it's game on but is everyone invited at the par Olympics the sporting event is happening in the French capital and this R2 brieley will bringing you up to speed on everything you need to know so grab a [Music] seat with over 4,000 disabled athletes set to descend upon the French Capital the paral Olympic games are shining a torch on how disabilities are perceived around the world the opening ceremony took place on the plast de la Concord and along with the champis with a message of diversity equity and inclusion ringing loud and clear the torch is seemingly burning brighter than ever before but is it shining on everyone let's see what Paris has [Music] planned the message here is clear we are professionals just like the other athletes the Paris par Olympic team rolled out this clip in May with the aim of jump starting ticket sales for the games [Music] and it worked by the start of the games 2 million of the 2.8 million tickets had been snapped up possibly helped by prices that were a fair bit lower than for the Olympics the cheapest tickets go for just € 15 the result packed stadiums and a cracking atmosphere just like at the Olympics France has been pushing hard for this for months with President macron leading the charge seen here at a wheelchair basketball match a year ago [Music] a grand opening ceremony on the Shanise watched by tens of thousands of people boosted visibility for the par Olympics 2o these games are being broadcast in 160 countries often live and in prime time or even around the clock as in France which is a first the Olympic and Par Olympic Games also now share the same press team and the same Paris 2024 emblem another first the 16 venues were the ones used for the Olympics at the stadium beneath the Eiffel Tower instead of beach volleyball blind football is now being played the sand wasn't cleared away but left under the pitch to muffle the noise the Olympic Village has had a makeover too with a new repair center for Prosthetics at accessibility here was planned from the [Music] start for the fans though things are a bit trickier the Paris Metro is a real obstacle course and lacks lifts ramps and support stuff autonomy so accessibility remains a major concern only 14% of paris's Metro stations are accessible to wheelchair users although public transport in Paris did see some improvements before the Paralympics with more ramps more announcements and signs in Braille now if disability was a country it would be the world's third largest from wheelchair basketball to blind football no Global sporting event puts persons of disability center stage on quite the same as the Paro Olympics in spite of this in many countries par Olympians still receive less financial support compared to Olympians frequently without sponsorship they need to take time off work to compete and even have to cover their own travel costs we met French gold ball par athletes and spoke to them about the challenges that come with disabled [Music] sport qu please play loise Ronda is partially cited and has been playing gold ball since 2019 the architect is now a member of the French Women's National Team and is taking part in the Paro Olympic Games in Paris [Music] 19-year-old law student Melda alhan is the youngest member of the team and one of its newest recruits and she's very optimistic about the Paris games [Music] [Music] gold ball is played on a similar sized pitch to volleyball two teams of three players compete to pass a bellfield ball past their opponents with the aim of scoring a goal in the opponent's net each player wears a blackout mask over their eyes to give everyone an equal chance equality is something goldall players also hope for in the promotion and recognition of their sport [Music] [Music] [Music] the par Olympic Games in Paris will put gold ball and Paras Sports in the spotlight and the athletes who play them too athletes who are all too often [Music] forgotten now 22 sports will be held across the par Olympics in Paris over 11 days including both individual and team sports with two par Olympic sports gold ball and botcher with no equivalent at the Olympics it would be hard to believe that the event originally had very humble beginnings we look back at the par Olympics original story in fast [Music] forward these wheelchair athletes facing off in basketball and archery are all former military personnel the idea of sports for people with disabilities came from a German neuropsychologist Ludi Goodman seen here on the right at Stoke mandaville hospital near London shortly after the second world War the aim was to help these injured soldiers live happy fulfilling and dignified lives but it wasn't until 1960 that the first par Olympic Games took place in Rome 23 Nations took part and almost 400 athletes competed but only 5,000 Spectators attended the opening ceremony back then there were just eight Sports all of them played in wheelchairs including basketball para Athletics and fencing espcially designed athletic wheelchairs hadn't yet been developed and the gear was bulky and heavy as seen here at the Tokyo paralympic games in 196 4 at the Toronto games in 1976 the first amputees and Visually Impaired athletes were able to compete this time there were more than 1600 athletes men and women from 40 countries and for the first time the par Olympics were broadcast daily on a national Canadian channel the 1980s then saw the inclusion of athletes with terrible py it was in 1992 at the Barcelona games that Paris sport really began to make its Mark 3,000 athletes from 83 countries competed in around 15 events including wheelchair tennis more than 1.5 million viewers tuned in by the late 1990s the first intellectually disabled athletes had joined those with physical disabilities in 2012 the Paro Olympics returned to their routs in London here showcasing par volleyball the London 2012 par Olympics mascot was named Manderville in honor of the place where the first sporting competition for people with disabilities were organized public enthusiasm soared to new heights with 2.7 million tickets sold and media coverage on a whole new level and that momentum has kept building the 2024 par Olympics will see 182 nations compete almost as many as the Olympics got your tickets Ready set go the par Olympics unequivocally stands alone in terms of being a globally televised Paras sports event turns out that with increased awareness around the different kinds of people audiences are showing up but will this Surge and interest last and more importantly what are the drawbacks in this hyper glossy branding that seeks to challenge existing perceptions but might actually set it back we sat down with an expert on disabled Sports [Music] [Music] for for for for [Music] for and there's certainly a need to invest in parasport I among people living with disabilities in the UK less than one in two practice sporting activity often because of a lack of facilities and that seems like a good note to close the show thanks for being with us before I leave you I recommend you check out the must-watch document disability the fairy tale of inclusion which streaming right now on .tv until soon [Music]