Australian athletes enjoyed a hugely successful Olympics in Paris, winning a total of 52 medals and 17 golds – a feat the sports-loving nation is looking to replicate as the Paralympics get under way this week. FRANCE 24 speaks to Sam Mostyn, Australia’s governor-general, about the significance of the Games in Australia and what lessons can be learned from Paris as Brisbane prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032.
Even for a nation accustomed to punching above its weight when it comes to sports, the recent Paris Olympics proved to be a massive success for the Australian delegation, who pipped host nation France to fourth in the overall medal table.
The feat says something about the Australian “national character”, said Sam Mostyn, Australia’s recently appointed governor-general, who is representing her country at the Paralympics in Paris.
“We're outdoors people. We love to celebrate sport,” Mostyn told FRANCE 24’s François Picard. “I see that in my job now as governor-general that wherever I go, there is always sport being played and increasingly the new sports. We did well in the Games, in BMX and skateboarding, in new disciplines that young people are kind of introducing to those of us that are slightly older.”
The Paralympics, which kicked off Wednesday with a historic outdoors opening ceremony on the Champs-Élysées, hold a special importance, Mostyn added, pointing to the inspiring stories of athletes and the wider message for society.
“We get crazy about the Olympics, but the Paralympics tell us something about those that should have always been at the table with sport,” she said. “This is a moment where we get to celebrate those that have overcome extraordinary adversity, to then represent their country.”
She added: “The Paralympics push us a bit harder, I think, to look at who is really included in our society and who we celebrate – not just those who are able bodied.”
Read moreA guide to the 2024 Paris Paralympics: sports, venues and stars to watch
Looking ahead at the 2032 Games, which will take place in Brisbane, Mostyn said organisers “will have learnt a lot from the panache and cultural confidence of France in putting on these Games” – and ensuring the money invested in Olympic infrastructure projects benefits local communities in the long term.
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