentation. How can we combine it to the Games logo to raise awareness of the APC? This is very important and this is our chance to be visible.

o (MR): we did ask the logo to be reviewed by APC before approval. There will be a new logo shortly.

o NPC China: suggestion about sanctioning of 17 sports – 2018 is


very close to 2020 so if some of the para sports are not sanctioned in 2018 that might reduce the number of athletes in Tokyo. If all the sports in the Asian Para Games could be sanctioned it would be great.

o (TS): negotiations are on with the IFs. We will follow the same path as in Incheon to fit the qualification period during our Games.

7.3 Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

Discussion o Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games was not able to send representative to the GA as they have the Rio 2016 debrief just now. (TS) presents a few slides and video on their behalf.

8 OtherDiscussion o (MR) opens the floor to general questions from the membership.

o NPC Korea: do we have any news about the 2017 Asian Youth Para Games?

o (MR): this was discussed by the EB. Bahrain was studying the possibility to host the Games but pulled out. The UAE are in the process of finalizing negotiations to host the Games at the end of 2017. Final confirmation shall be coming very early 2017, including number of sports.

o NPC Hong-Kong: this is a terrific news because we need to prepare the budget. Is the month already disclosed?

o (MR): it should be the second half of November 2017.o NPC Malaysia: we should push for the Games to be always

together at the same time as the Asian Games.o (MR): this matter was raised at the international level – we know

there are various issues on that but we are committed to support it. We encourage sub-regions to have more meetings among their countries and to address these challenges and work together and apply the same structures.

o NPC Hong-Kong: thank you to the APC leadership to carry the GA so smoothly. With regards to regional sports federations, there is still a tenpin bowling federation recognized by the last APC secretariat and we need clarification on that, as this is linked to qualification for the Asian Para Games, and NPCs need to know who will supervise the sport in the Asian Para Games.

o (MR): sensitive subject but we are working on it and we will clarify with the members when we ourselves have sufficient information.


o NPC Cambodia: appreciation to the leadership and EB on behalf of Cambodia thank you to everyone and to the other NPCs. Looking forward to further collaboration and solidarity.

o NPC UAE: thank you for transparency as well (cases from the previous EB). We will stand by you if any support required, either NPC UAE or personally. Youth Games: very keen in producing a good Games for our Youth in Asia and we are just waiting for some internal approval but the offer will please the EB and the membership hopefully.

o NPC Oman: first time at APC GA and it is a well-organized meeting and level of transparency is very high. APC is going to same level as OCA. Question regarding athletes’ committee: do all NPCs have athletes’ committee? What does APC do in terms of qualifying the trainers and the coaches, is there any specific programme?

o (MR): our strategic plan puts the emphasis on the athletes’ pathway and we have an Athletes’ Committee, elected during the Asian Para Games. We encourage our NPCs to follow the same structure. We will take this as a suggestion and we will see how we can advocate more for this. There are a lot of opportunities for classifiers: strong relationship with Agitos Foundation who has lots of programmes; Center of Excellence programme that we are implementing; IPC Academy has a wide range of programmes as well. The Paralympic Games will be in Asia for the next 3 editions: there will be lots of initiatives to educate the officials in the countries so you can choose. APC will be able to support you in identifying that.

o NPC Oman: we would like APC to have an internal body to deal with education of classifiers.

o (TS): at the moment, we have limited resources with 6 staff in the office, supported by the Standing Committees. The Sport & Development Committee met on 27 November and this topic was discussed, we will see how to proceed in the next months.

9 Closing(MR) announces the closing of the meeting after extending his thanks once again to everyone for coming and discussing very important issues. (MR) reminds the GA about the commitment that we made to ourselves in 2014:

‘Together we are stronger’: it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to serve the Paralympic movement, and this has nothing to do with a new leadership, it is a commitment to working all together. We will not spare any effort but the members need to support us as well so we can achieve more. Once again, we want to highlight that the sub-regions need to be very active, they are strong engines that need to be started.


Transparency: everything will be available for the members to see, to share, to discuss. We will be happy to hear from them and any questions they might, we are available to answer any time.

(MR) expresses his thanks once again to NPC Thailand for supporting the APC in hosting this meeting, to Andrew Parsons for taking the time to attend, to the rest of the IPC team and to the Agitos Foundation, as well as to other IFs and organising committees, and to the APC staff.

Minutes prepared by Claire Magras, APC Relations & Services Manager,Checked and confirmed by,

TAREK SOUEI MAJID RASHEDCEO President


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