Oxford expert says the Paralympics will continue to ignite our passion for live sport

It's a week to go to the start of the 2024 tournament, with Great Britain sending 215 athletes to Paris in what will be the nation's most equal gender split ever at a Games.

And an Oxford Brookes University expert says the Paralympics will continue to ignite our passion for live sport.

Paris made history by hosting the first-ever opening ceremony outside a stadium, with athletes arriving on boats along the River Seine as Lady Gaga and Celine Dion performed in the rain. The Paris Organising Committee prioritised sustainability, repurposing existing venues like the Stade de France and La Défense Arena.

However, the Seine River, central to the Games, sparked controversy due to water quality issues, causing delays to the men’s triathlon event and media coverage of illness among athletes.

Dr Stuart Whigham, who's a Senior Lecturer in Sociology of Sport at Oxford Brookes University, says coverage plays a big part:

"I just hope it continues to get attention from the media because sometimes that can drift away.

"I do think Channel 4 have always done an interesting job in the way in which they frame the Paralympics, which I hope they continue to do.

"London 2012 did a great job in putting the Paralympics on an even keel with the Olympics. Since then we've seen the status maintained well.

"I do think that the city of Paris will showcase itself, and shine the spotlight on Paralympic sport and disability sport play in general."

Dr Whigham says these huge sporting events can be a massive undertaking for the host country. And the legacy of memories of the tournament can be a gamble when the media focus on the negatives over the positives.

It's a juggling act to achieve economic, environmental, diplomatic and sporting legacies.

But Dr Whigham believes the Paris Games will already be remembered for trying to make the tournament as sustainable as possible.

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