Posted on Monday 13th December, 2021
  • Paralympian #96 Duane Kale has been re-elected as Vice President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
  • Kale was re-elected by a landslide majority, with 154 of 159 votes.
  • The International Paralympic Committee is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement.
  • Kale won six medals for New Zealand, four of them gold, in Para swimming at the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games.

Paralympian #96 Duane Kale has been re-elected for a further four-year term by a landslide majority as Vice President of the International Paralympic Committee, the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement.

Voting in the IPC’s General Assembly took place in the early hours of this morning, and Kale was awarded 154 of the 159 votes. IPC President Andrew Parsons was also re-elected by a landslide majority with 156 out of the 159 votes.

The re-election of Kale as Vice President and Parsons as President is an endorsement of the momentum that the duo have built throughout their four-year term.

In the face of the challenges of the pandemic, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games were a huge success in 2021, a year later than originally scheduled.

Kale expressed his motivation:

“It has been an absolute honour to have been elected to serve the membership of the IPC on the Governing Board for the past 8-years and as Vice President for the most recent term. It will be a privilege to continue as the Vice President for the 2021-2025 board term.”

“We do this because it makes a real difference in the lives of Para athletes and those who get to experience the Paralympic Games. We genuinely change lives. What could be more important than that?“

Duane Kale

Re-elected IPC President Andrew Parsons was pleased with the outcome of the election:

“I want to congratulate all of the Board members who have been elected, including our Vice President Duane Kale who did a very good job over the last four years chairing the working group on the governance review. It’s a very interesting and new Board; we have more women than ever before and, with the Chair of the Athletes’ Council, we have eight former Para athletes or Paralympians. This will help us a lot over the next four years.“

Kale’s achievements as Vice President

Kale’s proudest achievement in his first four-year term as Vice President is leading the IPC Governance Review that will ensure that the governance structures of the Paralympic Movement’s global governing body are up-to-date, world leading and robust enough to thrive in the ever-changing sporting landscape. New Zealander and prominent international sports lawyer Maria Clarke was also heavily involved in this work as Vice-Chair of the IPC Governance Review.

The approval on Saturday of the new IPC Constitution with a 96 per cent majority is a testament to the work of Kale and the Governance Review Working Group since 2018.

“I would like to thank the whole IPC membership for contributing towards the governance review and consultation process for nearly three years and approving it by an overwhelming majority. This has been a real Movement-wide effort led by our Vice President Duane Kale and the Governance Review Working Group.

“Updating the governance structures and adopting a new Constitution will ensure the IPC remains a world leading sports’ organisation and is well placed for the future. In the new Constitution we redefine our purpose as an organisation, increase accountability and transparency, and take measures to further ensure the IPC is a membership-focussed organisation.“

Andrew Parsons, IPC President

“Today’s approval of a new IPC Constitution concludes an almost three-year-long process that will benefit the IPC for many years to come.

“Throughout the process we have aimed to engage, listen and learn from the feedback provided by our members. As a membership-based organisation, it is vital that the views of our members are well represented in how the IPC operates and is governed. To be athlete-focussed we need greater athlete representation at all levels and the new Constitution ensures this.“

Duane Kale, IPC Vice President and Chair of the Governance Review Working Group

About Duane Kale

Duane Kale entered Para sport after an operation to remove a tumour in his early twenties left him partially paralysed. Kale competed just five years later at the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games where he won a staggering four gold medals, a silver and a bronze in Para swimming. Following Atlanta 1996, Kale carried on his passion in Para sport, and was selected as Team Manager at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games and Chef de Mission for the New Zealand Paralympic Teams at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Paralympics.

Kale was originally elected to the IPC Governing Board in 2013, and in 2017 was selected as Vice President. The International Olympic Committee also appointed Kale to the Evaluation Commission for the 2024 Paralympic and Olympic Games. Kale continues to serve the Paralympic Movement in New Zealand: he is a board member of Paralympics New Zealand, as well as mentoring aspiring Para athletes.

Kale lives in Wellington with his wife and two children.

The full list of elected IPC Governing Board Members can be found on the IPC website.

About the International Paralympic Committee

  • The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement.
  • The IPC co-ordinates the organisation of the Paralympic Games and the Paralympic Winter Games.
  • The IPC’s vision is to make for an inclusive world though Para sport.