PARIS – International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Andrew Parsons is hoping the Paralympics in Paris will take place in full stadiums and predicts the TV coverage would be the most extensive in history.

The 17th Paralympics take place from Aug 28 to Sept 8, just over two weeks after the Olympics.

Less than one million tickets out of a total of 2.8 million have been sold so far, but Parsons insisted that was a “normal” situation this long before the Games.

“We are working with the organising committee to make sure that we have full stadiums in Paris,” he said.

“We have some sports that are nearly sold out. We are satisfied where we are, but of course we need to push for more. We are very pleased with the preparation so far. We’re in this moment where all the operational plans are ready.

“We have learnt from the test events, and we are now in the moment where what we need to focus on is the fine-tuning of some of the operations. We are all focused on the promotion of the Games.”

To achieve the goal of full stadiums in Paris, the IPC is deploying a myriad of campaigns through different channels such as social media, traditional media and national Paralympic committees.

Its aim is to spread the word and “(make) people raise the excitement around the Games (and be) aware, informed, wanting to buy tickets and to watch it on TV”.

Contrary to the Olympics, ticket sales for the Paralympics typically soar closer to the start of the Games.

At the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, organisers reported a strong spike in purchaser appetite in the weeks leading up to the event, with the overall number of tickets sold doubling over a 48-hour period two weeks before the Games opened.

If ticket sales are currently following “a normal graphic line for the Paralympics”, Parsons is not concerned, and added that media coverage for the Games has already surpassed that of previous editions.

Broadcasting agreements have been secured in more than 160 nations and territories, constituting the “biggest number ever”, he said.

While all is going well, there are also issues for Parsons to mull over.

In the wake of the decision to partially ban the Russian and Belarusian national committees from the Paralympics over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, he said that the IPC is still ironing out the final details that will allow some athletes to compete as neutrals.

He also addressed potential fears regarding security in Paris, saying he was confident in the authorities’ ability to “provide a safe environment for everyone in the Games”. AFP