The Paralympic Village in Paris: A Utopian Experience for Athletes

Utopia of the Paralympic Village in Paris

For many athletes arriving at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, the designated area for them felt like a true utopia. The Paralympic Village was equipped with an abundance of adaptive scooters that, when attached to the front of a wheelchair, allowed for easy navigation through the athletes’ mini-city, nestled in the hilly outskirts of northern Paris. The village featured tri-level water fountains, designed with spouts at various heights: standing level, wheelchair height, and ground level for guide dogs. Every shower in the athlete housing complex was fully accessible, allowing individuals to roll right in. Even the T-shirt racks in the official merchandise store were thoughtfully arranged to be reachable from a seated position.

“It’s the place in the world where I feel the least disabled,” remarked Birgit Skarstein, a para rower from Norway. She further expressed, “I don’t have to rely on Google Maps to check for stairs wherever I’m headed. I don’t need to plan around the availability of accessible restrooms because I know they are there. If only the entire world could emulate the accessibility of a Paralympic Village, it would undoubtedly be a better place for everyone.”

However, despite the remarkable environment of the Paralympic Village, the rest of Paris does not offer the same level of accessibility. Although the city has made significant strides in improving its infrastructure in the years leading up to the Games, it will take decades for its cobbled streets, narrow sidewalks, and small parks to reach even a fraction of the Village’s accessibility standards. The most daunting challenge lies within Paris’s 124-year-old Metro system. Despite substantial investments in infrastructure since 2017, when the city won its Olympic bid, only 25 percent of the rail network leading into central Paris — encompassing the Metro, express rail, and trams — is accessible to individuals with disabilities. Notably, only one Metro line, the newest addition, is fully wheelchair accessible.

“Our goal is to ensure that we are recognized as full-rights citizens — that’s the core challenge and the vision behind the Games,” stated Michaël Jérémiasz, a former wheelchair tennis player and a member of the Athletes Council who has been advising the Games’ organizers. “We will be able to assess the true impact of the Games in about five, six, or seven years. That’s when we can genuinely evaluate the changes in real life.”