Passionate support at Paralympics raises hopes for future of para sports

news wires

Tue, 3 Sept 2024, 4:48 pm·2-min read

Used to competing with relatively few spectators in the stands, Paralympic athletes have commented widely on the buzz they’re getting from competing in Paris, with enthusiastic French fans turning out en masse to support the more than 4,000 Paralympians at the 2024 Games.

It’s the end of the second set of a women’s sitting volleyball match between the United States and France, and the French fans are letting loose.

They wave their tricolor flags in the flashing lights. Songs and cheers erupt from the packed stands at North Paris Arena.

And yet, the French have just lost this set, 25-1.

Win or lose, the French fans are turning out and supporting the more than 4,000 Paralympians competing in Paris, especially their own team.

These Paralympics sold more than 2.3 million tickets as of Monday, the latest count, according to Paris 2024 organizers. That puts it at No. 2 all time in terms of ticket sales for a Paralympic Games, behind only London’s 2.7 million in 2012, a moment generally regarded as a big victory in the disability sport community as it fights for visibility.

“We are surfing on the spirit of the Olympic Games, with crowds that embraced the spirit, and now we’re having crowds embrace the Paralympic spirit,” Etienne Thobois, director general of Paris 2024 said at a Saturday news conference.

“It’s a positive signal in a society that needs more positive signals,” he said, noting the numbers were comparable to the Rugby World Cup in France last year.

But what’s even more important, Matthews said, is the wider impact of fans in the seats.

While the French fans haven’t let results get in the way too much, it’s fair to say they like winning.