the essential
The Games in France at the end of August-beginning of September last year were acclaimed by the public, shining the spotlight on the exploits but also the personalities of its protagonists.
He does not deny a feeling of “gloom”. This Tuesday, December 3, with our colleagues from West FranceArnaud Assoumani remembers the last Paralympic Games, played in Paris last summer (August 28 – September 8).
A sporting event widely followed by the public, admiring the exploits and personalities of the champions, which also raised numerous social questions around inclusion, accessibility and the daily lives of people affected by disabilities. The scope of the Games in France had given rise to certain hope.
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Hopes dashed, according to Frenchman Arnaud Assoumani. For the Olympic long jump champion (Beijing 2008), winner of two silver medals and two bronze medals (Athens, London and Rio), the blow has largely subsided.
“A bit of gloom compared to the government's promises, in particular, unfulfilled, on accessibility and the establishment of additional resources for people with disabilities.”
“The awakening after the Games is brutal”
“I am thinking of transport, accommodation, school, sport, culture and employment,” he explains. “We need as many or more resources. Everything starts from a political will and a plan defined from dedicated resources. Today, it is not there. I am not totally surprised because it is being prepared Having been committed to Paris 2024 from the start, we experienced a lot of disappointments on these issues.”
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The 39-year-old from Ile-de-France considers the “brutal awakening of the Games”: “We feel helpless and a kind of deception in relation to what the Paralympic athletes have brought to the politicians. We have the feeling of having been used for the image, to display magnificent values: union, cohesion. We have demonstrated that we know how to do it. Now we must continue.
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During the Paralympic Games in Paris, Arnaud Assoumani won fifth place in the long jump competition.
