The 2024 Paralympics opened in Paris in a colourful and hope-filled ceremony, starting 11 days of competition in a city still riding the wave of the successful Olympics. On Wednesday evening (local time), French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open during a ceremony in the Place de la Concorde in central Paris — the first time a Paralympic opening ceremony has taken place away from the main stadium. Athletes from 168 delegations paraded into the arena as the sun set, with host nation France entering last to a standing ovation from 30,000 spectators packed into the stands around the historical square.
In one of the highlights of the ceremony, French singer Lucky Love, who was born with one arm, performed a moving rendition of his song My Ability surrounded by both dancers with disability and without. Source: AAP / Abdullah Firas/ABACA/PA Artists with disabilities and impairments screamed a countdown and French singer Christine and the Queens delivered a pop rendition of Edith Piaf's Je ne regrette rien. Source: AAP / Belga/Virginie Lefour/Sipa USA "Dear athletes, welcome to the country of love and revolution.
Rest assured, tonight, no Storming of the Bastille, no guillotine, because tonight the most beautiful revolution starts — the Paralympic revolution," Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet said in his speech. "It's a sweet revolution that will change all of us deeply." International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons told the athletes and spectators he hoped for an "inclusion revolution", before Macron officially declared the Games open.
Source: Getty / Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP The Paralympic flag was carried into the square by John McFall, a British Paralympic sprinter who has been selected by the European Space Agency to become the first 'parastronaut'. French Olympian Florent Manaudou brought the flame into the arena, as the four-day torch relay reached its culmination with five French Paralympians, including 2020 gold medallists Alexis Hanquinquant and Nantenin Keïta, eventually lighting the already-iconic cauldron in the Tuileries Garden. Source: AAP / Christophe Ena/AP A total of 18 of the 35 Olympic venues will also be used for the Paralympics, which run until 8 September, including the ornate Grand Palais and the Stade de France.
Ticket sales have sped up since the Olympics, and organisers say more than two million of the 2.5 million available have been sold, with several venues sold out. Source: Getty / Michael Reaves Riding the wave of its Olympic team's success, host nation France is aiming for a substantial improvement on the 11 golds it won in the 2021 Paralympic Games, which left it 14th in the medals table.
Paralympic powerhouse China dominated the last Paralympics in Tokyo with 96 golds and has again sent a strong delegation. Ukraine, traditionally one of the top medal-winning nations at the Paralympics, has sent a team of 140 athletes to compete in 17 sports despite the challenges they face in preparing as the war against Russian forces rages at home. A total of 96 athletes from Russia and Belarus will compete under a neutral banner but are barred from the ceremonies because of the invasion of Ukraine.
While at the Paralympics. The 2024 Paris Paralympic Games runs from 29 August (Australian time) to 8 September and will be the first time Paris hosts the Paralympics. Share 3 min read.
