French fan support at Paralympics gives athletes hope for future of disability sport

Published Sep. 3, 2024 10:59 a.m. ET

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PARIS (AP) — It’s the end of the second set of a women’s sitting volleyball match between the United States and France, and the French fans are letting loose.

They wave their tricolor flags in the flashing lights. Songs and cheers erupt from the packed stands at North Paris Arena.

And yet, the French have just lost this set, 25-1.

Win or lose, the French fans are turning out and supporting the more than 4,000 Paralympians competing in Paris, especially their own team.

These Paralympics sold more than 2.3 million tickets as of Monday, the latest count, according to Paris 2024 organizers. That puts it at No. 2 all time in terms of ticket sales for a Paralympic Games, behind only London’s 2.7 million in 2012, a moment generally regarded as a big victory in the disability sport community as it fights for visibility.

“We are surfing on the spirit of the Olympic Games, with crowds that embraced the spirit, and now we’re having crowds embrace the Paralympic spirit,” Etienne Thobois, director general of Paris 2024 said at a Saturday news conference.

“It’s a positive signal in a society that needs more positive signals,” he said, noting the numbers were comparable to the Rugby World Cup in France last year.

Spectators have come from all around the world, but the most enthusiastic presence by far are the French themselves. Paralympic athletes, used to often competing with relatively few fans in the stands, have commented routinely on the buzz they’re getting from playing in Paris.

“Paris fans are coming out hard and it’s great,” said Monique Matthews, middle hitter for the U.S. sitting volleyball team and a three-time Paralympian. “I love the crowd. It just builds you up and it’s just so exciting.”

But what’s even more important, Matthews said, is the wider impact of fans in the seats.

“It’s really becoming a household name, where you say, ‘The Paralympics,’ and they actually know what you’re talking about, so it’s just amazing,” she said. “And this Games is showing just how much it’s growing.”

While the French fans haven’t let results get in the way too much, it’s fair to say they like winning.

Women’s 100-meter freestyle swimmer Émeline Pierre received a frenzy of cheers on Sunday after she bested Canada’s Aurélie Rivard by just 33 hundredths of a second to win gold in the S10 category for athletes with a range of leg impairments.

Manon Genest, a French long jumper competing in the T37 classification for people with coordination impairments, received a loud and sustained roar from the crowd at Stade de France after securing the bronze the night before.

In addition to adult fans, the Stade de France also hosted many large groups of young French students, as children went back to school. They marched and sang as they were led through the crowds two-by-two.

“There were quite some issues in France and quite some conflicts between the people, and I think that these games, the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games, are a great opportunity to show that we are all together,” said Xavier Péller, a parent and chaperone of a group of the school children. “That’s quite important for me.”

Over along the River Seine, the para-triathlon race course was completely lined by spectators on Monday, sporting their country’s colors along with bells, horns, and signs covered in words of encouragement for the racers.

After earning his second Paralympic gold, French para triathlete Alexis Hanquinquant entered the mixed media zone. Behind him, a pack of French fans swarmed the fence.

Although they weren’t allowed inside, and could barely even see, a small French flag emerged through a hole in the fence, waving proudly as the group broke into chants and cheers for their French Superman.

After witnessing the enthusiasm that Paris has for the Paralympics, American athletes said they want the next games in Los Angeles to generate the same kind of vibe.

“Hopefully, leading up to 2028, we get on the program,” said Ryan Medrano, a long jump silver medalist in the T38 category for people with cerebral palsy. “I mean, we are athletes. We put the work in. We put in the hours. We sacrifice time with our families. We sacrifice time leaving the country for work. We deserve to be represented just as much because we’re out there representing our country.”

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Anna Licastro is a student in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.

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AP Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games

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