With 100 days remaining until the commencement of the Paralympic Games, Paris organizers are launching a poignant message from the athletes aimed at boosting ticket sales: “I am not missing anything, except you.”
The countdown campaign for the Aug 28-Sept. 8 Paralympic Games kicks off Monday, featuring three Paralympic athletes, each depicted alone in an empty stadium. The campaign’s slogan — “Il ne me manque rien, sauf vous” (I’m not missing anything, except you) — serves as a rallying cry to encourage people to attend and witness their competitions.
The French athletes highlighted in the campaign include Arnaud Assoumani, a long jump and triple jump specialist who clinched gold at the 2008 Beijing Games; wheelchair tennis player Pauline Déroulède, and blind soccer player Gaël Rivière, a two-time European championship winner who represents Bondy Cécifoot Club, coincidentally in the same suburb as France star Kylian Mbappé’s upbringing.
National broadcaster France Télévisions will broadcast the campaign in an effort to raise awareness and, ultimately, boost ticket sales. Currently, 900,000 tickets out of 2.8 million have been sold.
A total of 4,400 athletes will participate in the Paralympics, with tickets available from 15 euros ($16) for track and field sessions at Stade de France, wheelchair tennis at Roland Garros, or blind soccer at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Finals range from 25 euros ($27) and the closing ceremony is priced at 45 euros ($49).
Ticket sales are expected to surge once posters begin appearing around Paris, as organizers aim to enhance awareness and foster greater fan engagement and support.
The city will see 651 posters scattered around, 972 in the subway, and an additional 2,520 on the sides of buses.
On Tuesday, four Paralympic athletes, accompanied by Paris 2024 Olympic head Tony Estanguet, will ascend the renowned steps at the Cannes Film Festival.
Of the tickets sold thus far, 300,000 were purchased by the state and 150,000 by the International Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee.
Details on ticket sales for the opening ceremony, which will take place along a section of the iconic Champs-Élysées, have not yet been disclosed.
Paul McCartney has granted permission for his song “We All Stand Together” to be used in a promotional film for the International Paralympic Committee.
The Paralympics will boast a record 164 broadcasters worldwide covering 549 events across 22 sports.
Following the Olympics in Paris from July 26 to August 11, the 12-day Paralympic event will ensue.