The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has trained its 250th ‘Local Leader’ during a course held in Cambodia. The programme began in December 2025 with the aim of training 200 people in 50 countries, a target that has already been exceeded.
These leaders are trained to help National Paralympic Committees develop para sport in their countries. The course includes an online session, three days of in-person workshops, case studies and strategic planning, and each participant contributes to a two-year action plan focused on grassroots participation and sustainable athlete pathways.
The first training took place in Madagascar, with four participants; the one in Cambodia had eight, among them Song Sokleap, the 250th leader. The secretary-general of the Cambodian Paralympic committee said the aim is to get a qualified athlete to the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games.
The programme is part of the Sport for Mobility initiative, funded by the Toyota Mobility Foundation. In July, Botswana hosted the first Para Sport Festival under this model, bringing together more than 165 participants with disabilities and some 60 coaches and community leaders.
