The 160 members of the Australian Paralympic team have settled into their digs at the athletes’ village in Paris, where staff have gone out of their way to make sure they're ready to perform at their best and beat their Tokyo haul of 80 medals.
The athletes' village has been tried, tested and given the thumbs up by para-athletes from around the world, who have converged on Paris for 10 days of stiff competition.
It’s not easy accommodating the needs of over 4,000 athletes and their staff and each country tends to have a few specificities.
Michael Perry, team leader for the Australian para-athletics contingent, arrived a week before the athletes to check that everything was in order and was thrilled with what he found.
He says any issues are usually ironed out during the two weeks of the Olympic Games, which this year took place from 26 July to 11 August. Everything is running smoothly, he reports – with a few minor adjustments.
“The Paralympics team have invested in buying the athletes bed-toppers to make the beds a little bit softer, a little bit more what we’re used to back at home,” he tells RFI.
As well as arranging to have their very own supply of McDonald’s McCafé coffee, “they’ve found different catering companies for certain dietary needs like gluten free”, Perry adds, explaining that not everyone travels well when it comes to food and managing allergies.
'Loyal, proud, fierce'
Staff have decorated the Australian building in the country’s green and yellow colours, as well as personalising the entrance with a giant image of Uluru and a life-size emu.
The institutional flag is draped next to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flags from the balconies under the words “Loyal, proud, fierce” and “Merci Paris”.
Along with a 25-member staff, Perry takes care of the 32 para-athletes competing in track and field events this year – 17 women and 15 men.
He explains that the Australian delegation is slightly smaller for these Paralympic Games, 160 down from 179, in part due to the difficulty of getting to competitions during the post-Covid period.
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Australia is competing in 17 of the 22 disciplines, and 61 of the athletes will be making their Paralympic debut.
Bets are being placed on the wheelchair racing, one of Australia’s specialities, which grabbed the spotlight in Sydney in 2000 thanks to homegrown champs Louise Sauvage and Kurt Fearnley.
They have become role models for new generations of athletes here in Paris, Perry says.
Visibility
Parasports are benefitting from better visibility, Perry says, even though it's been a long, slow process.
He points to the fact that for the first time a major media channel in Australia, the Nine Network, snapped up the rights to broadcast both the Olympics and Paralympics across all its platforms.
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It's a testament to the rising profile of parasports in general, spearheaded by the Paralympics.
With greater prestige have come better services for para-athletes, says Perry – starting with uniforms, which are now individually tailored rather than "one size fits all" as in previous years.
He and the team are already looking forward to continuing the momentum beyond Paris 2024 and on to Los Angeles in 2028 – and especially at home in Brisbane in 2032.
