5-time Paralympic gold medallist Ellie Simmonds praises integration of Para sports at Commonwealth Games

Running the Commonwealth Games in tandem with its largest-ever Para sport program has been a success and should be adopted at other major events, five-time Paralympic gold medallist Ellie Simmonds said Friday.

The swimming great doesn't want the model to be used at the Olympics, however, because the Paralympics is a big enough event to be held alone on the world stage.

This year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham — the largest multi-sport, integrated event — has so far sold more than 1.4 million tickets, including for Para-swimming and athletics.

"It has just slotted in, and people have loved it, not just in the stadiums but on TV as well," Simmonds said. "I would love to see it in future Commonwealth Games and also world championships. [Even at] the Europeans. That would be absolutely amazing.

The 27-year-old Simmonds, who is a board member for the Birmingham Games, said the successful integration was in part because of the smaller number of classifications for the event.

She said it was important that a broader mix of athletes be given the opportunity to compete, which is why she thinks a stand-alone Paralympics should remain in place.

"With the Paralympics, we want to celebrate that. It is an incredible 10 days of competition with all different types of classifications," Simmonds said. "The integration into the Commonwealth Games is amazing. (But) it would not be possible from a logistic point of view. I think with all the classifications, if it was included into the Olympics, it would mean the Olympics would be going on for months."

The importance of inclusion and diversity has been a focus of the Birmingham Games, which finish on Monday.

English diver Tom Daley, who was among the last baton bearers in the opening