In 100 days, France will welcome the summer Paralympic Games for the first time in history. The Paris 2024 Paralympics, which will take place between 28 August and 8 September, will feature as many as 4,400 athletes competing in 549 medal events across 22 sports.
As the count down to the historic Games started, the official Paris 2024 interviewed International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons to talk about his expectations for Paris 2024.
Andrew Parsons started by saying that, “As we have less than 100 days to go until Paris 2024 Paralympics, we are very happy with the preparations for the Games in terms of operations, the venues, and the planning with the organising committee.
We believe that now is the time to focus our attention on promoting the Games when it comes to ticket sales. Over half the tickets are EUR 25 or less and 500,000 tickets are EUR 15. We have tried to make sure that attending the Paralympics is affordable and that this once-in-a-lifetime event for Paris is one that the entire family can attend.
At a global level, we have secured Media Rights Holders to broadcast the Games in more than 160 nations and territories, so these Games will be the most globally broadcast Paralympics ever in terms of the impact that we can have.
Parsons added that,” Our Games are incredible sport. Things you will not imagine possible – these athletes, they make it possible. You will be surprised, you will be excited, you will be dazzled. At the same time, you know that all the exciting events help change the world. It has a higher purpose. This combination is the future of sports.
By watching the Paralympic Games, you will be electrified by the performances of the athletes, but also, something will change in you for the better. Whether you like it or not, whenever you’re exposed to Paralympic sport for the very first time, something changes in your heart.
He went on to express, “Seeing crowds return to the venues after Tokyo 2020 was held without spectators because of the COVID-19 pandemic means a lot. The last summer Games with spectators were Rio 2016, so we are talking about eight years ago. I think the Paralympic Movement has developed so much since then in terms of sport performance. We have more athletes from more countries with better performances, so the sport that we are going to see in Paris will be absolutely fantastic. There is excitement in our movement about having our athletes finally competing in front of crowds.
We feel incredibly sorry for Tokyo 2020 for not having spectators, but that’s why we see Paris as an incredible opportunity. We will see the movement to its full potential.
Parsons went on to highlight the legacy of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. “The Paralympic Games are the only event with a global impact that puts persons with disabilities on centre stage. We have a big opportunity here – we have an incredible platform to advance the social agenda, the human rights agenda of persons with disabilities.
He added, “Right after the Paralympic Games, there is an event called the Summit of the Future, which aims to draft a document called the Pact for the Future. We believe that persons with disabilities need to be taken into account in that planning for the future.We believe that compared to other marginalised groups or other minority groups, persons with disabilities are being left behind. On the global level, you see many people talking about gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and so on, but not about disability to the same level.
So, right before this incredible event that will shape the way governments see the future of mankind, it is important to have this
platform of the Paralympic Games to say, ‘We are here, and we are important.’ It’s not about representing the 4,400 athletes on the field of play, but providing a platform for the 1.2 billion persons with disabilities.
This is what I want Paris 2024 to be: an incredible and exciting sports event that people will want to watch. At the same time, it will make the Paralympic Movement relevant to the point that people understand that we are a Movement that helps change the world.
Parsons concluded by sending a message to the Para athletes preparing for Paris Paralympics saying, “We are doing our very best together with the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, the French authorities, and the regional authorities to create the biggest platform for you to shine on the global stage.We know you are making your ultimate effort to qualify and be as competitive as possible. So, be prepared because these Games are going to be the most spectacular Paralympic Games ever, and this is thanks to what you do on the field of play.”
