The beginning of the year 2008 has passed with a flash, bringing the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) ever closer to its highlight of the year – the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. It is hard to believe that, in just a few months, Paralympic athletes will, once again, push themselves to the limit as they strive for victory at the highest level of competition.

It takes years to train for the Paralympic Games, but winning can be down to just a few seconds, splitting first from second, determining the winner’s of gold, silver and bronze medals. But I know our athletes are up to the challenge and will inspire and excite us all with their unbreakable spirit and determination.

And having attended the Beijing Project Review at the end of January, I am confident the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee (BOCOG) also has what it takes to make this year’s Games the best yet! I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of some of the venues, and, you can imagine, as a former Wheelchair Basketball athlete, I was particularly interested in looking at the new Basketball venue.

Incredible progress is also being made with Vancouver 2010, London 2012 and Sochi 2014. The Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee (VANOC) is steaming ahead this year, planning two year countdown celebrations and a whole host of other exciting events, including the Cultural Olympiad. The excitement of London 2012 is being felt across the city as the Get Set Roadshow travels to more than 30 parts of the city of London. And 2014 does not seem that far off, with the start of preliminary construction work on some of the venues in Sochi.

We are now coming to the end of the Winter Sports season and what an exciting season it has been! While preparing for the Games in Beijing, the Paralympic Movement has also seen a number of toughly fought Skiing events take place on the slopes during the 2008 IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup and the 2008 IPC Biathlon and Cross Country World Cup. It has also been hugely enjoyable watching top class Wheelchair Curlers battle it out for gold medals during the 2008 World Wheelchair Curling Championships in Sursee, Switzerland.

Another important date on my calendar was the IPC Reception, which took again place in Bonn, Germany. While celebrating the beginning of the Chinese Year of the Rat, I had the chance to catch up with several people, including the the Chairman of the London 2012 Organizing Committee (LOCOG) Lord Sebastian Coe, the Lord Mayor of Bonn, representatives from IPC’s Gold Patrons, Allianz SE and Deutsche Telekom AG, as well as all the athletes who were chosen to be Paralympian Ambassadors.

It has been, and will continue to be, a busy year – I wish you all the best in your endeavours in 2008!

Sir Philip Craven, MBE, IPC President