As the Paralympic Games draw to a close, Paris hopes to have left its mark on the organisation of this flagship event, particularly on the perception of disability.
This 2024 edition of the Paralympic Games has set multiple records such as the world record for the women’s marathon for the visually impaired b(T12). This record was broken by Moroccan para-athlete Fatima Ezzahra El Idrissi, who offered Morocco’s third gold medal on Sunday.
A total of 169 delegations took part in the Paris Paralympic Games, the highest number compared to previous years.
The sporting event was widely followed around the world thanks to the 165 television channels that broadcast it.
The general public also welcomed the Paralympic Games with enthusiasm.
About 2.4 million tickets were sold or allocated on the eve of the Closing Ceremony, out of the 2.5 million that went on sale last fall. As a reminder, the highest number of tickets sold was 2.7 million for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
It remains to be seen whether these Games will leave a strong legacy of accessibility and social inclusion for people with disabilities.
At the end of August, Paris region president Valérie Pécresse called for a massive overhaul of Paris’s centuries-old public transport network, which is nearly impossible for people with disabilities to use.
A project that could take 20 years and cost up to 15 billion euros. Especially since the feasibility of the renovation is not yet discussed.
