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PARIS: The Paris Olympics will be a turning point for the Paralympic movement, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Andrew Parsons told Reuters on the eve of the opening ceremony.
As of Friday, more than 1.75 million tickets had been sold for the Paralympics, which will open on August 28 and run until September 8.
“The Paralympic movement has become more important than ever,” Parsons said Tuesday.
“But it’s also down to the ambition of the Paris 2024 committee. They are innovative in many ways and we are part of that. I think the Paralympic movement will go through a before-Paris and a after-Paris phase.”
A little more than a month after the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on the banks of the Seine, the opening ceremony of the Paralympics will also be held outside the stadium, this time on the Champs-Elysées and the Place de la Concorde.
“For us, it’s like the city of Paris is giving our athletes a big hug and embracing the Paralympic movement,” said Parsons, who was elected president of the International Paralympic Committee in 2017.
“It’s very special because it’s like: ‘Look, we’re talking about 4,400 disabled athletes, but you’re part of our city because we’re a diverse city.’
“After the Olympics, seeing what happened here, we couldn’t wait to watch the opening ceremony. It was incredible. People were so happy and proud, and that’s what we want to see at the Paralympics.”
“From the feedback we’ve received, (we think) this will happen (again).”
Parsons believes the performance of the 237-athlete French team will have the impact on maintaining enthusiasm in late July and early August.
“We hope that France can win a few medals, especially in the first few days of the tournament, which is very important,” said the 47-year-old Brazilian.
The International Paralympic Committee president has admitted the Paralympics in France will take place in a different format to the Olympics as talks on forming a new government resume and the new school year starts next Monday.
“It’s a different context, but through the Paralympics we provide a little bit of a break from politics for those who need it. I think we’re going to experience pretty much the same atmosphere,” Parsons said.
(Writing by Anita Kobylinska; Editing by Toby Davis)
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