The 2024 Paris Paralympic Games are set to open on Wednesday, marking the continuation of an exciting summer of sports in the French capital following the highly successful Olympic Games. This edition of the Paralympics promises to captivate audiences as 4,400 athletes with disabilities, permanent injuries, or impairments compete across 549 medal events in 22 sports, spread over 11 days until September 8. Paris Paralympics: Complete schedule and list of sports The opening ceremony will take place at Place de la Concorde, a historic square in the heart of Paris that hosted urban sports like skateboarding during the Olympics.
This will be the first time a Paralympic opening ceremony occurs outside the main stadium, symbolising a bold statement. Theatre director Thomas Jolly, who was also behind the Olympics opening ceremony, emphasised the deep significance of placing Paralympic athletes at the city’s centre, especially considering that Paris’ Metro system is largely inaccessible to wheelchair users . “Putting Paralympic athletes in the heart of the city is already a political marker in the sense that the city is not sufficiently adapted to every handicapped person,” Jolly said.
International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons echoed the importance of the venue for the opening ceremony. “We are at the heart of the city," he told The Associated Press. ”The symbolism behind this is like the city of Paris is giving our athletes a gigantic hug.
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