Secretary General appointed to new Paralympic sports association

World Archery Secretary General Tom Dielen was elected board member of the new Association of Paralympic Sports Organisations, or APSO, at the General Assembly of the International Paralympic Committee in Abu Dhabi, UAE this week.

The body was formed to represent the interests of para sport federations.

“The Association of Paralympic Sports Organisations will ensure that the voice of sport remains central to the Paralympic Movement, that athletes remain the priority and that the Games continue to evolve as a positive force for inclusion and sporting excellence,” said Dielen.

World Archery is one of 17 independent Paralympic federations to join the new organisation, which will be chaired by Fédération Equestre Internationale Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez.

The other members of the inaugural board are International Wheelchair Basketball Federation Secretary General Maureen Orchard, International Blind Sports Association Secretary General Henk Van Aller and World Curling Secretary General Colin Grahamslaw.

World Archery assumed responsibility of para archery from the International Paralympic Committee in 2009.

Since completing the transition, the federation has worked with the IPC to modernise and standardise classification procedures, deliver two successful Paralympic Games in London and Rio, and promote growth of the international para archery tournament circuit.

Tom Dielen became World Archery Executive Director in 1996. He was director of WADA’s European office from 2002-2005, after which he rejoined the federation as Secretary General.

He has been a member of the Executive Committee of the International World Games Association since 2006, on the ASOIF Olympic and Multisport Games working group since 2012, the international federations’ representative to the WADA Compliance Review Committee since 2014, and is the chair of ASOIF’s Parasport working group.