For the Paralympians of TeamNL, Paris 2024 is finally about to begin. On Wednesday 28 August, it is time for the opening ceremony at Place de la Concorde and the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Chef de mission Esther Vergeer looks ahead.
“About 90 percent of the team has arrived in the village by now,” Vergeer begins. “So we are almost complete. The atmosphere is very good. The athletes know what is at stake in the coming two weeks and it is great to see that they are ready for it. The sporting preparation is in place. A total of more than 1.75 million tickets have been sold and the Netherlands is in the top five of countries where the most tickets have been sold. That means that a lot of Oranje fans are coming this way.”
TeamNL will be in action in eleven of the twenty-two sports. Vergeer: “That is a good starting position. The qualification process is tight and that is why we are here with a very strong team.”
New growth
The previous Paralympic Games were only three years ago. As a result, the Tokyo Paralympic group has remained largely intact. However, Vergeer also sees new recruits. “No less than 28 percent of the team are debutants at these Games, so there is certainly innovation in that. That is very nice. Ultimately, we hope to inspire new talents to also take up sports.”
TeamNL House reopens
On Thursday, the day after the opening ceremony, the doors of the TeamNL House again in Paris. For the first time, there will be a place during the Paralympic Games where Orange fans can come together, watch sports, meet athletes and celebrate tributes. Vergeer: “I think that will be an incredibly special experience for the athletes who will be able to celebrate their achievements there. I hope that this will become a long tradition and I am really looking forward to it.”
