Q&A with IPC President: Prepare to be surprised, excited and dazzled at Paris 2024

In 100 days, France will welcome the summer Paralympic Games for the first time in history. The Paris 2024 Paralympics, which will take place between 28 August and 8 September, will feature as many as 4,400 athletes competing in 549 medal events across 22 sports.

As we count down to the historic Games, we spoke to International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons about his expectations for Paris 2024.

IPC: We have 100 days to go until Paris 2024. What does it mean for you to reach this milestone?

Andrew Parsons: We are very happy with the preparations for the Games in terms of operations, the venues, and the planning with the Organising Committee. We had test events last year, and we learned a lot from them.

We believe that now is the time to focus our attention on promoting the Games when it comes to ticket sales. Over half the tickets are EUR 25 or less and 500,000 tickets are EUR 15.  We have tried to make sure that attending the Paralympics is affordable and that this once-in-a-lifetime event for Paris is one that the entire family can attend.

At a global level, we have secured Media Rights Holders to broadcast the Games in more than 160 nations and territories, so these Games will be the most globally broadcast Paralympics ever in terms of the impact that we can have.

We are also focusing on the final adjustments, of course, with the teams. Teams are sending their accreditations, entering the teams and athletes, and transporting equipment. So this is the phase when the excitement really starts to build.

IPC: What can fans look forward to at the Games?  

AP: First of all, it’s incredible sport. Things you will not imagine possible – these athletes, they make it possible. You will be surprised, you will be excited, you will be dazzled. At the same time, you know that all the exciting events help change the world. It has a higher purpose. This combination is the future of sports. 

By watching the Paralympic Games, you will be electrified by the performances of the athletes, but also, something will change in you for the better. Whether you like it or not, whenever you’re exposed to Paralympic sport for the very first time, something changes in your heart.

IPC: Paris 2024 will see crowds return to the venues after Tokyo 2020 was held without spectators because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  What does this mean for the Paralympic Movement? 

AP: It means a lot. The last summer Games with spectators were Rio 2016, so we are talking about eight years ago. I think the Paralympic Movement has developed so much since then in terms of sport performance. We have more athletes from more countries with better performances, so the sport that we are going to see in Paris will be absolutely fantastic. There is excitement in our Movement about having our athletes finally competing in front of crowds.

We feel incredibly sorry for Tokyo 2020 for not having spectators, but that’s why we see Paris as an incredible opportunity. We will see the Movement to its full potential.

IPC: What do you believe the legacy of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be? 

AP: This is an important question because the Paralympic Games are the only event with a global impact that puts persons with disabilities on centre stage. We have a big opportunity here - we have an incredible platform to advance the social agenda, the human rights agenda of persons with disabilities.

Right after the Paralympic Games, there is an event called the Summit of the Future, which aims to draft a document called the Pact for the Future. We believe that persons with disabilities need to be taken into account in that planning for the future.

We believe that compared to other marginalised groups or other minority groups, persons with disabilities are being left behind. On the global level, you see many people talking about gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and so on, but not about disability to the same level.

So, right before this incredible event that will shape the way governments see the future of mankind, it is important to have this platform of the Paralympic Games to say, ‘We are here, and we are important.’ It’s not about representing the 4,400 athletes on the field of play, but providing a platform for the 1.2 billion persons with disabilities.

This is what I want Paris 2024 to be: an incredible and exciting sports event that people will want to watch. At the same time, it will make the Paralympic Movement relevant to the point that people understand that we are a Movement that helps change the world.

IPC: How do you see the excitement building in France?

AP: There is a lot of excitement in Paris and in France. I think the ticket sales reflect that – we are very, very close to where we were in London 2012.
We know that many tickets will be bought in the final weeks and months. I think we have a very good foundation of awareness and interest, and now is the moment to focus on ticket sales. We have some good numbers, and we have some sports – wheelchair fencing, Para triathlon and shooting Para sport - that have already sold out.

IPC: Lastly, can you send a message to Para athletes who are preparing for Paris 2024?

AP: We are doing our very best together with the Paris 2024 Organising Committee, the French authorities, and the regional authorities to create the biggest platform for you to shine on the global stage.

We know you are making your ultimate effort to qualify and be as competitive as possible. So, be prepared because these Games are going to be the most spectacular Paralympic Games ever, and this is thanks to what you do on the field of play.