By all accounts, the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games were the most successful edition of the event, for organizers, athletes, spectators, and broadcasters alike. Los Angeles 2028 will provide a great opportunity to maintain this momentum, not to mention that the International Paralympic Committee has high hopes for Brisbane 2032. Visiting Australia in the last few daysAndrew Parsons said that all the conditions were in place for the country to write perhaps the most beautiful page in the history of the Paralympic Movement.
“To change Australia and the rest of the world forever”
During his three days in Brisbane, the President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) recalled the key role played by Sydney 2000 in this story. The Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games were a game-changer for the entire Paralympic Movement. Like Sydney 2000, I am confident that the Brisbane 2032 Paralympic Games will transform the Paralympic Movement and the lives of people with disabilities., he says. The Games truly are an opportunity to change Australia, Oceania and the rest of the world forever. »
An opportunity that the organizing committee and local sport will undoubtedly seize, according to the leader, who sees Australia as a particularly fertile ground. He pointed out that " many Paralympic athletes – such as Ellie Cole, Kurt Fearnley, Madison de Rozario, Curtis McGrath and Vanessa Low " are known to the general public in Australia, which contrasts sharply with the example of the 2012 Games. « Two years before London, less than one percent of the British population could name a Paralympian » recalls Parsons, who believes that this culture places Brisbane 2032 " in an immense position of strength ».
Another significant element: wheelchair tennis player Dylan Alcott was voted Australian of the Year 2022 at the end of a monumental 2021 season, marked by two Paralympic medals (gold in singles, silver in doubles) and a quadruple in singles at the Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, US Open). An additional sign "of the high regard that Paralympic athletes enjoy in this country ", said Parsons. Seven years before the Games, I can assure you that no other host country or organizing committee has benefited from such a level of visibility for Paralympic athletes. »
The desire to promote athletes
In 2010, the Australian Paralympic Committee launched the Australian Paralympic History Project to celebrate the athletes' journeys and achievements. More than 60 oral histories have been recorded to preserve the memory of the Australian Paralympic Movement, from the 1950s to the present day. Paralympics Australia also established the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies in 2009, one of whose goals is to encourage research, a Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2011, and has built a large collection of photographs and various objects, some of which are housed at the National Sports Museum. These are important elements in nurturing a culture of para sport.
The government is also making a commitment: in July 2024, it proudly announced that it would invest €160 million in para sports over the next two years, an unprecedented amount. Andrew Parsons welcomes these pledges with gratitude. It's not often you get the chance to change your hometown, let alone your country or the world, forever. But today, that chance is yours., he said during an exchange moment at the University of Queensland. By working together to deliver a magnificent Paralympic Games, you will change this country forever, create new heroes and provide greater opportunities for the 5,5 million people with disabilities in Australia. »
