This summer’s Paralympic Games “need to be better” than London 2012 if the progress achieved by disability sport in the past decade is to continue, the chief executive of Paris 2024 has said. Arguing that the “fantastic human stories” of the Paralympics should no longer be “the first thing we talk about”, Étienne Thobois also called on Britons to buy tickets for Paris and bring their enthusiasm to the French capital.
“The objective of every Games is to make sure that you have a goal to bring it a bit higher, set a new blueprint,” he said. “London put the bar quite high. But it was 12 years ago and society’s gone a long way since then, so we need to do better. And not just because we want to do better than London but because it’s our responsibility to push the movement in that direction in a reasonable and responsible way.
“The Paralympic Games will be always different to the Olympic Games, but the magnitude and the impact should come [from the performance of] the athletes. They are just incredible and there is a feeling that their story, which is a fantastic human story, is something that shouldn’t be the first thing we talk about. That’s the evolution of the Paralympic movement and that’s a very good thing.”
Thobois said he believed French society was ready to embrace disability sport but that there remained a broader lack of awareness. “We need to give an opportunity to people to get involved,” he said. “We want full stadiums and that we think will help to be that gamechanger, especially in terms of perception.
“We need to get the message across that it’s going to be different, but incredible and spectacular. [The Games are] a little bit, and maybe it’s not the right word, but a bit underestimated.”
The UK has been confirmed as the biggest market for tickets bar France and Thobois hopes an event where close to 50% of tickets are priced at €25 or less will make it affordable and easy for fans to lend their support.
“The fact that the British public is a bit more aware of Paralympic sport means for them there is a formidable opportunity not only to share [their enthusiasm] but also to experience a fantastic time,” Thobois said. “So I hope they will be able to come to Paris. It’s only three hours away, very accessible and there is less pressure financially than on the Olympic Games.”
