Day 7
Today we went to INSEP, French Olympic training facilities. We had the chance to talk with the Sports Director for the National Paralympic Committee (NPC). We had a discussion about the history of Paralympic Games. Which I thought was really interesting because I did not know that Paralympic movement has grown from a small gathering of British World War 2 It began at a rehabilitation center in North of London. It started as a rehabilitation process for the injured soldiers. The first international event for these soldiers was in 1948 London Olympic Games. At first, only there were only thirty participants from two or three countries. However, it began later in France in 1950s. We learned that Paralympics still seek realization. In 2024 Paralympics Games, NPC is wishing to advertise athletes with their stories.
Later we had the chance to see the facilities. During the tour, we met with few Paralympians and athletes Thimotee Adolphie (t11) and Tresor Makunda (t11), track and field Paralympians, and Gauthier Grumier who participated in Rio 2016 in fencing. Then we went back to the hotel and had a discussion about the video we watched about the Olympic bid and organization.
After the discussion, we had the opportunity to taste French cuisine at dinner. We started with escargot and French cheeses, then most of the people tried the duck. However, I wanted to try the squid, which was excellent. I’m happy that we had the chance to try different things.
Before ending our night we took a boat ride tour inside the Seine River. It was great, we were able to see Eiffel Tower and all the historic places during night. It was a great way to finish our time in Paris
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