Aussie Paralympians get the gold for embracing whole time in Paris

Australia’s Paralympians have let their hair down after the final curtain fell on a spectacular Paris Games that have been declared the best ever. The challenge is now on for Brisbane’s 2032 organisers to seriously step up their game.

But the closing ceremony wasn’t about bureaucrats half a world away. It was about celebrating the achievement of the world’s Paralympians.

In keeping with tradition, the festivities kicked off after the cauldron was extinguished and the Paralympic flag lowered and handed over to Los Angeles, the host for the next Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2028.

Rejecting a proposal to merge the two multi-sports events into one mega festival, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said disabled athletes were better off competing at their own event, after Paris set a new standard for future host cities to try and match.

“Not on my watch. I firmly believe that we have the best format,” IPC President Andrew Parsons said.

“The Paralympic Games is the only event of global impact that puts persons with disabilities at centre stage.

“Quite simply, Paris 2024 is the new benchmark for the Paralympic Games in every aspect.”

More than 100 Australian athletes took part in the closing ceremony, which ended in an explosion of fireworks, disco music and laser beams, with the team led during the parade by two inspiring flag bearers, track and field sprinter James Turner and para-triathlete and -cyclist Lauren Parker.

Each won two gold medals in the French capital and Parker, who is paralysed* from the waist down after crashing her bike into a guard rail as an elite* able-bodied athlete, said it was the honour of a lifetime to carry the Australian flag at a Games that sold a record 2.5 million tickets.

“I was so shocked, because I never would have dreamed that I’d be asked to do something like this. It’s amazing,” Parker said.

“Not many people have this opportunity, and I’m very lucky to represent Australia and march out there proud with the rest of the Australian Paralympic team. I’m privileged.”

The Australian team finished ninth on the final medals table, with 18 golds, 17 silvers and 28 bronze for a total of 63. It was the lowest return in 44 years, but Australian officials said the number of medals wasn’t a measure of the true legacy* of the Paralympics.

China finished top with 94 golds and 220 in total but the Aussies matched the Asian powerhouse when it came to acts of bravery and resilience.

“Courageous” is one of the most overused words in sport, but in the case of Australia’s Paralympians and other para-athletes at these Games from around the world, it’s surely one of the most fitting.

Australia finished the Games with a further two more gold medals on day 10, with James Turner and Curtis McGrath both claiming the ultimate sporting honour while representing a very proud nation.

AUSTRALIA’S MEDAL TALLY

• GOLD: 18
• SILVER: 17
• BRONZE: 28

MEDAL TALLY:
1. China: 94 gold, 76 silver, 50 bronze

2. Great Britain: 49 gold, 44 silver, 31 bronze

3. United States: 36 gold, 42 silver, 27 bronze

4. Netherlands: 27 gold, 17 silver, 12 bronze

5. Brazil: 25 gold, 26 silver, 28 bronze

6. Italy: 24 gold, 15 silver, 32 bronze

7. Ukraine: 22 gold, 28 silver, 32 bronze

8. France: 19 gold, 28 silver, 28 bronze

9. Australia: 18 gold, 17 silver, 28 bronze

10. Japan: 14 gold, 10 silver, 17 bronze

GLOSSARY

• paralysed: unable to move and with no feeling, complete or partial loss of function especially involving motion or sensation in a part of the body
• elite: very small, very successful group who lead others in their activity or industry
• legacy: long-lasting impact of particular events and actions by an individual or group

EXTRA READING

Paralympics open in blaze of glory

Meet our 2024 Paralympian team

Get your Paris Olympics kit for use during the Paralympics

REFLECTIONS

1. Which Paralympic sport did you follow most closely and why?
2. What was the most significant win for a team other than Australia?
3. Which athlete inspired you most by overcoming injury and/or disability to compete?
4. Who was the first athlete to put Australia on the medal table on day one?
5. Whose loss at the Paralympics did you feel most deeply?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Understanding idioms
Idioms are phrases or expressions where the literal meaning is different to the figurative meaning. They can be confusing if interpreted literally.

Find and highlight these idioms in the news story.

• let their hair down
• the final curtain fell
• step up their game
• kicked off

Write two sentences for each idiom - one to explain the literal meaning and another to explain the figurative meaning as used in this text.

Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

2. Extension
Can you list some other idioms? Choose three that could be most confusing if interpreted literally and draw a picture for each.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

VCOP ACTIVITY
Olympic poem
Imagine you are one of the athletes who has just competed in the 2024 Paralympics. Whether it’s your first time or your third, I don’t think the sense of pride and achievement would diminish. Write a “show but don’t tell” paragraph that describes in vivid detail your experience during the closing ceremony, where all your training and commitment to your chosen sport come to a close for this chapter in your sporting journey.

Please try and write a piece that connects with all your senses – what sights caught your eye, what smells filled the air, what could you feel or was touching you, what sounds surrounded you, were there any taste sensations? Most importantly, how did you feel?