Athletes from the New Zealand Paralympic Team and the NZ Olympic Team came together to celebrate their stunning success at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Bringing together a total of more than 500 athletes, coaches and supporters, the New Zealand Team 2024 Olympic Gala held in Auckland on Thursday (21 November) brought about an evening of reflection and celebration.
A total of 18 Paralympians from the 24-strong NZ Paralympic Team at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games were present at the Gala – including all seven medallists who brought home a total haul of nine medals.
The NZ Team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games also enjoyed a dazzling Games, securing a record-breaking haul of 20 medals, including 10 golds to finish 11th on the medal table.
NZOC Chair Jana Rangooni said: “At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, our New Zealand Paralympic Team gave all of Aotearoa New Zealand something to talk about, performing with legendary Kiwi pride, securing nine medals, one Paralympic record, four Oceania records, 11 national records and 12 personal best performances during 11 unforgettable days of competition in the French capital.”
“The Gala Dinner was a special occasion for our Paralympians and Olympians to celebrate the success of Paris 2024 together, along with PNZ’s key partners and supporters.”
The Gala included a Q and A with Paralympian #195 Anna Grimaldi, Paralympian #225 Anna Taylor and Paralympian #231 Peter Cowan each of whom medalled at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Anna Taylor, who claimed a silver medal in the velodrome in the Women’s C4 3000m Individual Pursuit, said: “It is fantastic to look back on the success of both the Paralympic and Olympic Teams at Paris 2024. I love hearing the wonderful stories from an unforgettable year of sport for New Zealand, and I personally look back with so much pride on winning a silver medal in the French capital in front of friends and family.”
Greg Warnecke, Paralympics NZ CEO, said: “This was the first time when members of the New Zealand Paralympic Team have been back together since the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. It was great to be able to reflect on the achievements of our Paralympians in Paris, and to share more about the impact that their performances had in capturing the hearts and minds of the public like never before. This was evidenced by many factors including record-breaking engagement on social media, TVNZs most extensive Paralympics broadcast, and more than 400 schools registering for the Seeing Is Believing Education Programme.
“We can’t wait to continue our work with our partners on the road to Milano Cortina 2026, Los Angeles 2028 and beyond.”
