Grading the Games - Rio 2016 Paralympics Scaled Down Services, Not Crowds

(ATR) Once thought to be in danger of cancellation, the Rio 2016 Paralympics brought out the Brazilian passion shown in glimpses during the Rio Olympic Games.

While the Paralympics still have a ways to go to reach equal billing with the Olympics, Rio 2016 survived a major budget shortfall to showcase elite para-sport. Having the advantage of being held after the Olympic Games, the Paralympics had world class venues and the second largest crowds in history to fill them.

American Tatyana McFadden scored medals in athletics events from the T54 100m to the marathon. Brazilian hero, Daniel Dias medaled in all nine of his swimming events, giving him 24 total Paralympic medals.

However, to ensure the Games went on a number of cuts were needed to fix a looming budget shortfall. The sport was the highlight in Rio, but behind for those behind the scenes the Games could only be described as "sparse." Fewer journalists, less transportation, less venues, and fewer options were the name of the Paralympic Games.

Our overall grade for the Games is a B. Here’s why:

Sport – A

A whopping 209 world records were set during the Rio Paralympics, the second most in the history of the Paralympic Movement behind London 2012. A majority of records fell in the aquatics center, one of the loudest venues in the Olympic Park.

Six countries -- Cape Verde, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Mozambique, Qatar and Vietnam -- won their first ever Paralympic medals at the Games. Rio also introduced paracanoe and triathlon to the Paralympics with each having a successful debut.

Venues/Atmosphere – B

There was no denying the spirit the Carioca people brought to the 2016 Paralympics. After selling only 200,000 tickets by the end of the Olympics, the Brazilian people bought 2 million additional tickets. Rio was the second most attended Paralympics of all time, which surpassed organizers expectations. IPC president Philip Craven said he wished he could bottle the sound generated by the Cariocas and take it with him to every sporting event.

However, attendance still suffered in the Deodoro Park, with the three sports there receiving limited crowds. Athletics only sold tickets to the lower bowl of Engenhao, creating an empty feel most nights. Unlike the Olympics, schools and offices did not receive holidays during weekdays, where attendance suffered.

The gravest tragedy possible overshadowed the end of the Games, after cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad died during the road cycling race on Sept. 17. He was the first ever Paralympian to die during the Games.

Media – C

Olympic media services were notoriously hit-or-miss during the Games, but during the Paralympics they were stripped to the bones. The dining hall was reduced in scope, and only remained open until 10pm instead of all night. Daily press briefings were held in the Aquatics center, instead of the press conference room next to the Main Press Center.

Lines were virtually non-existent due to the limited number of journalists covering the Games. That saved many a hassle found during the Olympics, even if the number of services available were slashed. Wireless internet worked flawlessly in the MPC, and very well in the venues.

Transport – B

There were fewer buses, which meant generally fewer problems. The longer wait time between buses required journalists to plan well in advance their day’s coverage, but volunteers were much more knowledgeable about timetables and where buses would be stopping. Gone were the air-conditioned coaches from the Olympics, but the key innovation of WiFi on the buses remained.

Not all hotels were serviced by the transport system, forcing some journalists to get creative in getting to the MPC. Luckily, more taxi drivers were allowed to enter the restricted Olympic Park zone in Barra, as Uber remained unavailable at times.

Only a few instances of buses not accommodating people with impairments were reported. When buses could not handle accommodation needs, a new one was quickly summoned to keep things flowing smoothly, for all covering the Games.

The most glaring omission from the Games was the use of Paralympic lanes due to budget cuts. Multiple athletes voiced their disapproval to Around the Rings about the slight, but organizers say no athlete ended up late to their competition.

Written by Aaron Bauer and Kevin Nutley

For general comments or questions,click here.

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribers only.