Sochi 2014 was a stunning success, exceeding all expectations. At thebr Closing Ceremony on 16 March, International Paralympic Committee (IPC)br President Sir Philip Craven described them as the best ever, which isbr why, after a countdown which started on 12 November, the Sochi 2014br Paralympic Winter Games have been chosen as No.1 in the IPC’s Top 50br Moments of 2014. Nearly 550 athletes from a record 45 countries arrivedbr to the Games as the best prepared ever, and they did not disappoint.br Few will forget the stand-out performances of Russia’s Roman Petushkovbr winning a record six Nordic skiing golds, or Anna Schaffelhuber, thebr German sit skier, winning five gold medals from five events. In a Gamesbr of many highlights, one of the best was the vocal crowds and packedbr venues that became a trademark of Sochi 2014. A record 316,200 ticketsbr were sold, a figure that was almost 40 per cent higher than had beenbr achieved at Vancouver 2010. Traditionally, Russian spectators onlybr cheer their own athletes. But they were quickly infected by thebr Paralympic Spirit, supporting and celebrating the performances of everybr single athlete. This unified support climaxed on the final night ofbr competition, when Russia met USA in the ice sledge hockey gold medalbr match. The crowd were delirious in their support of the Russian team.br What was most impressive, however, was their reaction at the end of thebr game, when they stayed to cheer all three medal-winning teams. Thebr support was for the sport and the athletes. It did not matter whichbr country they represented; everyone was a hero. The Russia-USA matchbr also marked one of the most historic moments in Paralympic broadcastingbr history: it was the first time any US gold medal success had been shownbr live on NBC. The Games also received more coverage than ever before,br with TV pictures shown on 125 channels in 55 countries. Consequently,br the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games were the most watched inbr history, attracting a global cumulative audience of 2.1 billion people.br “Sochi 2014 broke all ticket and TV viewing records and the blueprintbr that was created in terms of accessibility in Sochi is now being rolledbr out across Russia,” said Sir Philip Craven. “The performances of thebr para-athletes were mesmerising; they continue to astound not justbr myself with what they can achieve but millions of others around thebr world.” Arguably the biggest impact Sochi 2014 had was on the Russianbr government and Russian society. Speaking in early December, Dimitrybr Chernyshenko, the Sochi 2014 President and CEO, said: “The Sochi 2014br Paralympic Winter Games have reinforced Russia’s commitment to socialbr advancement. In preparation for the Games and Sochi’s continuedbr development into a world class tourist destination, we set newbr standards for urban planning and development to improve the lives ofbr people with a disability in Sochi and across the nation.” In 1980 thebr old USSR declined the opportunity to stage the Paralympics because theybr said the country had nobody with an impairment. Thirty years on, andbr the attitude could not have been more different. The driver behind thisbr change was the Games. Sochi’s election as host city in 2007 led – forbr the first time – to Russian authorities and society paying attention tobr the issue of inclusion, and creating accessible environments for all.br New legislation was passed at the highest levels of Government, and thebr Sochi 2014 Organising Committee created a barrier-free infrastructure,br ensuring that everything built for the Games was accessible for all.br Sochi is now a blueprint for the rest of Russia, with 200 citiesbr already using what was created for the Games as a guide for furtheringbr their own accessibility. The lives of millions of Russians will bebr permanently improved and enriched. Since the conclusion of the Games,br Sochi’s sporting legacy has lived on. It has staged its first ever F1br race, a Federations Cup tennis match and in 2015 will stage the IWASbr World Games and the annual SportAccord Convention.