When the bright lights of Paris take center stage for the Paralympic Games on Aug. 28, Todd Fraser has a front-row seat. And, it’s the work Fraser contributes behind the scenes that helped make para-cycling events around the world possible.
Pursuing a degree in Sport Management at Ohio University followed by a dual master’s program in International Sports Management at Cortland State and London Metropolitan opened the doors for Fraser to work in international sports. Now 15 years working in international sports, the Lockport resident is the technical delegate for the track and road para-cycling events of the Paralympics through Sept 8.
After six years serving with the International Paralympic Committee in Bonn, Germany, Fraser moved to Switzerland and became first the para-cycling coordinator and, since January, the para-cycling manager for the Union Cycliste International since 2020. The industry has taken Fraser to nearly 30 countries, through Paralympic and World Cup settings, with opportunities to connect with different cultures through the sport.
“I’m just helping the athletes, helping the nations to perform better,” Fraser, 37, said. “I take a lot of pride in organizing a really strong event that helps the sport grow and, so when you do that, you feel really good. … You feel that, ‘Well, I’m really making some change here’ and it’s not just really hard work for nothing. I think it’s a really positive input.”
Fraser’s first exposure at the Olympics came when he helped organize the Tokyo Games three years ago. The paracycling road and track events featured a combined 230 athletes, with 150 men and 80 women, competing to reach the podium.
Now heading into Paris, the para-cycling competition will feature 220 athletes competing in 51 medal events. But, on a larger scale, Fraser contributed to the sports’ growth ahead of the World Championship in Glasgow, Scotland last year.
The World Championship precedes the Paralympics by one year, with the Glasgow competition having a large media presence, with BBC TV, its Sports Website and mobile app all broadcasting the entire event. The momentum then continued at the UCI conference in June, where Fraser presented the opportunities towards growing the sport.
“The conference itself is part of the outreach,” Fraser said. “… And it’s trying to outreach that (sport) and so the whole idea of the conference was to try find new hosts for our events, try to help those hosts understand what is needed to help them host para-cycling sports and then try to make those connections, I think, to continue to grow what I’m working on and try to take it to the next level.”
With the UCI and more awareness with the Olympic games, there are some challenges that come with Fraser’s role. Having enough resources and enough money to put on the events is a main challenge, with the adjustment based on the culture of the host site.
But Fraser instead finds it as an opportunity to connect with people and the adaptability to work on the fly.
“Sometimes when you’re starting in the blank state, when you go to an event, you have the ability to make change quicker and faster because they’re open to new ideas and new items,” Fraser said. “When you go to a place where it’s much more structured. Sometimes, it’s harder to break old habits. The challenges are opportunities at the same time.”
Predicting whether he will be back in Los Angeles for the Paralympic 2028 Games in his position is too far ahead for Fraser to plan out. But he would be open to helping if he was still in his current job.
Fraser still remembers his time living in Lockport. Fraser was part of the school’s cross country and track and field teams before graduating in 2005 and appreciates the opportunity to represent his hometown.
“I think it’s cool that I’m from Lockport and from Western New York and I’m able to carry my kind of culture a little bit around the world with me too,” Fraser said. “And I think that people always say I’m a great person to work with, super nice, and I think that, you know, whether it’s my upbringing or the region or whatever else has certainly contributed to that a little bit. And so it’s something I’m proud of, for sure. I’m from Western New York, no doubt about it.”