Paralympics, Parsons: ‘The Paris Games will transform the world’

The tenth anniversary of what is considered the most important Paralympics in history, London 2012, and the exact two years since the Paris 2024 Games, which everyone hopes will mark the final exit from the pandemic. Without forgetting the fundamental contribution of the Italian Paralympic movement to the world, also in view of the appointment with Milan Cortina 2026. Andrew Parsons, 45, President of the International Paralympic Committee since 2017, where one of the most influential figures on the board is Luca Pancalli, from his base in Brasilia outlines the state of the movement he leads, before returning to travel the world for the many appointments and events ”.

Andrew Parsons, what period is the Paralympic movement going through?

“We came out of the worst year of the pandemic in good shape. It is extraordinary to see how the Paralympic teams faced first Tokyo and then Beijing. The performance of the athletes and the level of sport are a good indicator of the state of the Paralympic movement. We are already thinking of Paris, which will represent the end of a cycle, of the most difficult period due to the pandemic, and the possibility of looking beyond. It will be challenging, especially as regards the classifications and qualifications, in fact we have to consider three years and not four. But we are robust and the movement is in good shape. “

What are the next steps before the French Games?

“There will always be several internationals in Paris, as for athletics, which will be an important event also as a promotion of the Games. For Paris 2024 it will be crucial to ensure a good qualification process. It is important that all athletes around the world have access to competitions in each of the 22 sports featured. Compressing 4 years into 3 means having fewer competitions available, and therefore a balance must be found. But we are thrilled. Let’s go back to Europe after 12 years. “

The last time was in London 2012, whose tenth anniversary we are celebrating these days.

“It’s true. Beautiful. The organizing committee’s approach is truly, as they like to say, revolutionary. They are very ambitious when it comes to tickets. The goal is to sell 3.4 million tickets for the Paralympics, 600 thousand more than London which still holds the record. And we want to build on Paris. We have several campaigns like ‘We The 15’. We want to use the Paris Games to position the Paralympics as the most ‘transformative’ event on the planet. Not just about the sport, but in general, thanks to the impact it has. We have so many initiatives like those to try to fill the spaces between events so that people are more and more involved in Paralympic sport, and use this to change society and change perception. Paris will also be iconic because all the venues are located in the heart of the city, in the symbolic places. They will be very spectacular, fantastic games. It will be a really good opportunity to position the Paralympic Games globally as the most transformative event on the planet ”.

London is considered the best Paralympics ever, what do you think of the legacy it has left?

“London has taken the Paralympic Games to a new level. There is a before and after London. It was also a combination of several factors. The Paralympic movement was growing naturally, we had wonderful Games in Beijing in 2008, but with London the next step was reached, also thanks to how they were promoted. For example in England Channel 4 provided a specific focus on the Paralympic Games and not “a smaller version” of what had been done with the Olympics. This helped change the perception of people with disabilities in that country. And it can still be seen today. I have been to the opening of the Commonwealth Games and it feels like the British public does not differentiate between athletes with or without disabilities. There is no doubt that London 2012 was the time when perception changed. London’s legacy is to have had a clear strategy for the Paralympics. They cannot be promoted and broadcast like the Olympics. They are different, we have some distinctive and unique elements. Our athletes are different in some respects. They are athletes, period, so in that sense they are no different, but the human part behind the athletes, their stories are unique. I think London has taken our movement to the next level. It helped change the history of the Paralympic movement forever. “

In Italy in this century the perception of Paralympic sport and therefore also of disability has changed.

“The Italian Paralympic movement is very robust. In international competitions people ask me ‘what’s going on in Italy?’ For example, the growth in swimming is incredible. A new generation of athletes, therefore not just one or two, who achieve extraordinary results, winning medals. A mix between well known athletes and younger athletes. It is a set of several things. Luca (Pancalli, ed) is an extraordinary leader, he’s incredible. He always has a long-term vision for the Italian Paralympic movement. When he started as President of the Committee, he was not thinking about the next edition of the games, but he was thinking about transforming the Italian Paralympic movement. And he did it. He sees himself in sports federations, such as the Italian swimming and athletics federation and how this has helped create more opportunities for athletes with disabilities, also considering the improvement of infrastructure. The result of this is to have more and better athletes. Bebe Vio, Martina Caironi, past athletes like La Barbera. And then this incredible generation of swimmers, Barlaam for example. So young but you see him so ready, who knows how many other editions of the Paralympics he will do. And not only him, Bocciardo, Fantin, and then the women. It’s a revolution. “

A work by Luca Pancalli, whom you mentioned and with whom you are very in tune, even more important if we think of Milan Cortina.

“Exactly. The Milan Cortina Winter Paralympics will be a catalyst to launch Italy towards an even higher position, and of course I am not referring only to the medal table. It’s not just something related to medals, but specifically what events like this can represent to change society. I told Luca on the phone 10 days ago: ‘Luca I have to understand better how you are working in Italy because it is something we can export to the world‘, because there are some elements that you can bring to each country. It takes time but now we can see the fruits, we can learn a lot from the Italian context. “

Speaking of Milan Cortina, will you come to Italy before 2026 and meet the Organizing Committee?

“Absolutely yes. We of the International Paralympic Committee do this, now that Beijing is behind us, we focus on the next edition. So Paris and Milan-Cortina, without losing sight of Los Angeles because we always think about the three successive editions of the Paralympics. A global long-term vision is needed, to understand where we want to take the movement. “

“I am a pragmatic dreamer. My dream is that the Games are perceived as an exciting event, but at the same time as an event with a higher purpose. May everyone get to say: ‘wow, I want to see the Paralympics on TV.’ Both because sport is great, thrilling, thrilling and exciting, and because people are aware that this can change the world. That the Paralympic movement helps change the world, not just helping, but driving world change. “

What can be the contribution of Italy and in particular of Italian athletes?

“They contribute a lot individually, but also as a group and collectively they are extraordinary. For example Bebe, a superstar in Italy and thanks to Rising Phoenix also with a global impact. Now in the world they know her name, Bebe Vio. She is recognized globally. Alex (Zanardi, ed) is a great example of an athlete who was already super iconic as a driver, had an accident and after the accident he wanted to start over as a Paralympic athlete. With this, he has given a very strong message. He could not do it and instead he said “I am an athlete” and this is the value of the Paralympic athletes. The image of him with the wheelchair raised to the sky after winning the gold medal in London is fantastic. And then Martina (Caironi, ed), a great leader. She was elected by other athletes and that means sportsmen around the world think she can do a good job for them. Italy is making a huge contribution. A lot is thanks to Luca, but also a lot for the quality of the athletes: Bebe, Martina and many others, but also the new ones like Barlaam, so young, but with the right attitude. I would say she is part of the Italian DNA. “(Paola Arrigoni collaborated)