A French Paralympic athlete and a descendant of the founder of the modern Olympic Games have highlighted the unifying and transformative power of sports, emphasizing the importance of aspiring for greater inclusivity and accessibility around the world.
Riadh Sallem, a member of the French Paralympic Committee with disabilities, is a testament to how sports can help individuals to overcome adversity in life. He believes the Paralympic Games are not just about promoting athletic competition, but also about changing perceptions and helping improve inclusion across society.
"The Paralympics are about the entire organization focusing on accessibility and changing mentalities through the media. There are many athletes who are not as well-known to the public, unlike the Olympians. Yet Paralympic athletes are not well-known. So there's a lot of work to do before Paralympic champions, both men and women, become mainstream," said Sallem.
He emphasized that the Paralympic movement helps showcase the considerable potential of individuals with disabilities to achieve excellence in sports, while challenging misconceptions of limitations.
"The Paralympics show that it's possible. Even if you have an illness or an accident, life doesn't stop. Sport allows you to continue living your passions, to feel alive, to generate emotions. Even if your body is damaged, you can still feel emotions through it. People often think that the disabled are physically diminished, but in fact, they are physically capable, and the Paralympic movement blends high-level performance with disability to create excellence," said Sallem.
Meanwhile, Diane de Navacelle de Coubertin, a descendant of the founder of the modern Olympic Games Pierre de Coubertin, spoke about her great-great-grand-uncle's vision of using sports as a powerful tool to unite people globally.
Inspired by the ancient Greek games, de Coubertin founded the modern Olympic Games in the late 19th century to foster international friendship, respect and excellence, aiming to promote global peace and understanding through sports, said the founder's great-great-grand-niece.
Continuing the theme of global unity, and with this year marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, as well as the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, a number of Chinese artists have brought their works depicting the elder de Coubertin to France which are on display during the Olympic and Paralympic Games period.
Diane de Navacelle de Coubertin said she sees these exchanges as a strong symbol of strengthening ties between the two nations, as well as sending out a message of encouraging more people to make a difference in their own lives.
"It's really exciting because we are having the Games, and it's also the anniversary of the friendship between France and China this year. So I think it's a nice symbol of making more connections between the two countries. And actually I'm very touched by the fact that all those artists worked and thought and created on this subject, and I hope it inspired them, beyond the man, but for their own life also," she said.
Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894, leading to the first modern Games in Athens in 1896.
The 2024 Paralympic Games will get underway in the French capital on Wednesday and run through to Sept 8.
Paralympian, descendant of Olympic founder hail sports as force for global unity, overcoming adversity
