Paris Launches the 2024 Paralympics with Grandiose Opening Ceremony
Following its successful hosting of the Olympics, Paris kick-started the 2024 Paralympics on Wednesday with a nearly four-hour long opening ceremony in the city's center.
The opening procession saw thousands of athletes marching down the famous Champs-Elysées avenue against the beautiful backdrop of a setting sun. The parade culminated at the Place de la Concorde, an iconic square in the heart of the city, where French President Emmanuel Macron officially opened the Paralympic Games.
About 50,000 spectators gathered around the square, as accessibility for wheelchair athletes was facilitated with strips of asphalt laid over the venue. More than 4,000 physically, visually, and intellectually impaired athletes will compete in 22 sports until September 8.
In the spirit of inclusivity, the opening ceremony was held outside a stadium, reminiscent of the Olympics' opening in July. Spectacular fighter jets painted the sky with the French national colors. Delegations from around the globe took to the square in alphabetical order, with sizes ranging from over 250 athletes from Brazil to a single athlete from Myanmar and Barbados.
The ceremony boasted performances from singers, dancers, and musicians with and without disabilities, underlining a theme of overcoming physical differences and promoting inclusion. Andrew Parsons, the President of the International Paralympic Committee, expressed his hopes for the Paris Paralympics to initiate an "inclusion revolution".
As the grand ceremony wrapped up, former Olympic wheelchair tennis gold medalist Michaël Jérémiasz carried in the Paralympic torch, which was lit by five French Paralympians. The Olympic cauldron, designed as a glowing golden hot air balloon, lit up the night, marking the official commencement of the Paralympic Games 2024 in Paris.
