國際殘疾人奧林匹克委員會(huì)（IPC）是殘疾人高水平競技體育的國際性代表組織，負(fù)責(zé)組織并指導(dǎo)、協(xié)調(diào)殘疾人奧運(yùn)會(huì)和其他由多種殘疾人士參加的高水平體育競賽，特別是世界和地區(qū)性的錦標(biāo)賽。國際殘疾人奧委會(huì)是非盈利性國際組織，目前由157個(gè)國家及地區(qū)的殘疾人奧林匹克運(yùn)動(dòng)委員會(huì)(NPC)和5個(gè)特定類別殘疾人國際體育聯(lián)合會(huì)組成，它的全球總部設(shè)在德國波恩，其官方語言為英語，最高權(quán)力機(jī)構(gòu)是全體大會(huì)，下設(shè)執(zhí)行委員會(huì)，管理委員會(huì)等多個(gè)委員會(huì)。現(xiàn)任國際殘疾人奧委會(huì)執(zhí)行委員會(huì)主席是來自英國的菲利普·克雷文（Philip Craven）先生。

國際殘疾人奧委會(huì)作為一個(gè)綜合性組織，代表的是所有的殘疾人士群體和所有體育運(yùn)動(dòng)。創(chuàng)建國際殘疾人奧委會(huì)的各國殘奧委堅(jiān)信，殘疾人士體育運(yùn)動(dòng)的未來在于使身患不同殘疾的運(yùn)動(dòng)員聯(lián)合起來，舉辦共同的體育競賽。

The IPC's mission is to enable athletes with a disability to achieve sporting excellence and to inspire the world. Whereas other international sports organisations for athletes with a disability are limited either to one disability group or to one specific sport, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) - as an umbrella organisation - represents all sports and disabilities. The national sports organisations that created the IPC believe that the future of disability sport lies in bringing together athletes with different handicaps to hold joint competitions.

殘疾人奧林匹克運(yùn)動(dòng)的歷史相對(duì)較短，可以追溯到1948年路德維格·古特曼爵士（Sir Ludwig Guttmann）發(fā)起的首屆斯托克曼德維爾脊椎損傷二戰(zhàn)老兵運(yùn)動(dòng)會(huì)。此后，其他殘疾人群體也建立起了他們各自的國際體育組織，由這些組織來安排各種賽事。目前現(xiàn)有的6個(gè)此類組織中，除國際聾人體育委員會(huì)聯(lián)合會(huì)（CISS）外，都是國際殘疾人奧委會(huì)的成員。它們分別是：國際盲人體育協(xié)會(huì)（IBSA）；國際輪椅體育運(yùn)動(dòng)聯(lián)合會(huì)（ISMWSF）；國際殘疾人體育組織（ISOD）;國際腦癱人體育和休閑運(yùn)動(dòng)協(xié)會(huì)（CP-ISRA）；國際智力殘疾人體育聯(lián)合會(huì)（INAS-FID）。

The history of the Paralympic movement is relatively new and goes back to 1948, when Sir Ludwig Guttmann introduced the first Stoke Mandeville Games for World War II veterans with spinal cord-related injuries. Later, other disability groups also established their international sports organisations, which arranged various competitions.

殘奧會(huì)是為6類不同的殘疾人士共同舉辦的高水平體育運(yùn)動(dòng)會(huì)。參加殘奧會(huì)的運(yùn)動(dòng)員殘疾類別有：視力殘疾、截肢、脊髓損傷、腦癱、其它肢體殘疾和智力殘疾。殘奧會(huì)一直與奧運(yùn)會(huì)同年舉辦，而自從1988年漢城夏奧會(huì)和1992年阿爾貝維爾冬奧會(huì)以來，殘奧會(huì)的舉辦場館也與奧運(yùn)會(huì)相同。
2000年10月，國際奧委會(huì)與國際殘疾人奧委會(huì)在悉尼奧運(yùn)會(huì)上簽署協(xié)議，確定了兩個(gè)組織之間未來關(guān)系的基本原則。2001年6月，雙方進(jìn)一步簽署協(xié)議，以保障殘奧會(huì)的組織形式，并確立奧運(yùn)會(huì)和殘奧會(huì)"同時(shí)申辦，同城舉行"的實(shí)踐模式，即當(dāng)一個(gè)城市申辦奧運(yùn)會(huì)同時(shí)申辦殘奧會(huì)。該協(xié)議涉及殘奧會(huì)的總體范疇和組織工作，旨在為奧運(yùn)會(huì)和殘奧會(huì)的組織舉辦建立類似的原則。

The Paralympic Games have always been held in the same year as the Olympic Games. Since the Seoul Summer Games (1988) and the Albertville Winter Games (1992), they have also taken place at the same venues as the Olympic Games. On 19 June 2001, an agreement was signed between the International Olympic Committee and the IPC aiming to secure and protect the organisation of the Paralympic Games. The agreement reaffirmed that the Paralympic Games, from 2008 on, will always take place shortly after the Olympic Games, using the same sports venues and facilities. From the 2012 bid process onwards, the host city chosen to host the Olympic Games will be obliged to host the Paralympics as well.