Paris 2024 Paralympics: the best moments as seen by Andrew Parsons

As the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games officially came to a close with a magnificent and sumptuous ceremony at the Stade de France on Sunday, Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee, takes stock and shares his top moments of the Paralympiad.

There are moments that will always be etched in the memory. This Sunday, as the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games drew to a close, the return match was a great success. The Paralympic Games brought a good number of people together at the competition venues, and were able to witness the majestic sporting performances put in by the athletes. Interviewed by the IPC, Andrew Parsons gave his first impressions after 12 days that unfolded like a fairytale.

"I think that everything we had planned, predicted and even dreamed of happened during the Games, he began. The Opening Ceremony was fantastic. It was great to see a ceremony outside a stadium. The city of Paris and the people of Paris embraced the Paralympic Movement."

The Brazilian President recalls some other highlights of these Paralympic Games, this time during the competition days: "One of my favourite moments was the first medal for the Paralympic refugee team - when Zakia Khudadadi won bronze in Para taekwondo", he recalls.

A historic achievement, if we also add Guillaume Junior Atangana's bronze in Para athletics, constituting the first two medals in the history of the Refugee Paralympic Team since its creation at the Rio 2016 Games.

Among all the other sports that Andrew Parsons has been able to follow, one in particular caught his attention. "Another moment I really enjoyed was watching the Blind football at the Stade Tour Eiffel. I was inside the stadium and I followed the silent wave as it went round the stadium, because it's Blind football and the public have to remain silent while the athletes are playing. It showed me just how much the French spectators had understood what we were there for. It was their commitment, their involvement in sport."

He continued: "At that point, the fans were enjoying themselves, of course, but it was something that clearly said to me: ‘Look, they know what they're doing here. They know what they're watching'. The French fans went wild, especially during the final, when they cheered all the athletes. They understood what the Paralympic movement is all about. Above all, I think they were fantastic."

Everyone put their heart into it

The IPC President knows that the success of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games is due to many factors. Between the sporting performances, the atmosphere in the stands and the work carried out by the volunteers, Andrew Parsons wanted to put in a word for each major player in the event.

"The sport was absolutely fantastic. It was at a new level - it's never been as good as it is today. There were world records while the team sports tournaments were magnificent. We saw incredible results, new athletes and new countries", he explains, before adding: "It was fantastic to see Mauritius, Moldova and Nepal win their first ever medals. We've been working with these countries. It's great to see that the athletes are following and that it's bearing fruit. It shows the growth of the Paralympic Movement, with more countries than ever and more countries winning medals. It shows that sport is growing in different parts of the world."

"If the athletes are the heart of the Games, the volunteers are probably the muscle, he continues. They were the ones who made sure that things happened and that the athletes had what they needed. I saw so many beautiful smiles and interacted with so many volunteers from different parts of the world. I was really touched to see how proud they were. They will take this experience with them for the rest of their lives, there's no doubt about that."

Finally, Andrew Parsons paid tribute to the atmosphere created by the spectators: "My message to them is a huge 'thank you very much', because, after the athletes, they were the big stars of the Games. There is no doubt that they have created an incredible atmosphere. They cheer on athletes from all nations, so of course when the French athletes were competing, we could understand."

Overall, everyone came away satisfied, according to the IPC President: "I think these Games have taken us to a whole new level. These have been the most spectacular Games ever - just the quality of the sport and the venues, and the enthusiasm and atmosphere amongst the public was just insane. I think the athletes were happy, the National Paralympic Committees are happy, and so are the International Federations. I think it was a total success."

"We are driving the Movement forward and making sure that the Organising Committees see the potential. It's not just about raising the bar, it's also about enabling other organisers, host cities and host nations to understand the potential of what we've seen here. 2.5 million tickets were sold - they were not given away. The number of broadcasts has never been so high, which demonstrates the commercial value of the event. Let's just say it gives them a few challenges, but also a lot of opportunities", he explains after a grandiose closing ceremony.

The Brazilian concludes, by way of prevention for future editions: "By setting the bar higher, we have shown our friends in Milan-Cortina (2026), Los Angeles (2028), the French Alps (2030), Brisbane (2032) and Salt Lake City-Utah (2034) that this is now a benchmark and that they should live up to it."