The Paralympics Games (Aug 28- Sept 8) have just begun in Paris. The Games will bring together more than 4,400 athletes from 160 nations who will compete in 22 sports, ranging from track and field to swimming, wheelchair basketball, and new events like para-badminton and para-taekwondo.
In preparation for the Paralympics, the city of Paris prioritized accessibility, with venues undergoing significant upgrades. Transportation networks have been enhanced, and specialized services, such as sign language interpreters and accessible seating, will be available. The city even modified its water fountains to accommodate wheelchair users and assistance dogs.
Public spaces, roads, sidewalks, and crosswalks have all been designed to allow wheelchair users to pass through.
Paralympic Village
The Paralympic Village was designed to accommodate all athletes. Apartments are equipped with accessible bathrooms. Grab bars were added, as well as shower wheelchairs to help facilitate transfers.
Paralympic Apartment
The same services provided to the Olympians—a hair salon, mini-market, restaurant, laundry, and fitness center—are available to Paralympic athletes. “We just needed to modify certain counter heights to improve accessibility, particularly in the restaurant,” explains Laurent Michaud, Paralympic Village Manager. “The buffet heights have been revised, and about one chair in three has been removed to enable athletes to slide under the tables with their wheelchairs.”
Paralympic Training Studio
It is also notable that the training studios will remain a key feature of the Paralympic Games, offering training in wheelchair fencing, sitting volleyball, para taekwondo, para powerlifting, wheelchair and basketball.
One response to “2024 Paralympic Games Wins Gold Medal for Accessibility”
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My friends in Paris for the Paralympics said that the event venues have a limited amount of disabled seating sections. That was great for the “regular” Olympics, but now that a large group of wheelchair users are there to watch the Paralympic events, there aren’t enough sections/areas to accommodate the large number of wheelchair spectators.