Behind the scenes of Paralympic production: Delivering world-class coverage for a multi-sport event

The Paralympic Games, with its extensive schedule, multi-sport format and inspirational stories, presents one of the most complex production challenges in the sporting world. For broadcasters and production teams alike, delivering high-quality coverage across numerous disciplines is no small feat.

Infront's role as a partner to the International Paralympics Committee (IPC) included a content creation element which saw HBS use the services of Infront Productions to work alongside Paralympic sport stakeholders to maximise the storytelling potential of each event. This included managing the live feed to broadcasters globally.

Here we pull back the curtain on the behind-the-scenes work, revealing the level of expertise, planning and teamwork required to produce a seamless viewing experience for millions worldwide.

A Herculean effort: Planning for the Games

The scale of a multi-sport event like the Paralympics requires meticulous planning and thorough preparation.

“There are so many sports, so many races, so many competitions. You need to know your stuff before you even start, or else you get overwhelmed by the sheer volume,” explains Luca Carloni, who was Producer.

Proper preparation meant the production team could manage the vast amount of content needed each day, ensuring nothing was overlooked and that every angle of the competition was covered. Para sports require a unique approach, not just in filming techniques but in managing the sheer number of categories. For example, while the Olympics may have two 100m races (men’s and women’s), the Paralympics feature up to 16 different 100m races across classifications. This diversity requires careful planning to capture each race's distinct challenges and stories, all while ensuring an inclusive, comprehensive broadcast.

Creating a robust content strategy

To meet the needs of the International Paralympic Committee, the production team, in collaboration with HBS, crafted an extensive content plan. Over two weeks, they produced an incredible range of video content.

This included providing 142 daily sports highlights of 1 minute and 30 seconds, 11 daily overall highlights of 10 minutes, and two opening and closing ceremony highlights in long and short versions.

Beyond that, they created 44 post-event recap videos featuring selected nations and sports, each about three minutes long. By the end, more than 200 items were produced in various formats, illustrating the team’s dedication to covering every possible moment.

The content strategy catered to a global audience eager to see highlights, in-depth recaps and the best moments, delivered promptly across platforms. This approach ensured that Paralympians’ stories reached audiences far and wide, highlighting their achievements and contributions to the sporting world.

Assembling a talented team

The unique nature of the Paralympics necessitated a skilled team with in-depth knowledge of para-sports.

Assembling a team that represented the diversity of the Paralympic movement was a key priority for Infront Productions and HBS. This included team members with disabilities, who brought their personal experience and insights into Para sports to ensure authentic and bias-free coverage. This diverse team structure allowed for a nuanced approach that respected the athletes' journeys and portrayed their achievements on par with the Olympics and other top sporting events.

As a result, Infront Productions and HBS identified producers with excellent knowledge of the Paralympic world, then built a team around them: loggers, video editors and voice actors to handle the workflow.

This specialised team allowed for a more nuanced understanding of the games and athletes, ensuring coverage was both accurate and inspiring. With scripts crafted and voiced to capture the drama of events the production added a storytelling element to each highlight.

Remote production: The power of technology

One of the remarkable aspects of this production was its remote nature. Despite the games taking place in France, much of the team was stationed at Infront Productions’ facilities in Milan, Italy.

“It’s surreal,” said Nick Gordon, Producer. “The Paralympics are happening in France, but we’re in Italy thanks to technology.” Each day, as the games wrapped up, the team worked late into the night, reviewing events and producing summaries by morning, often covering multiple sports simultaneously.

This intense workflow, with content checks routed through a quality control team in Canada, allowed for a high level of consistency.

Luca explained: “The main challenge was delivering such a large number of videos in a short timeframe… It’s a labour-intensive process, but it ensures the client gets exactly what they want.”

Celebrating athletes’ stories

While the logistical side of production is impressive, the true heart of Paralympic coverage is the athletes’ stories.

The team worked to capture not only the achievements but also the journeys, resilience and victories over adversity that define the Paralympic spirit. These stories went beyond medals, resonating with global audiences who admire the athletes' strength and perseverance.

A memorable production journey

The rewards of producing the Paralympic Games go beyond professional achievement. For the team, these games were about passion, camaraderie, and shared experiences.

“To me, Para sport is very important as a disabled person,” said Ian Burnip, who formed part of the team. “[It’s important] that it's seen, as a very high standard of sports, on par with the Olympics and all other great sporting events. I think I bring a different a slightly unique insight to a large event like the Paralympics with a disabled background. So for me, working on such an event is fantastic. It's something that I thoroughly enjoyed.”

Producing the Paralympic Games was a showcase of technical expertise as well as an example of teamwork and shared commitment to a vision. For brands seeking a production partner capable of delivering in high-pressure environments, the team’s success in capturing this multi-sport event exemplifies what is possible with the right preparation, talent and dedication.

This coverage of the Paralympic Games demonstrates what is achievable when a production partner combines expertise, advanced planning and technology to deliver compelling content across multiple sports. The Paralympic spirit shines not only on the field but also through the dedication of those working behind the scenes, ensuring that every athlete’s moment in the spotlight is shared with the world.