- What do we know about the closing ceremony?
The closing show of the Paralympic Games is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. at the Stade de France, where 60,000 spectators are expected for the parade of 4,400 athletes. After Alexis Hanquinquant and Nantenin Keïta, Paralympic boccia champion Aurélie Aubert and sport shooting champion Tanguy de La Forest have been designated as the French flag bearers for this final event.
First, the cauldron of the Paralympic flame will be extinguished at the Tuileries. No fewer than twenty-four DJs of all generations, from Jean-Michel Jarre to Kavinsky, embodying the French touch – the banner of French electro recognized worldwide and exported en masse – will host the ceremony, designed by Thomas Jolly, on four of these scenes, around the theme “Paris is a party”. The torch will also be passed to Los Angeles, which will host the next Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028.
- What is the assessment for French athletes?
For these first Paralympic Games organized in France, the blue delegation achieved its best result in the 21st century, with 75 medals obtained. It fulfilled part of its objectives by finishing in eighth place in the medal table, but missed the objective of 20 gold medals by one unit.
Cycling (28 medals on track and road) and swimming (14) were by far the most successful events for the Blues. Other disciplines, such as team sports, are also among the areas for improvement to imitate blind football, the only one of these disciplines to have won medals in Paris.
Following the Olympics, Paralympic athletes drew crowds. A total of 2.4 million tickets were sold or allocated out of the 2.5 million that will go on sale in the fall of 2023. Only the London Games did better, with 2.7 million tickets sold. In terms of media coverage, 165 television channels followed the event, a record.
- What legacy of the Paris Games?
The athletes’ village, which stretches from L’Ile-Saint-Denis to Saint-Denis via Saint-Ouen (Seine-Saint-Denis), should house more than 2,800 homes (70% private), offices and shops as well as green public spaces during the second half of 2025.
Another facility built for the Games: the Olympic aquatic center, which faces the Stade de France. After some development, this XXL complex should house an aqua play area, a wellness area, a fitness room, padel courts, climbing blocks, indoor soccer fields, etc.
More symbolically, the mayor of Paris assured that she had sent a letter to Emmanuel Macron so that the Olympic cauldron, installed in the Tuileries gardens, would remain.
The president of the Ile-de-France region, Valérie Pécresse, mentioned again, on Sunday September 8, the project of “metro for all”, “the region’s biggest transport challenge in the coming decades”while the very old Parisian network is criticized for its lack of accessibility. The feasibility of such a project is currently under discussion.
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