Gizem Girismen shortlisted for re-election to IPC Athletes’ Council

Thirty-four-year old Gizem Girismen was among six athletes elected at the London Paralympics in September 2012 as members of the International Paralympic Committee’s Athletes’ Council, to serve for four years. She is now running for election to a second four-year term.

At the age of 11 in 1992, Gizem was paralysed following a traffic accident. She started archery in 2004.

After two years of practice and national competition experience, she won bronze at the 2006 European Para Championships, her first international tournament.

She followed with the Cheongju 2007 World Archery Para Championships individual title, a World Champion status she doubled two years later in Nymburk, Czeck Republic.

Gizem was 2008 Paralympic Champion in the Recurve Women W1/W2 category, and she was the flag bearer for her nation at the London 2012 Opening Ceremony.

The IPC Athletes’ Council is made up of nine athletes in total, which includes six summer athletes and three winter athletes. As the liaison between IPC decision-makers and Paralympic athletes, the Athletes’ Council works to provide effective input into decision-making at all levels of the organisation.

To this end, the Council works to ensure effective athlete representation on all IPC committees and commissions as well as to create other opportunities for athlete representation both within and outside the IPC.

Elections for the six new summer sport representatives on the Athletes’ Council will take place between 5 and 16 September, in the Proud Paralympian area of the Athletes’ Dining Hall in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Village.

All candidates are active Paralympic athletes. This means he or she must compete in the current edition of the Paralympic Games at which the election is taking place, or have competed in either of the previous two editions of the Paralympic Games (Beijing 2008 and London 2012).