Their 10-strong team, which is support by a network of volunteers across the world, were crowned as the winners at the 10th anniversary of the awards, which attracted over 1,400 entries.

Deutsche Telekom, Schroders, World Economic Forum and SAB Miller were also on the shortlist for the honour.

The IPC asserted that they took the global awareness of the Paralympic Movement to new levels this year, with Rio 2016 seeing record global media coverage.

They also cited the three major crises which needed to be tackled by their Bonn-based media team in the build-up to and during the Games.

The impact of the first McLaren report's allegations of state sponsored doping in Russia and the subsequent suspension of the country’s Paralympic Committee, was viewed as the first major challenge.

Russia's suspension ultimately saw them miss out on competing at the Paralympic Games.

Tackling the financial issues of Rio 2016 and the death of Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad on penultimate day of the Games were the two other key challenges.

"To be recognised by our industry peers as the best in-house PR team in Europe is a stunning achievement and testament not just to the media team’s efforts but the overall work of the IPC," said Craig Spence, IPC’s media and communications director.

"We have enjoyed an extremely busy and productive 2016 and it is nice to finish such a roller coaster year with two awards.

"The team award does not just recognise the Bonn based team, it also celebrates the fantastic work of the volunteers who give up their own time to support us in our day-to-day activities.

"Without their commitment, especially during major events such as Rio 2016, we would not be able to do what we do."

The IPC also highlighted their sharp rise in visitors to their website, with over seven million people having reportedly visited over the past year.

This represented more than double the number of visitors in the IPC’s previous best year, while digital activities were also found to have reached more than 1.8 billion people.

Spence was also honoured on the evening, picking up the PR Professional of the Year Award.

"In the media and communications team we are in a very privileged position," he said.

"It’s our job to tell the amazing stories and achievements of Para athletes.

"By showcasing their abilities to the world, we are contributing to a more inclusive society for all, and it does not get more satisfying than that."