With the Paralympic Games fast approaching in Paris in late August, the progress that has been made in the last eight years since Rio 2016 is proof that the Paralympics is making huge inroads to change the perception and visibility of disabled athletes, and disability in general right across society on a global scale.

It feels like Paris 2024 is a pivotal moment to continue to influence change. The president of the International Paralympic Committee, Andrew Parsons has been quoted as saying that “the 2024 Paralympic Games has the potential to accelerate the inclusion of some 1.2 billion people with disabilities around the world”. That’s a groundbreaking number.

Indeed, the Paralympic movement has gained significant momentum over the course of the last two decades to the point where we are now celebrating, and rightly so, what the athletes CAN do, rather than focus on what they cannot do. Collectively there is a greater appreciation of Paralympic sport as an elite sporting event, whereby the ‘normalisation’ of their achievements continues to challenge perceptions of disability and break down barriers, reaching the four corners of the globe.

Paris 2024 has the potential to be the most successful Paralympics to date. It’s already set to be the most watched in its history. The IPC has agreed broadcast deals with a record number of countries – more than 160 and Channel 4 will be showing every event live for the first time - a seismic moment and ParalympicsGB’s partnership with TikTok promises to introduce para-sport to new audiences. Yet it’s not just about increasing viewing figures and record-breaking hours dedicated to broadcasting the event. Yes, huge progress has been made in that sense but it’s about shining a spotlight on athletes inspiring and deeply moving personal stories and creating platforms for them to use sport as a vehicle to drive change around attitudes towards disability around the world.

Despite a surge in media coverage in Paralympic sport in the UK across the last two Paralympic Games, the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) vision is to achieve a more equitable voice in society. Traditional media, digital media, rights holders, broadcasters, event sponsors and athletes themselves all have an equally big role to play in that.

No other event can empower individuals through social inclusion and societal opportunity like the Paralympic Games does. To that end, it’s about celebrating sportspeople and increasing representation of disabled people in the public eye, making them household names and role models that can inspire the next generation of talent. The likes of Holly Arnold (Para-athletics) and Ellie Challis (swimming) have emerged in recent years, catapulted into the media spotlight through their achievements on the track and in the pool respectively and they have gone on to successfully use their media profile and platforms to increase participation opportunities for the next generation of athletes.

The new initiative launched between Team GB, ParalympicsGB and Allwyn, “The ChangeMakers programme”, which will match athletes to social impact projects in a two-week window immediately after the Olympics and Paralympics is another positive step towards driving social change and increasing the representation of inspiring athletes in the public eye on a national scale and in their local communities at a grassroots level.

More broadly, engaging new audiences is going to be key and digital media is increasingly important for the Paralympic Games coverage. Athletes themselves have a huge role to play in using their voices to empower society to be more aware. The way in which societal issues are told online has significantly evolved, and professional athletes have the power to leverage social media platforms to communicate their message to a much broader audience and in a much more personal way than they did a few years ago.

Sponsors and brands are ramping up their marketing budgets to capitalise on the event and we are already seeing the success of digital campaigns involving the likes of OMEGA (Paris Dream Playground) and Toyota (Start Your Impossible). The evolution in technology and the emergence of things like virtual reality will create inclusive and engaging spectator experiences, bringing fans closer to the action than ever before.

The Paralympics is about creating a platform where the extraordinary becomes the norm and the athletes and news agenda around the event must continue to contribute to breaking down stigmas and stereotypes associated with disability. At the same time, it’s an opportunity like any other major sports event to celebrate the incredible sporting talent on show and create an environment for the individuals to be the best sportspeople they can be.