Paralympic chief challenges Brisbane 2032 organizers to top the success of Sydney 2000

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) - There was no better day to urge the people of Brisbane to do better than the benchmarks Sydney set for the Paralympics.

International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons' visit to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic host city Wednesday coincided with the start of the annual rugby league grudge match that is the State of Origin series, whether planned or otherwise.

"Without doubt, the year 2000 was a gamechanger and provided the foundations from which we could advance the Paralympic Games and wider Paralympic movement," Parsons told a gathering at Brisbane riverside restaurant, hyping Sydney's overwhelming success in staging the Olympics and Paralympics almost 25 years ago.

"After the tremendous success of Barcelona 1992, and the troublesome experiences of Atlanta 1996, the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games got the Paralympic movement back on track with a sensational showcase of sport."

Sydney is the capital of New South Wales state. Brisbane, capital of Queensland state, has another seven years to prepare to improve on that Games legacy.

The sporting rivalry between the neighboring eastern Australian states is intense, with the three-match Origin series highlighting the Queensland desire to upstage big sister Sydney.

Brisbane was awarded the 2032 Games in 2021 but it took more than 1,340 days before a new state government finalized the venue plans that center around new main stadium and aquatics venue built in a downtown parkland precinct.

What Sydney did to raise the profile of athletes, ticket sales and broadcast audiences for the Paralympics, Brisbane organizers aim to do in terms of setting new benchmarks for accessibility in the design of venues, buildings and transport.

"You've got to get to a point as a global look at accessibility, in other words people with disabilities, as being standard in the design. As First Nations, and including their culture, as standard in what we do. Environment, and certification of buildings and treating the environment well, as standard,” Andrew Liveris, president of the Brisbane 2032 organizing committee, said. "We're not there (yet), but we can set that standard. We will be, as an Olympic and Paralympic Games, the standard bearer.”

With the start of venue construction and the finalizing of the sports program not expected until late next year, Liveris said there’s time to ensure the end results are accounted for in the planning.

Sydney was the first Paralympics to sell tickets - 1.2 million were sold and Australia topped the medal standings. It launched a new era for the Games. There were 2.5 million tickets sold for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, where 4,400 para athletes competed and 168 national Paralympic Committees sent teams.

"In terms of ticket sales, the Paralympic Games are now the world's third biggest sport event with only the Olympic Games and men's FIFA World Cup selling more," Parsons said, adding that Paralympic-related internet searches "broke the 1 billion barrier."

"The main driver for the increasing global appeal of the Paralympic Games is the constantly improving quality of sport, level and depth of competition, and the performances of Para athletes," Parsons said. "Progress in the last 25 years has been emphatic."

Parsons said from his past visits and his knowledge of planning already that Brisbane is "starting from a position of strength definitely in terms of accessibility.”

"But you can always improve,” he added. "We cannot be satisfied until we have 100% of everything accessible, and I’m absolutely sure that this is the objective here."