Paris Paralympics the greatest ever, say former Olympics executives

PARIS: The Paris Paralympics were the “greatest ever” according to one former IOC marketing executive while another told AFP it “delivered in spades” the thing that people relate most to in sport -- emotion.

Mainly packed stadia, iconic venues and the feelgood factor derived from the Olympics that came before them turned the Paralympics into a festival of sport, according to Michael Payne, a former head of marketing at the International Olympic Committee. Its counterpart the International Paralympic Committee can breathe a sigh of relief after Rio was widely criticised for its hosting in 2016 and the Tokyo edition was deprived of spectators due to Covid restrictions. “Paris built on the magic of the Olympic Games and delivered a spectacular Paralympic Games -- to my mind the greatest ever,” Payne told AFP.

“All the ingredients that made the Olympics so special have been carried forward to the Paras, delivering an incredible atmosphere.” His fellow former IOC marketing executive Terrence Burns said in his 30-plus years of experience of Paralympics there was no comparison “in both fan and commercial interest.” “In so many ways I believe the Paralympics are truly coming into their own as a separate yet complementary ´product´ from the Olympics,” Burns told AFP.