Two representatives from the NPCs of Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan will attend training sessions this week in Astana as part of the Organisational Capacity Programme (OCP).

The workshop comes after representatives from the NPCs met in February in Almaty.

Set up in 2012, the Agitos Foundation aims to develop Para-sport so that it can help improve lives around the world.

The OCP is designed to strengthen NPCs in areas such as governance, marketing and athlete development.

It will also enable them to "strengthen athlete development and diversify funding streams".

Every NPC nominated a programme lead, who will be responsible for delivering national workshops over a two-year period.

The workshop began yesterday (May 23) and will conclude on Friday (May 26).

Attendees will learn how to improve facilitation skills with support from the IPC Academy educators before planning national OCP implementation.

After the workshop, the programme leads will take what they have learned to conduct three national workshops within 18 months.

“The NPC of Kazakhstan has also shown great support and collaboration with the Agitos Foundation in getting the workshop going," said IPC President Sir Philip Craven.

"I am confident all participants will take back to their home nations useful knowledge and skills that will benefit the Movement in the long-run.”

They are the fifth group of countries to benefit from the OCP since it began in February 2014.

So far over 1,000 people from 39 countries all around the world have been involved.