Parsons Foresees Paralympic Opportunity in Los Angeles

(ATR) International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons says Los Angeles has "opportunity and commitment" for hosting the 2028 Paralympics.

Parsons is visiting Los Angeles for the first time touring venues that will be used in the 2028 Paralympic Games. He took a tour of the United States Olympic Committee facilities in Colorado Springs, Colorado before departing for Southern California.

"It’s a huge opportunity to have ten-and-a-half years to work with [LA 2028] and think outside the box to come with new approaches, new ways to see the Parlaympic Games," Parsons said in a media briefing this morning.

"I think that together we can benefit the city, and change the way that not only Los Angeles but the whole of Southern California, the country and the world perceive persons with an impairment."

Joining Parsons was LA 2028 organizing committee head Casey Wasserman and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. At the briefing the pair congratulated Parsons on his election to the IPC Presidency earlier this year. Garcetti said he "loves saying Mr. President with a smile on his face," given he "does not get to do that a lot these days".

"I’m equally, maybe more excited, that this is the first time Los Angeles will host the Paralympic Games," Garcetti said. "This is a campaign that we begin today to transform the city, its heart, its people, not just about accessibility, but the idea that all of us lives life with impediments, but the sport world teaches us when we dig deep inside our souls we can be equals on the playing field."

Parsons says that the IPC and LA 2028 will work together to "come up with crazy ideas" for how a Paralympics in 2028 should be organized. The commitment shown by organizers in the early stage was enough to make IPC leadership optimistic on a decade-long project.

"They will be different Paralympic games compared to every single edition from 1960 to 2028," Parsons said.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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