GERMANY – RUSSIA – BRAZIL – The International Paralympic Committee (IPC), which has worked with DB Schenker since the Athens Games in 2004, has once again appointed the German headquartered freight forwarding group to manage the logistics for the four year period across Sochi 2014 (February 7 to 23) and Rio de Janeiro 2016 (August 5 to 21) Paralympic Games as well as other key IPC events. The IPC was founded in 1989 and is based in Bonn and is charged with taking forward the work begun in 1944 by neurologist and neurosurgeon, Professor Ludwig Guttmann when he founded the spinal cord specialist unit at the UK’s Stoke Mandeville hospital. After founding the International Stoke-Mandeville games for people with injuries of the locomotor system, the events morphed into their present form from the Rome Games of 1960.
The IPC is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement and co-ordinates the organisation of both the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and serves as the International Federation for nine sports, for which it supervises and manages the World Championships and other competitions. Events at the forthcoming 2014 Winter Games will include Alpine Skiing, Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Ice Sledge Hockey and Wheelchair Curling. Heiner Murmann, Member of the Board of Management, responsible for Air and Ocean Freight, Schenker AG, commented:
“We are pleased to develop further the relationship with the IPC, as their Official Logistics Supplier. We are committed to provide logistics concepts, support and services at all times, ensuring that the IPC will always fulfil its strategic priorities. While thousands of athletes are already training hard for the Paralympic Games in Sochi 2014, our logistics preparations are also in full swing, making sure that the IPC will reach their goals.”
Having fellow a nearby German operation organising both the freight forwarding and customs clearance requirements of the past events seems to have suited the IPC and Xavier Gonzalez, the organisation’s Chief Executive Officer, remarked:
“We are pleased to have DB Schenker further develop the logistics service offering to the IPC and our NPC’s. Consistent quality logistics services continue to be a major planning and operational requirement across our events.”
Photo: Ice Sledge Hockey in full swing. Courtesy of the IPC.
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