The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the international governing body of sports for athletes with a disability. The IPC supervises and co-ordinates the organization of the Paralympic Summer and Winter Games and other multi-disability competitions on elite sport level, of which the most important are world and regional championships for the 13 IPC sports (for which the IPC functions as the International Federation). The IPC also develops sporting opportunities around the world for athletes of all levels; from grassroots to elite level.

• CP-ISRA: Cerebral Palsy International Sport and Recreation Association
• IBSA: International Blind Sports Association
• INAS-FID: International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability
• IWAS: International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation

Whereas other international sports organizations for athletes with a disability are either limited to one disability group or to one specific sport, the IPC - as an umbrella organization - represents several sports and disabilities. The national sports organizations, which created the IPC, are convinced that the future of sport for persons with a disability lies in bringing together athletes with different abilities to hold joint competitions.