Paris 2024 Messages from the CEO

Day 7

Kia ora and bonjour from Paris.

Stade de France does it again. Another double medal day, with bronze to Paralympian #183 Holly Robinson in the Shot Put F46, and another silver for Paralympian #211 Danielle Aitchison, in the 100m T36, agonisingly just 0.04 off the gold.

Elsewhere at Paris 2024, there was plenty of action taking place outside of the Paris city centre venues.

It was an early start for our Para Cycling Team with Paralympians #222 Nicole Murray (4th place), #225 Anna Taylor (7th place) and #221 Rory Mead (5th place) all taking to the street circuit of Clichy-Sous-Bois for the road Para cycling, Individual Time Trial.

At the iconic Palace of Versailles, Para athlete Louise Duncan and her trusty mount Showcase BC became out latest Paralympian, debuting in the Para equestrian event, placing 13th overall in the Individual Event – Grade IV. Some stunning images showing the background to field of play no doubt making it an extra memorable debut.

And even further afield at Chateauroux, six-time Paralympian #148 Michael Johnson completed his Paris campaign with a 19th place finish in the Mixed 50m Rifle Prone SH2 event.

A huge congratulations to the members of the NZ Paralympic Team that were in action today.

I’ve previously been very complimentary of the performance environment that Paris 2024 have created across the Games, and the atmosphere that is no doubt enhancing the performance of the world’s best Para athletes.

So today I provide a contrast based on some of my observations from the trip out to support the Para Cycling Team at Clichy-Sois-Bois… The choice of location for the course was quite strange, nestled in amongst residential buildings and on reasonably narrow streets, with a number of buildings still under construction. It appeared a far cry from the picturesque Cycling venues used for the Olympic Games, with backdrops of iconic landmarks. The majority of the infrastructure used at the venue was temporary, which means it didn’t necessarily provide the platform for all Para cycling athletes to be able to prepare and perform at their best. An example was the team pit area, which was the size of an average broom closet – needing to support the changing and warm-up of not just our three NZ Paralympians competing, and all of their equipment, but also the Para athletes from Poland – who luckily decided to find somewhere else to prepare.

The flow of the venues was poor with uneven surfaces, including unpaved surfaces, meaning the Para athletes were risking a puncture before even making it to the start line. There was no general atmosphere to celebrate the Paralympians, no clear area for spectators (including the many family and friends of our NZ Paralympic Team who had made the trip out to the course) to be able to view any big screen footage or properly hear the coverage to be able to follow our Paralympians whilst out on the course. Lots of areas that could have been improved, and I wonder why this location was chosen, in preference to some of the incredible road courses that are used every year for iconic Cycling events in France, and around Paris, like Le Tour de France or Tour de Femme, which would have not only provided an amazing backdrop to the incredible performances, but also showcased Paris, and France like the other venues have been doing.

So, there have been so many venue ‘hits’ at the Games, but this one was sadly a big ‘miss’ for me.

Today also closes the visit to Paris 2024 for Hon Chris Bishop, Minister for Sport and Recreation, the first Minister holding this portfolio to attend a Paralympic Games. The impact of having the Minister support our NZ Paralympic Team, and at the same time further increase his (and the Government’s) awareness and understanding of Para sport, cannot be undersold. The Minister has been in the stands, cheering on our Paralympians and sharing his experience with the country, fully supporting our Games campaign and encouraging all of New Zealand to Talk About This. On behalf of all members of the NZ Paralympic Team and Paralympics New Zealand, a huge thanks to the Minister for his support, and we look forward to continuing to work together as we move into the next winter and summer Paralympic Games cycle.

That’s a wrap from another great day for the NZ Paralympic Team. Thanks again to all of our partners, supporters and fans for getting behind our NZ Paralympic Team – there’s only four days left to go!