Dr. Veronika Macková
Researcher and Associate Lecturer at the Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. Her areas of research interest include sports journalism and artificial intelligence journalism. In her academic publications, she focuses mainly on Para sports. She is currently a member of the research team ReMeD, supported by the Horizon Europe grant.
Email: veronika.mackova@fsv.cuni.cz
Twitter: @Verca_Mackova
Dr. Ondřej Trunečka
Researcher and Associate Lecturer at the Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. He focuses his research on sports journalism. At the same time, he is editor-in-chief of one of the biggest sports websites in the Czech Republic.
Email: ondrej.trunecka@fsv.cuni.cz
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games were unique in several ways. Notably, for the first time, the unified Organizing Committee managed both the Paralympic and Olympic Games, making a major advancement towards greater integration of the two movements. The opening ceremonies for both events reinforced this idea by leading the participants outside the traditional stadium. The Paralympic athletes started their event in a historic atmosphere in front of the legendary and iconic monuments such as the Avenue des Champs-Elysées or Place de la Concorde. This unprecedented vision emphasizes the values of equality, as this Parisian square symbolizes.
The approach of the International Paralympic Committee aimed to increase fairness between the two events and optimize organization and logistics. The IPC actively seeks to change the perception of people with a disability through sport and the promotion of social inclusion. The Paralympic Games serve as a key tool to achieve this goal and try to disprove stereotypes and prejudices about Para athletes. In addition, it also emphasizes improving media coverage not only of the Paralympic Games, to spread awareness about Para athletes.
The visibility increases but the underestimation persists
For the first time in history, the organizers of the Paris Paralympic Games provided live broadcasts of all 22 sports. Increasing visibility helps draw more attention not only to Para athletes but also to disability issues. Additionally, Para sport can be shown as a full-fledged professional sport. However, the perception of athletes with a disability is also changing due to media attention, Para sport is still considered in many countries only as a therapeutic element.
“Some people think that Para sport is just for fun; no competition, no rivalry, and everybody who participates automatically wins the medal. Despite the smaller number of athletes with a disability, winning remains challenging. Many people are unaware of the rigorous training and immense effort required to achieve success in Para sport. Many people do not know how the training is hard or how much power is needed to win a race,” described one Paralympic winner we spoke to. Many Paralympians still do not feel equal to Olympians. “The journalists underestimated it. The Para sport or the women’s sport is the same sport; there is only one sport with the same emotions,” added another athlete we spoke to, who won Paralympic gold medals.
Coming to Paris means supporting the family and friends
It is not just the perception of Para athletes by TV viewers, or the feelings of Paralympians compared to Olympians that is different. Major sporting events attract a global audience, and thus sports tourism occurs. The motivations driving these sports tourists often vary. Many Olympic fans travel to satisfy their passion for the sport, to feel like a part of a team, or to explore new destinations. Others enjoy engaging with like-minded individuals and experiencing the atmosphere of a prestigious event of global importance. But the motivation of fans of the Paralympic Games is often different.
This is usually the desire to share emotions with someone from family or friends. They don’t go to support personally unknown athletes or just watch the sport. “I came to the Paralympic Games because my relative plays boccia, and that’s why I came to Paris. It’s great that he found something he enjoys,” revealed a fan from Great Britain we spoke to. “I’m here in Paris to watch my family relatives, but otherwise I don’t follow Para sports,” added a fan from Portugal.
The support of family members is very important for athletes, which is why there were many of them in the stands. “I’m nervous when I watch my husband, but we came to cheer him on with his whole family and mine,” described the wife of a Para athlete from the Czech Republic during the competition at Chateauroux Shooting Center.
The passion of the host city for Para sport
Although foreign visitors were not among those classic fans who support athletes they do not know personally or follow their favorite sport, the locals and foreigners living in Paris came to watch the Paralympic Games as sports competition. “I’m from Mexico, but I’ve been living here in Paris for a while, so I wanted to watch the games and support our athletes,” revealed a woman from Mexico at the Para archery.
More than two million tickets were already sold out before the games even started, 92% of these tickets were bought by people living in France. “We live in Paris, but we come from China, so we went out to support our athletes,” commented the young couple on their participation in the sports fields.
The Paris Paralympic Games can be a model for the following ones. Indeed, the Joint Organizing Committee enabled greater cooperation and coordination, which led to more efficient management and a positive impact on the perception of Paralympic sports.
Additionally, this model reinforces the idea that sporting events should be accessible to all and speak to and celebrate the achievements of all athletes.
