By James Crook

151435767April 11 - Six Balkan National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) have met in the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica to discuss ways to develop the Paralympic Movement in the region.


The key aims for the meeting were to find ways of further developing their organisation and athlete performances through the collaboration of the NPCs in the region.

Over two days of discussions, the NPCs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Romania and Slovenia decided to focus upon two key issues: improving coaching for sports such as athletics, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, shooting and goalball by organising sport-specific clinics, and improving the performance of young athletes under the age of 25 by organising sport-specific camps to accompany the clinics.

"It was great to see that one of our youngest and smallest NPCs, Montenegro taking the initiative to have this meeting and they have shown their organising capabilities and their great hospitality," said IPC Governing Board member Rita van Driel.

"From the beginning the participants made it clear that it was good to meet and to talk, but that they really wanted to take actions."

Each NPC present will now organise a sport-specific camp for a sport in which they have the required facilities to host in their country, with the first taking place in Romania; a wheelchair basketball camp which will run in Cluj this July.

"After the very positive work I would like to thank everyone for sharing good experiences, knowledge and the will to work together for the better development of Paralympic sport in our region," said Ilia Lalov, President of the Bulgaria NPC.

Mustafa Demir, President of Bosnia and Herzogovina NPC said: "It was very good to share thoughts and experience and I'm very satisfied that we have concrete steps now,"

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