“There is a proposal to open the Paris Games outside the stadium”

the brazilian Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committeehighlighted in an interview with EFE that, just two years before the Paris Games, preparations are “on the right track” and A proposal is being studied so that the opening ceremony can take place outside the stadium in the area of ​​La Concordia.

Parsons (Rio de Janeiro, 1977) became the president of the IPC in September 2017 to succeed the British Philip Craven, who held the direction of the entity since 2001. In December 2021, he was re-elected overwhelmingly for a new term.

Since his arrival, his goal has been to “expand the Paralympic movement to all continents, approaching the various Committees and national federations.carry out cooperation programs in areas where economic resources are less, the signing of a historic agreement with the International Olympic Committee to draw a common strategic roadmap until at least 2032 and the modernization of the entity” .

Q: Two years for Paris 2024. At what point is the organization of the Games?

A: We are in the operation phase after leaving the planning phase. It is a major change in the life cycle of an organizing committee when it changes phase. The engagement of nations is approaching and we are at an important moment. Inflation is something that is growing all over the world and we know that we have to work to reduce costs in many areas. We learned this from Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo because of the pandemic. It will help us a lot to find where we can cut back without affecting the athlete experience. Now many proposals are being made.

Q: Can any of these propositions be revealed?

A: We can’t, although the organizers’ ambition to sell 3.4 million tickets remains. This is something incredible because it will be 600,000 more than London. The development of promotion plans is something very important because, in addition to the tourist attraction of Paris, it can be achieved. The Games are coming back to Europe and we think a lot of people will want to go. This atmosphere and ambition of Paris is something we want from IPC. We want to position the Games as the most transformative event in the world and we are in the best possible scenario.

Q: The motto of the Games is ‘Let’s open the Games wide’. Do you share that philosophy?

A: Yes, that motto is success. We all want to belong. We want to organize the Games to include athletes with disabilities but also all people with disabilities who can watch the Games from anywhere in the world. They are open to everyone as athletes and as spectators.

Q: Is the opening or closing ceremony outside the stadium?

A: Paris delivered its proposal to the IPC. They proposed that the ceremony be at La Concordia but it would be a very different model from all the previous ceremonies. We request more information because we may have fewer spectators and we need to study the terms of accessibility for people, for athletes and for the entire moment of the parade. We have different logistics than the Olympics. We need to have more information before approving a proposal.

The Committee intends to organize an outdoor ceremony. It’s something that seems positive to us but we need to see the details because for us it’s an iconic moment. The opening ceremonies are the last times before Tokyo between seventy and eighty thousand people. It also remains to be seen how it will be broadcast on television since most people will be watching it from home.

Q: Has the deadline been set?

A: There is no deadline. It’s important to do it right. The most important thing is the concept and everything is well defined.

Q: In Paris 2024 there will be almost 1,900 women competing, a fact that should be highlighted.

A: We are on the right track. We want them to be half and half in the future. We can’t get to Paris. Maybe in Brisbane 2032 but it has been increasing dramatically since Beijing 2008 and that is the best news.

Q: Chair basketball goes from 12 to 8 teams. Have you noticed the complaints from the affected federations? Is it possible to reverse it?

A: It definitely is. We want a concept so that all team sports are eight maximum. There are many things to consider there. We are thinking about the future and there are already 33 sports in the program of Los Angeles 2028. It is not possible to add sports without removing athletes because the number of athletes is fixed according to the agreement we reached with the International Olympic Committee.

You have to find ways to balance that. Sometimes a sport is affected, as in this case of basketball and goalball, but also with more teams, competitiveness can be affected. There were games in Tokyo with teams losing by seventy or eighty points. The level of competitiveness should be. Universality is important but also helps federations develop their sports in all parts of the world. If there is no team in Africa, nothing will happen, we need to work on that particular sport so that it can compete in the future, not because it goes to the Games to lose seventy points.

International sports should be developed. It cannot be a party for developed countries. We know that there are countries in Central America that will never play basketball in the Games. Places are provided by continent and being the United States and Canada is difficult. What is important is that wheelchair basketball continues to grow internationally. That the countries that did not take their sport to the Games did not invest money in them is not an absolute fact.

Q: In Spain, there is talk of merging the different federations of people with disabilities into one. Do you think this is the way?

A: All over the world, there are federations that are united with each other. I think it is going the right way in some cases and it should be aligned at the international level. The model of most countries growing in the number of medals and performance is because they specialize in sports disciplines. I think it’s an evolution. Federations of the disabled have an important role in development, the first experience of many athletes, but when we talk about national and international federations, it should be for the sports discipline and not for disability.

Q: Will we see athletes with Down syndrome in future Games?

A: For Paris there is no chance that they will have a specific class. Athletes with Down syndrome can participate in swimming, athletics and table tennis, although this is difficult due to the level of competition.

The inclusion of athletes with Down syndrome requires a bit of work on the part of the international federation and also define which sports are this class. The IPC has a job and so do the international federations. Many strategic decisions have to be made, but also by the international federations of each sport.

I know that there are countries where this issue is very relevant, like Spain or France, which also organize the Games. This is something that needs to be very well structured. I have nothing against it, but within Down syndrome there are many levels and it is important to define it because, for example, if an athlete drops from a class of S5 to an S4, it is noticeable. This is one of the issues that the international federation should be better structured. The international federation has a lot of work to do but we support it. There was a motion approved in 2017 to have more athletes with intellectual disabilities but in relation to Down syndrome some work is needed.