“It’s an event you’ll never experience again”: let the party (re)start with the Paralympic Games

La place de la Concorde sera l’épicentre de la cérémonie d’ouverture des Paralympiques. MAXPPP – Stéphane Geufroi

Fifteen days after the unique Olympic Games that left their mark on history, the Paralympic Games, the first ever organized in France, begin this Wednesday evening on the Place de la Concorde.

We are not going to tell ourselves stories, or pretend to be great specialists in Paralympic sport. On the morning of the first “Handicapped” Games in history organized in our country, we are starting from a blank page.

People with disabilities, nearly 10 million men and women in France (out of 68 million inhabitants), will not be surprised. From a young age, they learn to live without visibility and often without means. On the margins of a society that struggles to give them a place. Beyond the medals promised to the best by September 8, these Paralympic Games must inspire a new way of thinking and integrating. No more, no less.

For Marie-Amélie Le Fur, president of the French Paralympic and Sports Committee, the revolution is underway. “There is already a before and after Paris 2024”, explains the former Paralympic champion (nine podiums in four participations).

Since the beginning of the adventure in 2017, the organizers (Cojop) have always defended the idea of ​​inclusive Games. With a single French team, the same medals, the same victory bonuses, the same iconic competition sites in the heart of the capital and an opening ceremony on Place de la Concorde (from 8 p.m.) that could be a historic event, just like the parade of the “able-bodied” on the Seine on July 26.

Professionalization of athletes

The National Sports Agency has also set an example by providing for the rear and end of the month of the 237 “paras” qualified for these Games. By creating the necessary conditions for the professionalization of these exceptional athletes. By 2025, some 3,000 sports clubs will also be able to accommodate disabled people. This is the Paris 2024 effect. It is undeniable.

The accessibility project for cities, offices, shops and stadiums will probably take longer. The Paris metro, to name just one, is a pain. «We are far from being in an ideal situation, but there has been considerable progress», nevertheless welcomes Marie-Amélie Le Fur.

A life lesson

We are starting from a blank page but nothing will be the same again. It is inevitable. With some two million tickets sold (out of 2.5 million), unprecedented media exposure – all the events will be broadcast live on France Télévision channels – and exploits every evening at aperitif time, the success of the Paralympic Games is beyond doubt.

“It's an event that you may never experience again,warns Tony Estanguet, the boss of Cojop. You will come out of it transformed. The Paralympics are not just a great sporting event, we also learn a little lesson."

Fifteen days after the Olympic Games that left their mark on an entire nation, 58% of French people say they are ready to follow the “return match”, according to a survey conducted by Odoxa for Winamax and RTL. That leaves 42% to convince. Alexis Hanquinquant (para-triathlon), Alex Poral (para-swimming), Alexandre Léauté, Heïdi Gaugain (para-cycling), Sandrine Martinet (para-judo) and Léa Ferney (para-table tennis) are just waiting for that.