Paris Paralympics 2024: Is the city ready?

CGTN Europe

For months, Paris has been transforming.   The city is ready for the paralympics - for disabled athletes and spectators alike.   But on the eve of the games, some charities are warning that visitors could still face difficulties.   CGTN’s Ross Cullen reports.   #Paris2024 #Paris #Paralympics #Olympics2024

Transcript

00:00Frank May is an accessibility activist in Paris.

00:05He uses a wheelchair to move around the city, and it's not easy.

00:10Look here, if you don't pay attention and you have a manual wheelchair,

00:15or even in an electric wheelchair, you could easily tip over.

00:19Frank is a former Paralympian. He won four bronze medals at the 1988 Summer Games.

00:25He says some areas around the city have been adapted for wheelchairs,

00:29but not in a logical way.

00:31Here, for example, if you have an electric wheelchair,

00:37you'll be slow to come up, but you can do it.

00:39With a manual wheelchair, believe me, when I had to do it, it was really gruelling,

00:44because you have at least six ramps, they comply with standards,

00:47and you do have space to rest in between ramps, but it's really tiring.

00:52Change is happening when it comes to public transport.

00:55The city's bus fleet is now fully accessible.

00:58Despite that, not every bus stop is easy to use.

01:03In terms of the subway, there are major problems.

01:06This is just one station on one line, but it has no lifts or escalators to the platform,

01:12symptomatic of the wider issues across the network.

01:15There have been some improvements.

01:17The newest metro line has step-free access,

01:19but there are 13 other lines with serious problems for people with disabilities.

01:25The head of France's Paralympic Committee admits

01:28there are accessibility issues across the country,

01:31but Marie-Amélie Lefeu says improvements will be accelerated as a result of the Games.

01:37There have been changes that are beginning to last over time.

01:41Now the idea is to spread these changes across the whole country.

01:45So from now on, when we think about the city of tomorrow with neighbourhoods of tomorrow,

01:51we really think of them as including people with disabilities.

01:56Wheelchair basketball is one of the most popular Paralympic disciplines.

02:00This is 22-year-old Mohamed.

02:03He has used a wheelchair since a life-changing accident when he was a teenager.

02:08He is at home on the basketball court.

02:10But it's a different story off the court.

02:13Paths like these are unacceptable.

02:18The smallest obstacle can prove problematic.

02:22Some sidewalks are too narrow and too steep, forcing Mohamed into the road.

02:27Other pavements are cracked and uneven.

02:30Moving around is very complicated, whether it's on sidewalks or the road,

02:35and it's mostly the sidewalks. It's very annoying.

02:38Especially if you have a long journey in a wheelchair.

02:41It's really not simple. It's not simple.

02:46But having the Paralympics in Paris has inspired Mohamed.

02:50He says he now has an ambition to secure a place on the French squad

02:54for the next Games in Los Angeles in 2028.

02:59Ross Cullen, CGTN, Paris.

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