Paralympics deserves our full support in Paris and beyond
The event will see 4,400 athletes from around the world compete for more than 500 medals and keep the Olympic spirit burning bright
The vibrant atmosphere created by the Summer Olympics has been sustained since the closing ceremony, with celebrations for Hong Kong’s returning medal winners and a visit this week by mainland China’s triumphant stars. But another flame has been ignited in Paris, this time for the Paralympics.
The event, which will see 4,400 disabled athletes from around the world compete in 22 sports, deserves just as much attention.
The achievements of the athletes in not only overcoming the considerable challenges posed by their physical or mental disabilities but excelling at sport are awe-inspiring. Competition will be fierce, with 549 medals at stake.
The Paralympics opened Wednesday evening, local time, with a ceremony featuring a parade of athletes along the Champs-Elysees in the heart of Paris, the first time it has been held outside a stadium.
As with the Olympics, some contests will be staged at iconic landmarks in the city. Sports include blind football, wheelchair fencing and wheelchair rugby, as well as athletics, badminton and table tennis.
Hong Kong has sent a team of 23 athletes, competing in eight disciplines. The aim is to at least match the two silver and three bronze medals won in Tokyo in 2021. Mainland China, meanwhile, will hope to top the medal table as it did in the last Paralympics.
The Games developed from the use of sport to help rehabilitate members of the armed forces injured in World War II, with the first event, featuring 16 athletes, held at Britain’s Stoke Mandeville Hospital in 1948. It quickly grew and the first Paralympics was held in Rome in 1960.
Sadly, it is always overshadowed by the Olympics. It is smaller scale and attracts much less sponsorship and far fewer global viewers.
It warrants much more.
The Paralympics demonstrates the courage and extraordinary ability of disabled people everywhere, who contribute so much to society. It raises much-needed awareness of the need for greater inclusivity, accessibility and freedom from discrimination.
Buses and trains in Paris have been made accessible for wheelchairs, although there is still much work to be done.
It is good to see that more than 1.75 million tickets have already been sold, with some events almost at capacity. Fans in Hong Kong will be able to watch on free-to-air channels. The community should rally behind the city’s team, just as it did for the Olympians.
The Paris Olympics was a spectacle that gripped the world right up until the flame was extinguished. But as Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee said, the party is not over.
Disabled athletes, through their dedication and determination, embody the Olympic spirit and should receive full support for the Paris Paralympics and beyond.
