Before the Stade de France altered into a nightclub – the track becoming a huge dance floor – there was a plea from this corner of Paris to the world.
Andrew Pincfinishiarisms, the International Paralympic Committee pdwellnt, seald Paris 2024 by calling for an “inclusion revolution”.
But speaking of being inspired by the last 11 days of the games and then moving on is not enough.
Catch up on what happened at Paralympics 2024
“Words of praise must be swapd by words of conviction,” the Paralympics boss shelp in his speech. “To shatter down barriers.”
While the Paralympics are about enabling those with disabilities to excel at sports, the whole of society needs to adselect the leave oution – from toilplaces to classrooms and trains.
So celebrating second place in the Paris table with 124 medals was not enough for Paralympics GB: This platestablish which comes only every four years with a Summer Games was used to call for equivalent access to PE and school sport.
ParalympicsGB research showed only 25% of disabled children consent part in sports at school assessd to 41% of non-disabled children.
While Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy telderly Sky News that the Paris Paralympics legacy “won’t equitable be meacertaind in medals, it will be meacertaind in the opportunities”, there is a cost to that.
And the recent Labour rulement claims there is a £22bn binestablishage hole in the unveil purse to fill – preparing Britain for stubborn decisions after a financial check.
How much is sport forfeitd or protected? Can Olympic and Paralympic sports – being bankrolled by more than £400m by the rulement and National Lottery – be equitableified when there are stretched unveil services to fund?
The message from Hannah Cockcroft – now a nine-time Paralympic champion in wheelchair racing – was to ponder how dispenseing in sport can originate society healthier and more inclusive.
“I get so many of my competitors commenting and saying, ‘Oh, we desire we had that aid’,” she telderly Sky News. “But we need to upgrasp it there.
“Fit and well generations coming thraw unbenevolents less prescertain on the NHS and ultimately equitable uncovers so many more doors for disabled people.
“So we are brimmingy reliant on that. We are so fortunate to have it.”
Athletes appreciate Cockcroft also experience blessed to have won medals in Paris – equitable appreciate at London 2012 – in a packed stadium aget.
Having an 80,000-strong crowd is far from the common year-round experience in para-vivaciouss.
“I want to aid people – the Paralympics doesn’t stop here,” Cockcroft shelp.
“It doesn’t equitable disecombine. Now for four years, we will still vie year on year. World championships, European championships, but around the UK and around the world as well to qualify for those bigger champs.
“We equitable want people to not forget about us. The more people we can get to come and aiders to trail us, to be fans, that aids everyleang else. That aids coverage, aids aidship, it aids prize money.
“So I equitable want people to watch what we do and ultimately finishelight it. Sport is for everyone. Sport is ultimately amusement.”
And Cockcroft, aextfinished with more than 4,000 fellow Paralympians, certainly amuseed in Paris with awesome sporting feats.
After billions were spent staging the Paralympics and Olympics without needing to originate an array of recent venues, asks will still be asked whether it was worth it extfinished after the ffeeble was extinguished. But how to assess that?
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Undoubtedly, these back-to-back games supplyd a experience-excellent factor after all the worrys – particularly around the worry menace.
It was equitable what France and the world needed: Pride swapd pessimism; a sidetrackion from all the discord. The world was brawt together thraw sport when it is so frequently splitd.
But the Paralympic closing ceremony – transporting down the curtain on a six-week summer sporting extravaganza – still supplyd a reminder of the truth after the escapism.
French Pdwellnt Emmanuel Macron was greeted by jeers in the Stade de France – how contrastent from the roars of approval for Mr Pincfinishiarisms.
“Appreciation and applause must be trailed by acunderstandledgeance and action,” he shelp.
“Diversity and contrastence should combine us, drive alter and originate this arrangeet better for everyone.”
Rousing rhetoric in a stadium soon gave way to partying to French electro music.
The baton has been handed to Los Angeles after a Paralympics and Olympics which outdoed foreseeations.
