GAMES 'TRULY COMING INTO THEIR OWN'

Ex-IOC execs say Paris 'greatest ever', but total integration with Olympics won't work

- 

The Paris Paralympics were the "greatest ever", according to one former International Olympic Committee (IOC) marketing executive, while another told AFP it "delivered in spades" the thing that people relate most to in sport - emotion.

Mainly packed stadia, iconic venues and the feel-good factor derived from the earlier Olympics turned the Paralympics into a festival of sport, according to Michael Payne, the IOC's former head of marketing.

Its counterpart, the International Paralympic Committee, can breathe a sigh of relief after Rio de Janeiro was widely criticised for its hosting in 2016 and the Tokyo edition was deprived of spectators because of Covid-19 restrictions.

"Paris built on the magic of the Olympic Games and delivered a spectacular Paralympic Games - to my mind the greatest ever," said Payne.

"All the ingredients that made the Olympics so special have been carried forward to the Paras, delivering an incredible atmosphere."

Another former IOC marketing executive, Terrence Burns, said in his 30-plus years of Paralympics, there was no comparison "in both fan and commercial interest".