Hof athletes as guests at the Paralympic Games in Paris

The last competitions of the 2024 Paralympics were taking place in the packed stadium with over 80,000 spectators. This unforgettable experience was made possible by Hof's twin town Villeneuve-la-Garenne.

The Hof delegation experienced the highs and lows of the athletics competitions up close. For example, they followed the success of Lindy Ave, who won bronze in the 400-meter distance in the T38 class. The 26-year-old from Neubrandenburg, who won gold at the Paralympics in Tokyo 2020, ran the distance in one minute and 37 hundredths of a second. Para athletics star Felix Streng, on the other hand, was less fortunate. He had run a strong race over the 200-meter distance and was already delighted with his silver medal, but was stripped of it shortly afterwards due to a lane infringement. This led to his disqualification. The German team won a total of 49 medals, putting them in eleventh place in the medal table. The leader was China with 220 medals. Remarkable: The respective winners - as at the Olympic Games - rang the bell in the stadium, which will hang in Notre Dame Cathedral. Each Paralympic medal also contained a piece of the Eiffel Tower, making it a unique memento.

Hof swimmers Stefanie Lang, Cathrin Bächer, Günter Gast, canoeist Stephanie Gebhardt and athlete spokesperson Max Kühnreich watched the competitions enthusiastically together with their families and coaches. "Anyone who has seen this once in their life will never forget it," agreed swimming coaches Yvonne Kirchner and Petra Ellmauer. "We have been taking part in the Special Olympics World Games, the games for people with intellectual or multiple disabilities, for some time now, most recently in Berlin in 2023 or Athens in 2011, but an atmosphere like this here in Paris is unique," explained Ines Gebhardt, mother of Stephanie and Melanie Gebhardt. Her daughters are celebrated stars in Hof as Sportswomen of the Year. Stephanie Gebhardt won bronze in the 500-meter kayak race together with Victoria Tippelt at the Special Olympics in Berlin 2023. Melanie Gebhardt competed in the kayak four at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Max Kühnreich, also Hof's Sportsman of the Year, was also present live at the Paralympics. The athlete, who won gold in the kayak in 2006 and won silver and bronze together with Stephanie Gebhardt at the Special Olympics national games in Bremen in 2010, has been an athlete spokesperson for four years. In this role, he represents the interests of Bavarian athletes on various committees. After returning from Paris, he immediately dedicated himself to organizing the 2025 national games in Erlangen.

In addition to the Games, the delegation from Hof also gained cultural impressions. The trip was the first visit to Paris for many, and the twin town of Villeneuve-la-Garenne had organized a varied programme. Mayor Pascal Pelain invited the delegation to his town hall, and the town twinning coordinator Yasmina Belmoumen put together the supporting program. The town festival and the festival of clubs took place in Villeneuve-la-Garenne at the same time as the games, with cultural events taking center stage. The visit was rounded off with an excursion to Paris, during which the delegation visited the Olympic flame, the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Élysées. Thanks to the host families who took in the Hofers, there were plenty of French specialties for a picnic on the way or a late-night visit to a new pizzeria. French, of course, with a dollop of crème fraîche.

Elisabeth Blechschmidt, who has been organizing the sports activities at the Hochfränkische Werkstätten since 2017, expressed her sincere thanks for the hospitality and conveyed greetings from the Managing Director of Lebenshilfe Hof, Siegfried Wonsack. Lebenshilfe Hof has been committed to the interests of people with intellectual or multiple disabilities for over 60 years. Participating in the Paralympics is a great honor and a pleasure. "In recent years, we have been able to experience many sporting events with the sports of soccer, swimming and table tennis, from small competitions in Bavaria to national and international Special Olympics events, most recently in Berlin," explained Blechschmidt. She also extended an invitation to take a tour of the workshop or the TPZ. Finally, she presented the hosts with handmade products and pasta made from the farm's own eggs as a small thank you.

Photos: City of Hof