A spectacular opening ceremony marked the start of the
Paris 2024 Paralympic Games as athletes paraded along the iconic Champs-Elysees
to Place de la Concorde in glorious conditions.
As with the Olympic Games, the Paralympics opening ceremony
was held outside of a stadium for the first time in the French capital.
The main ceremony was staged at Place de la Concorde, on a
perfect summer evening in the heart of the city, following a parade along the
Avenue des Champs-Elysees from the iconic Arc de Triomphe.
Organisers estimated 65,000 people would be present, with
spectators able to watch the parade for free before the ticketed open-air
event.
The first of 11 days of sporting action takes place on
Thursday as France hosts a summer Paralympic Games for the first time.
About 4,400 athletes from a record 168 delegations are set
to take part in the 22 Paralympic sports, competing for a total of 549 gold
medals in Paris.
Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 organising committee,
said the opening ceremony represented the start of "the Paralympic
revolution" led by the athletes.
"What makes you revolutionaries is that, when they told
you 'no', you continued," Estanguet said.
"Tonight, you are inviting us to change our perspectives,
change our attitudes, change our society to finally give every person their
full place.
"Every emotion that you make us feel will carry a
message that will never be forgotten: You have no limits, so let us stop
imposing limits on you."
Paralympic 'revolution' begins in style
Artistic director Thomas Jolly had promised the opening
ceremony would be "a spectacle that will showcase the Paralympic athletes
and the values that they embody".
The staging of the event at the Place de la Concorde - the
largest square in Paris - was designed as a symbol of the city putting the
issue of inclusion for people with disabilities at the heart of society.
While the Olympic Games had athletes travelling on boats
down the River Seine in torrential rain, the opening ceremony for the
Paralympic Games saw a parade take place on the route along the Champs-Elysees
under golden skies.
French former Paralympic swimmer Theo Curin was the star of
the opening segment, transporting athletes in a taxi decorated by Phryges - the
Paris 2024 mascot adapted for the Paralympics with a running blade.
A series of artistic displays featuring performers with
disabilities and impairments highlighted societal issues around inclusivity,
the paradox of a world claiming to be inclusive but which remains full of
prejudice a central theme.
Blue, white and red smoke of the Tricolore was released by
the Patrouille de France aerial display before the athletes made their
entrance, while French singer Christine and the Queens also took to the main
stage at the Place de la Concorde.
British prime minister Keir Starmer was in attendance to
welcome the ParalympicsGB delegation in to a party atmosphere, where the
athletes arrived against the backdrop of a setting sun behind the Arc de
Triomphe.
Wheelchair tennis athlete Lucy Shuker and wheelchair
basketball player Terry Bywater, contesting their fifth and seventh Games
respectively, carried the British flag for ParalympicsGB after being voted as
flagbearers by their team-mates.
Sprinter Nantenin Keita and Para-triathlete Alexis
Hanquinquant were on flag duties for host nation France, the final delegation
to enter the Place de la Concorde, soaking up huge applause amid a rendition of
Les Champs-Elysees.
Following speeches by Estanguet and International Paralympic
Committee (IPC) president Andrew Parsons, French president Emmanuel Macron
declared the Games officially open.
Parsons said: "The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will
show persons with disabilities what they can achieve at the highest level.
"The fact that these opportunities largely exist only
in sport in the year 2024 is shocking. It is proof that we can and must do more
to advance disability.
"That is why 225 years on from when Place de la
Concorde was central to the French Revolution, I hope that Paris 2024 starts a
Paralympic revolution - the inclusion revolution."
Twelve Paralympic champions formed part of the Paralympic
flame parade, as it was transported to the Jardin des Tuileries.
There the cauldron was lit by flagbearers Keita and
Hanquinquant, Charles Antoine Kouakou, Fabien Lamirault and Elodie Lorandi,
before being raised into the sky as the ceremony concluded with an eye-catching
firework display.
What to expect at the Paralympics and how to follow?
IPC president Parsons said in the lead-up to the Games that
he believes Paris will deliver "the most spectacular Paralympic Games
ever".
Two million tickets have been sold, with about 500,000 still
available.
Many venues used during the Olympic Games are again in use
for the Paralympics, with the athletics taking place at Stade de France,
swimming at La Defense Arena, wheelchair tennis at Roland Garros and
Para-equestrian at Chateau de Versailles.
The Para-triathlon will take place in the centre of Paris,
with the swim leg set to be held in the River Seine after the men's Olympic
triathlon was delayed by a day and training sessions were cancelled because of
poor water quality.
As in the Olympics, Russia and ally Belarus are banned amid
the ongoing war in Ukraine but some athletes from those nations are allowed to
participate as part of a Neutral Paralympic Athletes (NPA) delegation.
Eritrea, Kiribati and Kosovo will be represented in the
Paralympics for the first time, while eight athletes will compete for the
Paralympic Refugee Team.
A team of 215 athletes will represent ParalympicsGB, with a
target of 100-140 medals set by UK Sport.
Channel 4 will show the Games in the UK while OceanNewsUK will have commentary, updates and dedicated programmes, and the OceanNewsUK website will have daily live text commentary.
There are 22 gold medals to be won on the opening day - and
no shortage of opportunities for ParalympicsGB to earn medals on day one.
