“After months of concerns about weak ticket sales and the French public’s support for disabled sports, the latest news is good,” reassures the british daily The Guardian. More than 2 million Paralympic Games tickets have been sold out of 2.5 million available, the organizers of Paris 2024 announced yesterday, a success for the competition which opens this Wednesday evening and promises, according to the newspaper, “the guarantee of an exhilarating elite sport.”
“A different fight but even more moving”
The French capital is hosting, after the Olympic Games, a new ceremony outside the city walls, in the heart of the city, starting at 8 p.m. 4,400 para-athletes will parade on the Champs-Élysées, before joining the Place de la Concorde, a spectacle that “promises to be grandiose”, according to the Belgian daily The eveninga prelude to a “powerful and iconic” event, according to the german newspaper Tagesspiegel.
“They say that Paris never ceases to shine and after fantastic Olympic Games, almost impeccable in terms of organisation and sporting epic, it is the turn of the Paralympic Games, a different but even more moving fight”, rejoices the correspondent. from the Spanish newspaper ABC in Paris, for whom the “sports festival” continues. He also recalls that this edition marks “a record number of women” athletes, or 45% of the workforce.
‘Equality demands’ must survive the Games
For the english daily The Independent“the bold decision to abandon the traditional stadium setting in favour of an ambitious opening ceremony on the north bank of the Seine aims to place disability and inclusion at the heart of society.”
According to several European newspapers, this temporary visibility should be an opportunity to convey a message to promote inclusion policies for people with disabilities. “Whatever the success and popular fervour, the Paralympic Games cannot be reduced to two weeks of sporting exploits, however entertaining and gripping they may be,” sums up Free Belgiumwho considers that “the primary role of such media exposure is to change our view of people with disabilities”.
“Claims for equal rights and accessibility must survive the Paralympics,” the German newspaper adds. Tagesspiegel“The future will show whether public pressure for transport policy reforms will be strong enough to lead to a lasting change in mentality and a transformation of Paris. If it does, the hope for social change through the Paralympics would be impressively demonstrated.”