South Africa’s Elsa Matthee has been recognised for more than three decades of voluntary service to para sport.
She has received one of the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) 2025 Classification Recognition Awards for her exceptional contribution to fairness and athlete inclusion in World Boccia.
Matthee was among five recipients honoured at the IPC’s headquarters in Bonn on Friday (24 October), alongside Prof. Datuk Dr Rokiah Omar, the Frame Running Research Team, Dr. Dušana Augustovičová and Dr. Jürgen Schwittai.
The awards celebrate individuals and teams who have made a lasting impact on classification, the system that ensures para athletes compete according to their abilities, and therefore underpins fair play across the Paralympic Movement.
“Classification is the foundation of fair competition in Para sport, and this year’s award recipients have gone above and beyond in strengthening that foundation,” said Tea Cisic, the IPC’s Director of Classification.
“Their work, whether in research, education, leadership or hands-on delivery, has elevated standards and expanded opportunities for athletes globally.”
32 years of volunteer dedication
Matthee’s recognition reflects more than 30 years of unpaid service as a classifier, administrator and mentor, both in South Africa and internationally.
She has served as Head of Classification and board member for World Boccia, and her influence is seen across the community — many of today’s top classifiers were trained directly by her.
Speaking after receiving the award, Matthee said the honour came as a heartfelt surprise.
“You don’t do classification to get rewarded, but it’s an amazing feeling when they do recognise it,” she said.
“I’ve classified for 32 years… it’s second nature, now.”
The award, she added, was especially meaningful because most classification roles are voluntary.
“It’s volunteer work, so that’s very important because you don’t get paid — you do it for the love of the sport and for the love of classification,” she said.
“For me, classification is a tool that makes it fair for all the athletes to participate according to their abilities.
“It gives them the opportunity to be able to do something extraordinary, especially in boccia, where the athletes are more severely disabled than most sports.
“Classification opens the door to fair and consistent competition.”
Building a fairer system
Over her three decades of service, Matthee has helped shape the modern boccia classification system, ensuring athletes with severe physical impairments are properly assessed and placed in appropriate categories.
She has also been central to efforts to align World Boccia’s rules with the IPC Classification Code, recently co-authoring a comprehensive update to the sport’s rulebook alongside her successor, Marali Olen, the new head of classification for World Boccia.
“We’ve just finished rewriting the new rules with Marali, who’s now the head of classification,” Matthee explained.
“It’s about getting everything IPC compliant and code compliant. The rules are very important now, and we’re making sure everything is aligned internationally.”
Matthee says the technical side of the role is only part of the story — patience, empathy and passion are just as vital.
“You need patience and knowledge, and experience surely helps in the long run to make the difficult decisions. But above all, you’ve got to love what you do because it’s all volunteer work,” she said.
Reward in seeing others succeed
For Matthee, the true reward of classification has always been seeing athletes thrive once given a fair platform to compete.
“The reward is when you sit next to the field of play and an athlete gets a medal or does well — to actually see that you had a part in that athlete’s journey to be able to compete in sport,” she said.
“That is, in the end, my reward. It’s not about money or acknowledgement. That’s why this award is such an amazing honour — to know that you’re not forgotten.”
Continuing the journey
Although she recently stepped down as World Boccia’s Head of Classification, Matthee continues to serve as national convener in South Africa, where preparations are already under way for next year’s national championships.
She remains active in governance and international development, attending recent events in Poland, Egypt and Italy, and may attend next year’s World Championships in South Korea in a board capacity.
“For now, it’s just the work behind the scenes,” she said.
A lasting legacy
Through her decades of voluntary service, Elsa Matthee has not only helped define modern classification for boccia but also embodied the spirit of fairness and inclusion that underpins the Paralympic movement.
As she reflected on receiving one of the IPC’s highest honours, her words summed up a lifetime’s quiet dedication:
“It’s wonderful to be recognised after 32 years of volunteer work,” she said. “It was amazing.”
