Paralympic chief challenges Brisbane 2032 organizers to top the success of Sydney

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Paralympic chief challenges Brisbane 2032 organizers to top the success of Sydney

2025-05-28 15:42 Last Updated At：15:50

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — There was no better day to urge the people of Brisbane to do better than the benchmarks Sydney set for the Paralympics.

International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons’ visit to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic host city Wednesday coincided with the start of the traditional rugby league grudge match that is the Origin series, one of the biggest annual fixtures on Australia's sports calendar.

“Without doubt, the year 2000 was a gamechanger and provided the foundations from which we could advance the Paralympic Games and wider Paralympic movement,” Parsons told a gathering at a Brisbane riverside restaurant, hyping Sydney’s overwhelming success in staging the Olympics and Paralympics almost 25 years ago.

“After the tremendous success of Barcelona 1992, and the troublesome experiences of Atlanta 1996, the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games got the Paralympic movement back on track with a sensational showcase of sport.”

Sydney is the capital of New South Wales state. Brisbane, capital of Queensland state, has another seven years to prepare and improve on that Games legacy.

The sporting rivalry between the neighboring eastern Australian states is intense, and there's no better illustration than the Origin series.

Brisbane was awarded the 2032 Games in 2021 but it took more than 1,340 days before a new state government finalized the venue plans that center around a new main stadium and aquatics venue built in a downtown parkland precinct.

What Sydney did to raise the profile of athletes, ticket sales and broadcast audiences for the Paralympics, Brisbane organizers aim to do in terms of setting new benchmarks for accessibility in the design of venues, buildings and transport.

“You’ve got to get to a point as a global look at accessibility, in other words people with disabilities, as being standard in the design. As First Nations, and including their culture, as standard in what we do. Environment, and certification of buildings and treating the environment well, as standard," Andrew Liveris, president of the Brisbane 2032 organizing committee, said. “We’re not there (yet), but we can set that standard. We will be, as an Olympic and Paralympic Games, the standard bearer."

With the start of venue construction and the finalizing of the sports program not expected until late next year, Liveris said there's time to ensure the end results are accounted for in the planning.

Parsons said Sydney was the first Paralympics to sell tickets — 1.2 million were sold and Australia topped the medal standings. It launched a new era for the Games. There were 2.5 million tickets sold for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, where 4,400 Para athletes competed and 168 national Paralympic Committees sent teams.

“In terms of ticket sales, the Paralympic Games are now the world’s third biggest sport event with only the Olympic Games and men’s FIFA World Cup selling more,” Parsons said, adding that Paralympic-related internet searches “broke the 1 billion barrier.”

“The main driver for the increasing global appeal of the Paralympic Games is the constantly improving quality of sport, level and depth of competition, and the performances of Para athletes,” Parsons said. “Progress in the last 25 years has been emphatic.”

Based on his past visits and his knowledge of planning already, Parsons said Brisbane is “starting from a position of strength definitely in terms of accessibility."

“But you can always improve," he added. “We cannot be satisfied until we have 100% of everything accessible, and I'm absolutely sure that this is the objective here.”

AP Olympics at https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.