The study, by the French Paralympic Committee and Havas Sports & Entertainment, looked to gain the public's opinion on Para-athletes following London 2012 and Sochi 2014 and found that almost half of respondents could name at least one Paralympic athlete from the country.

Alpine skier Marie Bochet was the most recognisable after she secured a remarkable four gold medals at Sochi 2014 as she became one of the most successful athletes of the Games.

She was closely followed by London 2012 sprinting gold medallist Marie-Amélie Le Fur, Alpine skier Vincent Gauthier-Manuel and long jumper Arnaud Assoumani.

Marie Bochet was the most well known Paralympian to the respondents of a French Paralympic Committee survey ©Getty Images


The survey also found that nine out of 10 people, 91 per cent, consider Para-athletes as high performance sport stars and a similar number, 90 per cent, said they are inspirational.

Three out of four respondents associated athletes with the value of respect, while two out of three said they had huge admiration for their achievements.

Four per cent said they felt discomfort towards a Para-athlete.

In recent years the popularity of the Paralympic Movement has grown dramatically in France.

More than 13 million people watched London 2012 and the number of Facebook fans following the French Paralympic team grew seven times over during Sochi 2014, a Games where the French team finished fifth on the medals table.

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