Paralympian WheelBlack Justin Muschamp shares his memories from the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony while Para swimmer Duane Kale, who has attended multiple opening ceremonies as a chef de mission and IPC/IOC representative, reflects on his experience at the Atlanta 1996 Opening Ceremony as an athlete and as swim team manager in Sydney 2000.
Justin Muschamp, Paralympian #128, Sport NZ Senior Disability Advisor
“My first memory is of the amazing buzz in the Paralympic Village which was the first time I’d been part of a wider New Zealand team at the biggest global event for Para athletes.
“It seemed to take forever for our turn to enter the opening ceremony as we waited under the stand in the Sydney stadium. As it got close to New Zealand’s turn to enter the stadium we did a haka as a full New Zealand team. The WheelBlacks did the haka before every game but it was special to do it as a full New Zealand team.
“I recall the Australian officials trying to hurry us up. Then there was simply an overwhelming feeling as we walked into the stadium. The crowd was huge, some 128,000 people, and because we were so close to New Zealand there were many Kiwis who had travelled to Sydney to be there to cheer us on. It was definitely the biggest crowd I’d ever been in front of.
“Being with the wider team and so many different sports that made up the New Zealand team was fantastic. It was also exciting to go in with so many of my fellow athletes from Canterbury who made up about half of the team and who I had worked with in my role at ParaFed Canterbury.”
Duane Kale ONZM, Paralympian #96, Deputy Chair of Sport NZ and HPSNZ
“I’ve had the privilege of attending numerous opening ceremonies wearing three different hats, firstly as an athlete at Atlanta in 1996 and then pretty much every Games since as the swim team manager, chef de mission and IPC and IOC representative.
“A big memory from Atlanta was the feeling of being part of something bigger. I felt a real sense of pride within the New Zealand delegation and pride in the Paralympic Games with athletes supported by countries from every corner of the globe.
“The noise was surreal, the fanfare and excitement something I’d never experienced. It was a real festival atmosphere.
“I saw Justin’s story about the team haka at the Sydney Opening Ceremony. I was there as the New Zealand Para swim team manager and that haka was something very special. It had a bit of a disrupting effect for the teams around us and as you can imagine the sound was massive in the small covered entry space.
“Thanks to the Paralympic NZ chef de mission in Sydney, Dave Currie, it was probably the first time such a powerful cultural element had been introduced into the Paralympic Games, something he then took into subsequent Olympic Games as chef de mission.”
