I’d love to share his optimism, but I'm not convinced this will definitely be the case given what has transpired in recent days.

There is clearly still a lot of ill-feeling surrounding the Games, demonstrated most vividly in two stand-out moments during the Opening Ceremony at the Maracanã Stadium on Wednesday (September 7).

The events had not even officially begun when the IPC’s first major headache sprung to light, courtesy of a member of the Belarusian delegation, who somehow managed to worm his way into the Parade of Nations.

In carrying a Russian flag, the man we now know as Andrei Fomachkin - a guest of the Belarusian National Paralympic Committee (NPC) President Oleg Chepel - brought fresh attention to the seemingly never-ending story surrounding the IPC’s decision to ban the country due to allegations of state-sponsored doping.

Just when IPC President Sir Philip Craven may have been thinking the issue could be put to bed for at least the duration of the Games, the gesture of solidarity was a stark reminder that Russia could still make their mark on Rio 2016 even without their athletes competing here.

Because for all the IPC say they won’t tolerate such actions, who is to say other countries won’t follow suit?

The Belarusian NPC have merely been given a ticking off by the IPC in being reminded that political protests are forbidden at the Paralympic Games. 

Surely any other nation looking to show their support for Russia will feel they are entitled to a warning before any sanctions are imposed against them?

Russia may prove to be one reason why Spence’s hopes fall flat. Another is the Brazilian Government, which was booed every time it was mentioned by Rio 2016 President Carlos Nuzman during his speech at the Opening Ceremony.

The boos weren’t quite so vociferous though as those saved for Brazil’s newly-installed President Michel Temer, who officially opened the Paralympics.

The atmosphere inside the Maracanã really was toxic.

Temer was installed to complete the rest of Dilma Rousseff’s term, due to end on January 1 in 2019, after she suffered a crushing impeachment vote.

Rousseff was charged with spending without Congressional approval, as well as manipulating Government accounts to mask the extent of the budget deficit during her 2014 re-election campaign.

Temer was sworn in, despite the fact that, as Rousseff’s vice-president, he is also accused of the same allegations.

Although sporadic demonstrations against the powers that be failed to overshadow the sporting action that unfolded during the Olympic Games, there are still lingering fears that the move to end Rousseff’s term in office could have an impact on the Paralympics.

The hope will be that sport can be the saving grace once more, but even the believability of what we’ll see on the field of play has come into question ahead of the Games.

British Paralympic Association chief executive Tim Hollingsworth has had his own challenging task this week in defending his team against recent claims made by London T37 200 metres silver medallist Bethany Woodward, and backed by the father of her former sprint relay colleague Olivia Breen, that the classification system for disabled athletes is being manipulated to boost medal chances.

Woodward spoke out on the matter in The Sunday Times with her comments coming on the back of it emerging that UK Athletics is set to launch an inquiry into the classification of athletes following the conclusion of the Rio 2016 Paralympics. 

With the sporting action now underway, it’s another issue that could rear its ugly head during the Games.

It may be difficult to envisage, but there must be some way of ensuring that the Rio 2016 Paralympics is remembered predominantly for the right reasons?

Well, a strong performance from the home nation certainly wouldn’t go a miss and they made an encouraging start yesterday as they aim to meet their target of finishing fifth on the medal table, claiming two golds, one silver and one bronze.

It was a real privilege to see Brazilian swimming superstar Daniel Dias successfully begin his quest to become the greatest male Paralympian of all time with victory in the men’s 200m freestyle S5.

Yes, there weren’t too many spectators there to enjoy it with me - another issue that is likely to dominate press conferences throughout the Games - but I must admit the home fans who were inside the Olympic Aquatics Stadium certainly went a long way towards making up for the stream of empty seats.

The noise was deafening at times as Dias strived to break his own world record, before ultimately ending up 1.37 seconds shy.

If the 28-year-old triumphs in his subsequent seven individual and relay races, he could overtake Swedish shooter Jonas Jacobsson’s total of 17 Paralympic gold medals, the most won by a male athlete. 

Also making headlines yesterday was cyclist Dame Sarah Storey, who became the most decorated female Paralympian in British history after securing the 12th gold medal of her career at the Olympic Velodrome in Rio de Janeiro.

Storey, who won her first Paralympic gold medal in swimming at Barcelona 1992, began the Games level on 11 golds with athletics great Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, whom she was congratulated by shortly after the finish of the women’s C5 3,000m individual pursuit final. 

The stories surrounding Dias and Dame Sarah are the sort the IPC will be hoping for in abundance between now and the Closing Ceremony on September 18.

It’s highly unlikely that they will completely detract the attention from the potentially negative headlines during the Games, but from the point of view of the world governing body of Paralympic sport, they will at least go some way towards doing so.