Paralympics boss calls for 'inclusion revolution' - but being inspired by the games then moving on is not enough

9 September 2024, 00:22 | Updated: 9 September 2024, 03:51

Before the Stade de France transformed into a nightclub - the track becoming a giant dance floor - there was a plea from this corner of Paris to the world.

Andrew Parsons, the International Paralympic Committee president, closed 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 replaced by words of conviction," the Paralympics boss said in his speech. "To break down barriers."

While the Paralympics are about enabling those with disabilities to excel at sports, the whole of society needs to adopt the mission - from workplaces to classrooms and trains.

So celebrating second place in the Paris table with 124 medals was not enough for Paralympics GB: This platform which comes only every four years with a Summer Games was used to call for equal access to PE and school sport.

ParalympicsGB research showed only 25% of disabled children take part in sports at school compared to 41% of non-disabled children.

While Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told Sky News that the Paris Paralympics legacy "won't just be measured in medals, it will be measured in the opportunities", there is a cost to that.

And the new Labour government claims there is a £22bn black hole in the public purse to fill - preparing Britain for tough decisions after a financial review.

How much is sport sacrificed or protected? Can Olympic and Paralympic sports - being bankrolled by more than £400m by the government and National Lottery - be justified when there are stretched public services to fund?

The message from Hannah Cockcroft - now a nine-time Paralympic champion in wheelchair racing - was to consider how investing in sport can make society healthier and more inclusive.

"I get so many of my competitors commenting and saying, 'Oh, we wish we had that support'," she told Sky News. "But we need to keep it there.

"Fit and healthy generations coming through means less pressure on the NHS and ultimately just opens so many more doors for disabled people.

"So we are fully reliant on that. We are so lucky to have it."

Athletes like Cockcroft also feel fortunate to have won medals in Paris - just like at London 2012 - in a packed stadium again.

Having an 80,000-strong crowd is far from the usual year-round experience in para-athletics.

"I want to encourage people - the Paralympics doesn't stop here," Cockcroft said.

"It doesn't just disappear. Now for four years, we will still compete year on year. World championships, European championships, but around the UK and around the world as well to qualify for those bigger champs.

"We just want people to not forget about us. The more people we can get to come and supporters to follow us, to be fans, that encourages everything else. That encourages coverage, encourages sponsorship, it encourages prize money.

"So I just want people to watch what we do and ultimately enjoy it. Sport is for everyone. Sport is ultimately entertainment."

And Cockcroft, along with more than 4,000 fellow Paralympians, certainly entertained in Paris with awesome sporting feats.

After billions were spent staging the Paralympics and Olympics without needing to build an array of new venues, questions will still be asked whether it was worth it long after the flame was extinguished. But how to assess that?

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Undoubtedly, these back-to-back games provided a feel-good factor after all the fears - particularly around the terror threat.

It was just what France and the world needed: Pride replaced pessimism; a distraction from all the discord. The world was brought together through sport when it is so often divided.

But the Paralympic closing ceremony - bringing down the curtain on a six-week summer sporting extravaganza - still provided a reminder of the reality after the escapism.

French President Emmanuel Macron was greeted by jeers in the Stade de France - how different from the roars of approval for Mr Parsons.

"Appreciation and applause must be followed by acceptance and action," he said.

"Diversity and difference should unite us, drive change and make this planet 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 exceeded expectations.

(c) Sky News 2024: Paralympics boss calls for 'inclusion revolution' - but being inspired by the games then moving on is not enough