Hibapress
After hosting the Olympic events, Paris is preparing to host the Paralympics, which begin on August 28 with an opening ceremony that will see 180 delegations parade from the Champs-Elysées to the Place de la Concorde, in the heart of the French capital.
For twelve days, 4,400 athletes will compete in 22 disciplines at 18 competition sites, reports the newspaper “Le Monde”, emphasizing that the symbols of “Paris 2024” will continue to adorn the streets of Paris.
“It’s the return match,” said Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet, quoted by the newspaper. “A second part of the Games that will be fantastic,” stressed Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee.
This edition of the Paralympic events “will accumulate superlatives”: more participating countries, more sites and more tickets sold, according to the French media.
As with the Olympic Games, the events will take place mainly in the heart of Paris and its immediate surroundings. “While the temporary stadium facilities will be dismantled and disappear from the Place de la Concorde, 18 other sites will be maintained. Within the city walls, the Grand Palais is set up for wheelchair fencing, the Invalides for archery, the Arena Champ-de-Mars for para judo and wheelchair rugby, and the Eiffel Tower stadium for blind football,” the newspaper specifies.
Parisian sports arenas are also being mobilised: Bercy will host wheelchair basketball, the Arena Porte de La Chapelle para badminton and para weightlifting, the Arena Paris Sud boccia (a game of bowls for the physically disabled), goalball (a ball sport for the visually impaired) and para table tennis, according to the same source, adding that events will also take place in suburban sports venues.
And to specify that all the sites have been designed with an “inclusive pathway”, adding that on the competition sites, volunteers and staff have been trained to welcome people with disabilities.
As for the Olympic village, it will see the athletes arrive on a “100% universal” site, according to the Cojop, quoted by “Le Monde”. From the design of the project, everything was built to be completely accessible, it is noted.
“Wider doors and accessible balconies, fitted showers, mobile vanity units, electrical sockets 45 centimetres from the floor, switches with colour contrast, furniture on wheels and bins without lids, the accommodation is supposed to meet all the specific needs of para athletes. Access to public spaces has been designed for easy mobility with gentle slopes, suitable lighting and signage,” the publication explains.
Regarding the Paralympic ticketing, the newspaper notes that more than 1.3 million places have been acquired as of August 7, out of the 2.8 million available, noting that 300,000 places have been reserved for the disabled public and their companions.
On the transport side, the media outlet notes that the Paris region’s public transport network will once again be in high demand for the Paralympics. Quoted by the newspaper, the Minister of Transport in current affairs, Patrice Vergriete, assured that 2,000 additional agents will be added to the workforce (19,000) to cope with the extra traffic.
