In order to support the global acceptance of the Paralympic Movement the IPC works together with national Paralympic organizing committees, called ‘National Paralympic Committees’. In Germany, the NPC is represented by the DBS (the ‘Deutscher Behindertensportverband’). It is a democratic sports association which not only sends out the German team to the Paralympic Games but also takes care of a wide range of events, e.g. the German Championships.
Mr. Karl Hermann Haack – President of the German National Paralympic Committee
The mission and the vision of the DBS are to use sports as a part of rehabilitation and to enable all persons with a disability to participate in sports and society regardless of their disability.
The DBS offers three main areas of sport for people with disabilities:
- Rehabilitation sport, which is defined as an additional activity within rehabilitation work – mainly exercises and regular training-sessions with professional therapists for persons with a disability.
- Popular sport, which is comparable to able-bodied popular sports. The focus is on fun and enjoyment of sports, combined with the social side effects of popular sports.
- Professional sport, with the aim to achieve personal sporting excellence. The DBS supports athletes on their way to the Paralympics Games but also in other world-class sporting competitions to help them compete on an international level.
One of the programs in the field of professional sport is the German Top Team, which gives German athletes special support during their preparations for the Paralympic Games.
The DBS as organization provides its members the opportunity to link with each other - bringing together the rehabilitation athletes, the popular athletes as well as the professional athletes by uniting them through true team spirit.