Just weeks after hosting the Olympic Games, Paris kicked off the final chapter of its sporting summer with the opening ceremony of the Paralympics.
GALLERY: The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games begin
With its overflowing cultural and historical essence, the Place de la Concorde hosted the innovative and majestic opening, marked by inclusion and diversity.
The unique spectacle took place on a stage set up around the obelisk in the iconic square and began with a dance by 140 conventional dancers and 16 disabled people, dressed in the blue, red and white colours of the French flag. Access for athletes in wheelchairs was facilitated by asphalt ramps along the avenue.
The organisers delivered on their promise: a spectacular ceremony. Once again, it went beyond the confines of a stadium and, unlike the Olympics, which included a boat parade on the River Seine, the Paralympics’ opening ceremony took place on dry land.
As French President Emmanuel Macron and International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons watched, fighter planes flew over the city, leaving behind red, blue and white vapor trails. The delegations then entered the square in alphabetical order.
The Games will showcase what people with disabilities can achieve and how they have removed barriers to success.
Parsons said in his speech. The fact that these opportunities exist is proof that we can and must do more to advance inclusion, whether on the court, in the classroom, in concert halls, or on the boardroom floor of a company.
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Mexico left its mark. With flags, charro hats, overcoats and even wrestler masks, our athletes were present, led by Fabiola Ramírez and Salvador Hernández.
As it happened in the conventional games, the national contingent was one of the noisiest and most cheerful. With their white and pink uniforms, the tricolors made the flag sound loud. Long live Mexico!
while they sang Sweetie.
Five French Paralympic athletes lit the cauldron, designed to look like a hot air balloon and emit a golden glow in the night.
So far, more than 2 million tickets have been sold for the competitions. Mexicans are expected to win their first medals today in the disciplines of taekwondo, table tennis and track cycling.
Athletes are grouped by disability level to ensure the greatest possible equality. Only two of the sports on the programme, goalball and boccia, do not have an Olympic equivalent.
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– 2024-09-03 16:46:09
