One year anniversary of Paris 2024 – The Legacy of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Now as we celebrate one year anniversary of the Paralympic Games Paris 2024, it’s the perfect moment to take a look at the legacy and the impact the event had beyond the field of play.

One aspect to consider in tеrms of thе geneгal оr social significance of thе Paralympics bеуоnd thе аrеа of sports is thе impact of thе Paralympics оr creating а society whеrе people with disabilities сап live соmfоrtаblу.

The Report “The Legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games” was published by The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). The Legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games (EN).

Believing firmly in their extraordinary potential, Paris 2024 wanted to take the Paralympic Games to a new level.

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games brought together 4,400 athletes, 22 sports and 549 medal events. 280 000 seats were reserved for spectators with disabilities and their accompanying persons at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Olesya Zaglada in Olympic/Paralympic Paris 2024

To mark the one-year anniversary since the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has published new independent worldwide research that shows the event triggered major changes in attitudes towards persons with disabilities and is now regarded as one of the most recognized sport events on earth. Paris 2024 Paralympic Games changed attitudes towards disability

Paris 2024 made many innovations, which were published in the Paris 2024 Innovation Observatory report  PARIS2024-InnovationObservatory-241016.pdf.

One of the innovations is that Paris 2024 made the commitment to uphold the same level of ambition in organizing both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This commitment is embodied in the choice to give both events a shared emblem, for the first time in the history of the Games.

Paris 2024 was also able to place both events ‘on the same footing’ and to show that there was no difference in the celebration of the Olympic and Paralympic athletes in particular. The Organizing Committee was also able to highlight all its initiatives to give the Paralympic Games unprecedented attention, changing perspectives and promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities.

Paris 2024 organized the Olympic and Paralympic Games with the ambition of leaving a lasting legacy in the fields of sports participation, improving the lives of people with disabilities, and changing perceptions of disability.
To achieve this, Paris 2024 committed to organizing exemplary Games in terms of universal accessibility. All athletes and spectators, regardless of their specific needs, were  able to fully enjoy the event without any barriers.

4 400 Paralympic athletes took part in the Paris 2024 Games.

Alejandra Aybar, Paralympian in Para swimming said “Paris made a huge effort to be accessible and inclusive for all.”

The city upgraded historic sports venues to make sure Para athletes could train comfortably and competitively long after the Closing Ceremony. The same commitment echoed through the school system. The City of Paris launched the plan to ensure every child is within 15 minutes of an accessible school. Also  inclusive sports programs were expanded through the “Club Inclusif” model.

The pathway to disability inclusion doesn’t have a starting point and a finish line. It is a long process. And what the City of Paris did is they initiated that process and they used the Games to accelerate change for people with a disability. That’s real life, every day inclusion and it is reshaping what growing up in this city looks like for thousands of kids with disabilities. Getting to school, the pool or just around the neighborhood is easier now too.

Marie Barsacq, Minister for Sports, Youth and Community life said : «when we won an opportunity to organize the Games, we worked a lot with our stakeholders on the legacy of the Paralympics, and of course the City of Paris committed itself very strongly and specifically on the accessibility subject. They decided at that time to have more neighborhoods in Paris that are totally accessible. And today we have a concrete result about this strategy with 17 little neighborhoods in each  district of Paris that are totally accessible.”

This transformation has inspired future host cities to build on the momentum.

Dr. Olesya Zaglada visited competitions in wheelchair basketball at Bercy Arena in Paris 2024 at Paralympic Games at the invitation of long term partner of PSF – International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF).

More about the Legacy of Paris 2024 can be  seen  in the Video The Legacy and Impact of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games under the link 🏅🌍 The Legacy and Impact of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games