PThis week, Franglais' limit-pushing advertisements have been plastered on the walls of Paris subway stations. Next to pictures of Paralympic athletes running, jumping and spinning wheels, a slogan is written for the residents of the French capital: “Games [is not] The end”.
For those unfamiliar with 1980s arcade jargon, “game over” was the message that signaled the moment the machine had eaten up all its money. The grammatically complex “is not” was layered on by Paris 2024 organizers to remind locals that their summer of sport continues. The Paralympics begin on Wednesday night, and all Parisians are welcome to attend.
After months of uncertainty due to sluggish ticket sales and concerns about whether French audiences would embrace disabled sport, the past few days have brought some good news: More than 2 million of the 2.5 million tickets have been sold, and several events are sold out. The Île-de-France regional government has announced its ambition to finally realise one of the long-standing concerns surrounding the Olympics: making the Paris Metro wheelchair accessible.
Then on Wednesday evening, the opening ceremony will be held, again in the city centre, in what organisers say will be a “giant hug” to the 44,000 athletes competing over the next 11 days.
Starting on the Champs-Élysées, the opening parade will proceed along “the most beautiful avenue in the world” before a more traditional ceremony takes place outdoors at the Place de la Concorde. Organizers say they want to continue the spirit of Paris' main theme of “open to all”, extending the general message of welcome and inclusion to one specific to people with disabilities.
Tony Estanguet, chairman of Paris 2024, said: “This ceremony in the heart of the city is a powerful symbol of our ambition to place the issue of disability inclusion at the heart of society.”
International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons promises a spectacular ceremony: “I love the French expression. “The festival continues” “The opening ceremony tomorrow is going to be fantastic, it's going to be incredible for sure,” he said.
“The concept is always [by staging the event] “On the Champs-Élysées and Place de la Concorde, it is as if the city is welcoming the Paralympic athletes and the Paralympic Movement. We see this as a big hug for our athletes and it couldn't be more positive.”
Estanguet stresses that the work of engaging France and Parisians in parasport is ongoing. Official estimates predict that 300,000 people will visit the Games, roughly half the number of visitors for the Olympics. As a result, it will be even more important to involve local people, especially if we are to fill the 80,000-seat Stade de France, which will once again host athletics. With increased ticket sales, organizers are now working to create extra space at the Eiffel Tower arena and the Palace of Versailles, with tickets currently sold out for seven events.
“What made the Olympics a success was the atmosphere,” Estanguet said. “The fans sang the Marseillaise like never before. This was the result of our efforts to create a piazza in each venue where very active supporters could congregate. This proved to be very successful, and we intend to do exactly the same thing at the Paralympics.”
Locally, skepticism remains, especially as the Olympics will coincide with the end of 2010. Les Vacances And then the new school term begins. But Estanguett says the timing was deliberate. “We decided to hold the games at the start of the new school term in France because we wanted to take advantage of that opportunity,” Estanguett says. “The new school term is a good time to send a message to students, to show inclusivity and accessibility, and to offer educational opportunities.
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“I believe that the French people can make a difference and make the Paralympics their own. We achieved more than we ever dreamed of with the Olympic Games, we generated real enthusiasm and I believe that the same will happen with the Paralympics.”
Another reason for optimism is the promise of exciting elite sport. New fans will be introduced to the fascinating events that parasports offer, from the speed and aggression of wheelchair rugby to the precision and strategy of boccia. They will also flock to different arenas at a time when parasports performance is improving exponentially. With a record 182 countries competing, as Parsons puts it, “world records will be broken.”
Paralympics GB will be hoping to match their impressive performance at the Tokyo Games three years ago. Coming in second in the medals table with 124 medals in total, it was one of Britain's best results at a Paralympic Games, especially considering the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a target of 100-140 medals this time around, and with 215 athletes and guides on the team, Paralympics GB will be doing everything in their power to maintain their record of never finishing outside the top five nations.
On Tuesday it was announced that Terry Bywater and Lucy Schuur will be Great Britain's flag bearers for the Opening Ceremony. Wheelchair tennis player Schuur will be competing for the fifth time, while wheelchair basketball player Terry Bywater will be competing for the second time after competing six times in the past. “It's very emotional,” Bywater said. “It's my seventh time competing and I'm actually wearing the number 7 vest, so it's a bit crazy at the moment. I'm just very, very proud.”
“This isn't just about me. I do it for all 215 athletes here, all the staff, my family, my wife, my son and the family members of those who have passed away who have always followed me. I do it for all of them.”
