The meeting, which took place at the Élysée Palace and was organised by the French National Paralympic Committee, comes as France is considering a bid for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, with the French capital's Mayor Anne Hidalgo to reveal the decision next month.

"It was a highly productive and exciting meeting with the French President and I would like to thank him for taking the time to meet me," Sir Philip said.

"He clearly knew a lot about the Paralympic Games and the Paralympic Movement and was very interested to learn about the transformational power a Paralympic Games can have on a nation.

"He wanted to know more about the successes we have enjoyed with previous Paralympics and the lasting legacies they have left.

"He was also impressed at how a Paralympics can liberate people in many ways."

Sir Philip's three-day visit to Paris also saw him taking part in a round table discussion with 50 French sport representatives on the "issues facing the Paralympic Movement on an international and national level", which was hosted by National Paralympic Committee President Emmanuelle Assmann.

Sir Philip Craven (front centre) in Paris with (from left to right) City, Youth and Sports Ministry chief of staff Daniel Zielinski, Patrick Kanner, Secretary of State for Sports Thierry Braillard and Emmanuelle Assmann ©IPC/Facebook


As well as showing the delegates a special video made to celebrate the IPC's 25th anniversary, he spoke of the structure of Paralympic sport, both on an international and national level, and insisted that athletes should always be at the heart of the movement.

He went on to describe how the Paralympics can help empower people and change perceptions of people with an impairment, while reiterating the importance of the IPC's partnership with the International Olympic Committee.

Sir Philip also covered how the IPC works with bidding cities to ensure they fully understand the requirements for staging a Paralympic Games and what benefits hosting them can bring, such as improving accessibility to leave a lasting legacy.

"The IPC, international and national federations have a collective responsibility to ensure that Para-athletes are looked after at all times and that development programmes are in place to grow sport at all levels," Sir Philip explained.

The trip also allowed Sir Philip to attend a cocktail reception organised by Patrick Kanner, the French Minister of the City, Youth and Sports.

He thanked Assmann personally for a "fruitful three days in the French capital".

"The visit was a great opportunity to raise the profile of the Paralympic Movement amongst a number of key stakeholders and meet some great people," Sir Philip added.

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