By Tom Pilcher
LONDON, Sept 9 (Reuters) – The huge popularity of Paralympic
Games over the past 11 days shows that disabled sport is fast
becoming recognised as elite competition, London Games chairman
Sebastian Coe said on Sunday.
An unprecedented 2.7 million tickets were snapped up for
nearly 45 million pounds ($72.12 million), exceeding 2012
organisers’ original target of 35 million.
“The research that is beginning to come through is showing
that over 70 percent of people now regard the Paralympic Games
and the Paralympians as elite athletes,” the twice Olympic gold
medallist told a news conference before the closing ceremony.
“I think we’ve genuinely created a platform for their
talents and disability sport. Two thirds of the population
followed the Games on television, three quarters followed on any
platform, so print, TV radio, online.”
More than four billion people are estimated to have watched
the London Games on television compared to 1.9 billion eight
years ago in Athens.
“Three quarters of viewers are clear that what they’ve seen
has exceeded their expectations,” added Coe.
Fans who were lucky enough to catch the action live were
more than willing participants, even watching blind football
matches in complete silence so as not to interfere with the
on-pitch communication.
The feel-good factor that swept around the Olympic Park and
stadium over the course of the Paralympics underlined how much
attitudes have changed.
Continued…
