Why not combine the Olympic and Paralympic Games?
Would merging the Olympic and Paralympic Games give Paralympic athletes and their performances greater visibility, better facilities or optimised performance conditions? This question comes up frequently but to answer it, we have to go back to 19 June 2001, when the IOC and IPC signed an agreement guaranteeing and protecting the organisation of the Paralympic Games.
Over 40 years after the creation of the Paralympic Games, this agreement confirmed that, from the Games in Beijing in 2008, they would always be held shortly after the Olympic Games and use the same sporting venues, facilities and athletes’ village, and that entry fees and travel costs would be covered to the same extent. Since then, the Olympic host city has always held the Paralympic Games shortly afterwards.
A unique time to celebrate Paralympic athletes
This agreement, which guarantees the organisation of both Games in one location and by a single Organising Committee, marked a step forward for the Paralympic movement. For Andrew Parsons, President of the IPC, creating a single, shared event could diminish the importance of the Paralympics: “the Paralympic Games are a unique time to celebrate Paralympic athletes. It’s their moment! If the two events were merged, these athletes’ exceptional performances would be normalised or get drowned out, when they deserve our full attention. Having the Paralympic Games just after the Olympic Games is the most appropriate situation for the IPC.”
In addition, the logistics and costs created by organising the two events simultaneously without reducing the number of events or participants would be immense. It would require an Olympic village with 26,000 beds and a transport service with capacity for almost as many people, including 2,000 people in wheelchairs. Unless the number of facilities were doubled, including two Olympic stadiums and swimming pools, the length of the Games would have to increase to a month‑long event without any breaks. Furthermore, there is a real risk that media coverage of the Paralympic athletes would be drowned out by the already significant flows of information created by Olympics news coverage.
Why not hold the Paralympic Games first?
For Andrew Parsons, that option would not be ideal: “the Paralympic Games shouldn’t be seen as a test run before the Olympic Games. With regard to schedules and organisation, holding the Paralympic Games before the Olympic Games would make them look like a rehearsal or a trial.”
