Why You Should Watch the Paralympics, According to the Presenters

Ellie Simmmonds’ statement is clear, you’ll be missing out if you don’t catch the Paralympics this year. Simmonds needs no introduction. She’s a five-time Paralympic swimming champion and BAFTA-winner and this is the first year that she won’t be competing in the Games.

As she makes her presenting debut, Simmonds shares exactly why you need to tune in. She says: “I love the stories – behind every single person, behind that starting block, has a story to tell. And that’s just so capturing and so interesting. So for me, I’ll just say watch the sport. There’s so many sports out there for people to watch, it’s beautiful and amazing. Oh, and it’s going to be across TikTok too!”

Presenting within the Athlete’s Village will be racing-driver-turned-commentator, Billy Monger. His success in driving was halted shortly before his 18th birthday, when he was involved in a crash during a race that led to both his legs being amputated. Now 25, Monger’s experience and change in perspective has resulted in a keen excitement for the Games.

“Growing up, what I was looking out for wasn’t the Paralympics, but instead, the Olympics,” he admitted. “And now, having gone through my accident, having become an amputee, having to live with a disability, day-to-day life can be challenging at times and you have to overcome different things that I guess other people don’t have to do. It’s given me a new perspective.”

He tells us: “I now know that every one of those individuals, even if it looks like they’ve got everything together and that you just see them winning a gold medal, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes to even get to the start line, let alone to be able to achieve the incredible things they do. That’s the perspective that hopefully we can share with people at home and that will make them want to tune in, knowing that not only are we looking at athletes at the top of their game here, but these people have challenges day to day.”

For content creator Milly Pickles, the buzz of the Paralympics is well and truly underway and she can’t wait to bring that excitement to the mainstream.

“Social media, especially TikTok, is creating more awareness around disabled communities, so there’s already a buzz about watching the Paralympics, more than there ever has been before,” she tells PS UK. “Those who are watching will gain a better understanding of what goes into being a para-athlete and that can’t be missed.”

Former Marine Commando JJ Chalmers has been a part of the sporting world for some time now and you might have spotted him presenting during the 2016 Rio Paralympics or in an episode of The Last Leg, Superhumans Show and Strictly Come Dancing back in 2020.

This year, he’s determined to get more people watching the Paralympic Games because of what the awareness can mean for disabled people in society. “It’s such an important window for sport, for disabilities, for the conversations that sit around it. To have those two weeks and to be able to squeeze every moment of not just inspiration but education to try and make every one of those seconds count and to try and move society along a wee bit,” Chalmers explains.

You’ve probably spotted Fats Timbo on your For You Page, scripting hilarious skits that make your sides ache, but there’s more to Timbo’s role online than just making you laugh. She uses her platform to raise awareness for people with disabilities, and joins Channel 4’s presenting crew to do the same.

“I think you should tune into the Paralympics because it’s amazing to see people that have disabilities that go through so many challenges in life, but have spent four years dedicating themselves to this sport and this moment,” she tells us. “It’s definitely worth watching as it brings awareness as well. You don’t see disabled people every single day, but it happens in one in five people. So it brings the education and awareness that we need to the forefront. And it’s entertaining as well. Disabled people deserve to entertain other people through sports.”

Jodie Ounsley became the first deaf Gladiator in the hit ITV show, following in her father’s footsteps, joining the recent reboot as Fury.

Now she’s set to present during the Paralympic Games and she’s certain you’ll see the coverage everywhere, even on social media. She told us: “Even if you don’t switch on the TV, this is going to be massive on social media, with different athletes’ stories and people weighing in on the Paralympics, a behind-the-scenes look which I’ve never seen before. There are lots of different ways that we can reach different people, so hopefully that encourages young people to get involved.”

Television presenter and wheelchair basketball player, Ade Apetian will be presenting the Paralympic Games alongside Ellie Simmonds. He’ll be travelling around the city, bringing the Parisian culture to his coverage. He believes there’s an aspect of the Paralympics that everyone will love.

“It’s really empowering and universal and because of how many athletes are competing at the Paralympics, there’s someone there for everyone, there’s a sport for everyone,” he tells PS UK. “There are moments of honesty, where you’ll see athletes who will succeed, who triumph, and you’ll see their tears of joy. You’ll see the tears that they’ll share with the moments of joy they’ll share with the family. But you’ll also see athletes that get injured, that are not so successful, but they also have a story to tell. And the Paralympics is the story of human endeavour. It’s about all of us.”

He adds: “And don’t think just because you’re not into sport that it’s not for you, there will be an aspect of the Paralympic games that you love, whether it’s the technology side of it, whether it’s the fashion side of it, whether it’s just the pure wacky characters that you get and whether it’s the humour, because we cover the games with a lot of humour, or if you just want to see a beautiful city like Paris, it’s all there.”

When adventurer and former rugby union player Ed Jackson isn’t scaling the both the Himlung Himal in Nepal and The Aiguille Dibona in the French Alps, he’s sharing his excitement over the Paralympics.

Jackson, who suffers from Brown-Sequard Syndrome, a neurological condition that results in weakness or paralysis of one side of the body and loss of sensation on the other, says the Games are “so good and so entertaining,” having presented for Channel 4 at Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games. This year, he believes the change in timezone should help more people get stuck in.

“I’m hoping people can watch those back-to-back hours and days of a particular sport, as it’s in the same timezone as the UK,” he says. “They can get really invested in that sport and then they become a fan of the sport beyond the Paralympics. And that’s the importance. It can’t just be every four years. There’s this little flash in the pan, but then it sizzles out afterwards. We need people to buy into these events, the athletes, the sports and so for [the representation] to continue beyond the Paralympics.”

Lauren Gordon is the editorial coordinator at PS UK, where she creates lifestyle and identity content. Lauren has a degree in journalism from University of the Arts London and previously worked as a showbiz and TV reporter at The Mirror US. Lauren specialises in pop culture, hair and beauty, focusing on trends, sharing in-depth tutorials, and highlighting hidden gems in the beauty industry.