On Sunday afternoon the curtain comes down on the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
So what? They’ve been a big success for the Paralympic movement and ParalympicsGB, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the UK is good at supporting disabled people back home.
Before. Last month, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson – one of the most decorated Paralympians of all time – was forced to “crawl off” a train because there was no passenger assistance on her train from Leeds to London. And there had been worries that interest in the Paralympics would sag after London 2012.
- It did, but not for long.
- Viewer numbers have more than doubled in the past eight years, according to Nielsen TV ratings.
- The International Paralympics Committee said it expects total audience figures for Paris 2024 to surpass those of the Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016 Paralympics combined.
During. In the UK, Channel 4’s Paralympics tie-in with YouTube meant over 1,300 hours of live sport were free to watch – more than five times the 250 hours of live broadcasting by the BBC across 16 days of the Olympic Games in July and August.
A record 160 media rights-holders broadcast the games in their respective countries, showing the Paralympic movement continues to gain traction globally.
“Channel 4’s decision to stream live coverage of all 22 events is a notable development,” says Dominic Walker of the Wasserman sports and entertainment agency. “It’s positive to see a willingness to both showcase all events live and increase free distribution channels.”
Winning. UK athletes representing a country of 67 million won more golds and medals overall than those from the US (pop. 337 million). ParalympicsGB’s success reflects a fundamental principle at work in elite sports – consistent funding means medals.
By the numbers
12 – gold medals won last Saturday alone by ParalympicsGB – a new record for golds won in a single day
46 – percentage of female ParalympicsGB members, the highest proportion ever
£64.5 million – UK Sport funding for the Paris Games, up £9.5 million from Tokyo 2020
Not a lottery. Since 1997 UK Sport, the government agency responsible for investing in Paralympic success, has been bolstered by National Lottery funding.
- ParalympicsGB has never been outside the top five on the medals table since the inaugural Games in Rome in 1960.
- The team finished second in the medals table in five of the six Games since the introduction of lottery funding.
- Its lowest ranking of third ironically came at the 2012 London Games, where it had more athletes competing than at any other games.
After. The Tanni Grey-Thompson incident coincided with a call from ParalympicsGB for a government guarantee of equal access to school sports for children with disabilities, noting that only 25 per cent of disabled children take part in sport compared with 41 per cent of their non-disabled classmates.
- Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, said this week the legacy of ParalympicsGB’s success “won’t just be measured in medals, it will be measured in the opportunities”.
- Sprinter Jonnie Peacock used the Games to call on Lord Coe, the World Athletics president, to increase the visibility of para-athletics by including them in future Diamond League meets.
- Disability sport is for life, not just for the Paralympics, Ade Adepitan writes in the Guardian. Whether organisers view it that way remains to be seen.
In the meantime. Experience as well as funding paid off for ParalympicsGB. Highlights included:
- Hannah Cockroft winning the 100m T34 wheelchair race for the fourth consecutive Games.
- 45-year-old cyclist Jody Cundy winning his ninth gold medal in his eighth Paralympics.
- The indefatigable cyclist Dame Sarah Storey winning her 18th Paralympic gold, having won her first two golds in swimming at the 1992 Games.
- 38-year-old Jaco van Gass winning two golds in cycling, a week after being involved in a car crash when inspecting the Paralympic road time-trial course.
What’s more… Despite the success of the Games, tickets are still available in all categories for Sunday’s closing ceremony for as little as €45. Eurostar, anyone?
