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“They really raised the bar here and I think it’s good. We had that in Barcelona, we had that in Beijing, we had that in London, and now we have it in Paris.
“By raising the bar, it showed our friends in Milano Cortina (2026), L.A. (2028), French Alps (2030), Brisbane (2032), Salt Lake City Utah (2034) that this is the benchmark now, and they had to deliver against that.”
That’s from International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons (BRA), speaking about the now-concluded XVII Paralympic Games in Paris, which he now recognizes as the Games against which future Paralympics will be measured:
“We are moving this Movement forward and making sure that also these organizing committees, they see the potential. It’s not only about raising the bar, but also allowing the other organizers, host cities and host nations understand the potential of what we saw here.
“Two and a half million tickets were sold; they were not given. The number of broadcasts is higher than ever before, and this shows commercial value. So, let’s say, this gives them a few challenges, but many opportunities.”
He explained further in an IPC feature, reflecting on what transpired in Paris:
● “I think these Games brought us to a completely new level. It’s the most spectacular Games ever – just the quality of sport and the quality of venues, while the enthusiasm and the atmosphere that the crowd provided was just insane.”
● “I think everything we had anticipated, predicted and even dreamed of happened during the Games. “
● “The fans were an important part and a fundamental part of the Paris 2024 Games. It was a combination of the sport performances, the great venues, very smooth operations, but certainly the participation of the Parisians or the spectators in the stands that made these Games so spectacular.”
● “I think athletes were happy, the National Paralympic Committees are happy, the International Federations are happy. I think it was a complete success. What’s in my mind now is what’s the next step after we have come so, so, so far prior to Milano Cortina (2026) and L.A. (2028).”
● “There were also so many friendly volunteers working behind the scenes. If the athletes are at the heart of the Games, the volunteers are probably the muscles. They are the ones making sure that things happen and that the athletes have what they need.
“I saw so many beautiful smiles and I interacted with so many volunteers here from different parts of the world. It was just very touching to see how proud they were. They will leave this experience for the rest of their lives, no doubt about it.”
At a news conference prior to the closing, Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet confirmed that 2.5 million tickets were sold for the Paralympics, close to a sell-out of the available seats, second only to the 2.7 million tickets sold at London 2012 for a Paralympic Games.
Combined with the nearly 9.6 million tickets sold for the Olympic Games – a huge leap ahead of the old high of 8.3 million in Atlanta in 1996 – some 12.1 million people attended the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the most ever; London sold 11 million tickets in 2012.
Estanguet added:
“We sold more tickets for the para-nations than for swimming. At the Stade de France, the athletics session where we sold the most tickets was for the Paralympic Games.”
And at the Club France, the “home” of the French team in Paris at the Parc de la Villette, more than 100,000 people came during the Paralympics. Said Estanguet: “It’s completely crazy.”
Parsons noted the importance of the Paralympic Games broadcasts, reaching a worldwide audience:
“This is what we want. When we have a vision to make a more inclusive world through Para sport, it’s not only about the people, the spectators at the venues. It’s about the people watching it at home in the four corners of the world.
“When we have numbers of broadcasting as the ones we have here, it shows that we are expanding the reach of the Paralympic Movement, and this means impact. First of all, they understand that if we can remove barriers and allow athletes with disabilities to excel at a global stage, as we do in the Games, we can do it everywhere in society. And this is the strongest message.”
But Parsons was also already looking to the future:
“The success of Paris 2024 gives us great confidence for Los Angeles 2028.
“I’ve said it before, we want to make a breakthrough in America. We’re not where we want to be in the United States in terms of the Paralympic Movement. The Los Angeles Games will give us the opportunity to do that.”
~ Rich Perelman
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