Professor David Bamford, an expert in the theory of operations management and how it can be applied to the sports arena, was granted full access to the Paralympics village in London and with his team of researchers he quizzed hundreds of athletes, seeking their views on the organisation, facilities and other aspects of the Games.

This was the largest survey that had been carried for a Paralympic Games and the responses were highly positive.

"From a service quality perspective, they were exceptionally high," said Professor Bamford. "This speaks well for the attention to detail and the design of the facilities provided at London 2012. Now the opportunity and the challenge for Brazil is how they are going to replicate this. The bar is very high indeed."

‌A special questionnaire was devised and a total of 250 Paralympians took part, either in face-to-face interviews or by responding online. The blend of nationalities, athletic disciplines and disabilities ensured that the findings were statistically valid.

‌The questions covered topics such as transport, catering, competition venues, staff, ceremonies and anti-doping procedures. Respondents attached most importance to the facilities at the Paralympics village.

Questions used the Likert scale -- ranging from "dissatisfied" to "very satisfied" -- and 70 per cent of the responses were in the "very satisfied" range, said Professor Bamford.

"That went right across the board from the Paralympics village through to the delivery of anti-doping services. It was an extremely positive set of feedback. And the volunteers and staff were by far the best rated of all the services. In terms of their performance, they were absolutely outstanding," he added.

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