Several para-athletes, including Frenchman Théo Curin, are mobilizing in the fight against meningitis, which affects 2.5 million people every year.
The Paralympic Games are not just a sporting interlude every four years to celebrate the achievements of the champions. The eleven days of competition in the Parisian capital must also raise public awareness about disability. Three para-athletes, Ellie Challis (Great Britain) who was crowned Paralympic champion in the 50m backstroke on Monday, Théo Curin (France) who was seen at the opening ceremony and the parasprinter Davide Morana (Italy) are using the exposure of the Paralympic Games to mobilize in favor of the fight against meningitis from which they suffered.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the thin protective membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. Unpredictable, it can lead to death in less than 24 hours or cause serious after-effects that are more or less visible if it is not treated quickly. To effectively fight and defeat the disease by 2030, the goal set by the World Health Organization (WHO), prevention is an essential lever.
Protect, Support and Conquer
The trio participated a year ago (August 28, 2023) in the creation of a tricolor flag (yellow, purple and blue), a new symbol behind which the meningitis community can come together to raise awareness of the risks of this inflammation that affects more than 2.5 million people on the planet each year. Three colors for a slogan: “protect, support and conquer.”
A major communication campaign has been launched since August 13 and until September 10, visible in particular in the Paris metro and raising awareness about the risks associated with this disease. From September 4 to 10, regulars on line 1 will even be able to witness a new design of the Franklin D. Roosevelt station (on the Champs Elysées), decorated in the colors of this new unifying flag.
