With under two years to go until the LA28 Paralympics Games, IPC President Andrew Parsons has promised spectators and TV viewers alike that they will be treated to the best Paralympic Games yet in terms of sport performance and level of competition.
Parsons believes the combination of LA’s world class sporting venues and improved performance pathways for Para athletes will result in Paralympic sport reaching new heights when the Games open on August 15, 2028.
LA28 will be the best Paralympic Games yet for sport by some margin.”
Andrew Parsons, IPC President, said: “I have never been more excited about the level of sport performance within the Paralympic Movement than I am with two years to go until LA28. Without doubt, LA28 will be the best Paralympic Games yet for sport by some margin with many new superstar athletes emerging and winning medals.
“Many of the Para athletes are now full-time athletes benefitting from world-leading sport science,” Mr Parsons said.
“The result is a rapid evolution in sport performance while the depth of competition across all sports and medal events has never been greater. LA’s world-famous sporting venues and facilities will bring out the best in Para athletes and I am certain spectators and TV viewers will be in awe at what they will witness.”
Paris 2024 highlighted the potential
According to Mr Parsons, the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games highlighted the exceptional levels that Paralympic sport could reach. In the French capital, 175 world and 218 Paralympic records were broken across the 22 sports.
Results show that in many events across several sports, gold medal winning performances from Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 would not have been good enough to qualify for finals at Paris 2024 such has been the evolution in standards. In terms of growing levels of competition, in Para athletics alone, 32 medal events at Paris 2024 were decided by margins of less than 0.1 seconds or 10cm.
Paralympic sport is world class sport.
Mr Parsons said: “The performances of Paralympians at Paris 2024 highlighted just how world class Paralympic sport now is, the level of competition was so impressive and the margin of victory wafer thin. Four years on it will be even better with Para athletes at LA28 pushing the boundaries of possibility. LA28 will showcase the very best of Paralympic sport.
“A tiny percentage of the world’s population can run 100 metres under 11 seconds or swim 50 metres freestyle in under 30 seconds, yet at the Paralympic Games we have many athletes who can achieve such feats. Paralympic sport is world class sport.
“LA and Hollywood are synonymous with producing blockbuster story lines, and I am certain the LA28 Paralympics will produce some of the greatest stories ever told.”
Growing interest in the Paralympics
According to Nielsen Sport research of 15,000 people in 11 countries before and after the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games the interest in and awareness of the Paralympic Games continues to grow.
Eighty per cent said they were aware of the Paralympics, with only the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup enjoying greater awareness. The breadth of popularity of the Paralympic Games is now greater than many other sport events such as the Rugby World Cup, Super Bowl and World Athletics Championships.
LA and Hollywood are synonymous with producing blockbuster story lines, and I am certain the LA28 Paralympics will produce some of the greatest stories ever told.
Mr Parsons said: “The driver of the growing global interest and awareness in the Paralympic Games is the sport and performance levels of the athletes.
“I am expecting packed stadia for the LA28 Paralympic Games and more global reach in terms of broadcasting and streaming. For sure, the LA28 Paralympic Games will be fantastic and not to be missed.”
Volunteer recruitment
With the applications process to recruit 60,000 volunteers for the LA28 Games now open, the IPC President encouraged those who want to support the event to get involved.
“Volunteers are the heartbeat of any Games with the opportunity proving an extremely rewarding and life-changing experience for everyone involved,” Mr Parsons said.
“While the world’s best Paralympians take centre stage, LA28’s Volunteer Crew will play a pivotal role behind the scenes fulfilling multiple roles essential to the delivery of the Games.”
For the Paralympic Games, volunteer opportunities will be in Los Angeles with roles available in eight categories that applicants can express their interest in, including communications, driving, experience, medical, Ceremonies, operations, sport and technology. Some roles will require specialised skills which applicants can indicate within their application, including in areas such as medicine and language translation.
More details on the Games-time volunteer application process, including eligibility requirements, can be found on the LA28 Games-time volunteer portal.
The LA28 Paralympic Games will showcase a record 4,480 Para athletes from around 165 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) who will compete across 23 sports, including Para climbing that will feature for the first time. A record 17 sports will have gender parity in terms of their medal event programs and 16 sports are offering an equal number of quota places to male and female athletes, the most ever.
By International Paralympic Committee
Your Para Sport Journey
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Paralympics Australia is only able to continue doing its work driving the Paralympic Movement forward in Australia because of the generous support it receives from Government, Corporate Partners and donors.
The focus continues to be on delivering teams to each Summer and Winter Paralympic Games and supporting Para athletes as they enter and progress through the Para sport system and into their post-sporting careers.
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