It’s the big night for the Paralympic Games. The opening ceremony kicks off the festivities on Wednesday, August 28, before eleven days of competition. A majority of the 4,400 para-athletes, representing 168 delegations, are preparing to parade in front of nearly 50,000 spectators gathered between the Champs-Elysées (15,000 free seats) and the Place de la Concorde (35,000 paying seats).
“We want to welcome the greatest athletes on the planet in the most beautiful way”declared Tony Estanguet, president of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, on franceinfo. “There will be a message through dance, through this show, about inclusion.” This event will be broadcast live on France 2 and france.tv, starting at 8 p.m.
A capital in unison. Unlike the Olympic ceremony, there will be no parade on the Seine. But the setting will once again be magical with a popular parade on the lower part of the Avenue des Champs-Elysées. A show will be given around the obelisk of the Concorde and the Tuileries Gardens will once again be part of the decor with the lighting of the cauldron at the end of the ceremony.
Dancers in full “Paradox”. For three hours, “all bodies” will be in the spotlight, announced artistic director Thomas Jolly. Choreographed by the Swede Alexander Ekman, known for his grandiose scenographies, this show called Paradox will feature 150 dancers, including around twenty with disabilities.
Nantenin Keïta and Alexis Hanquinquant, blue flag bearers. They will be leading the French delegation in the parade. Before going to aim for Olympic gold, once again.The visually impaired athlete Nantenin Keïta won it eight years ago in the 400m in Rio. Alexis Hanquinquant, 38, is the overwhelming favourite in his category in triathlon. The reigning Paralympic champion and six-time world champion, he has been undefeated in international competition since 2017.
A family and popular success in sight? Of the 2.5 million tickets put on sale in October, 2 million were sold, a dynamic reinforced by the Olympic effect. Nearly 200,000 of them will be allocated to schoolchildren, in a period marked by the start of the school year on September 2. In total, 165 television channels will follow the event, a record in the history of the Paralympic Games.
An expected sporting success. “Ambition is the top 8”hammered Marie-Amélie Le Fur, president of the French Paralympic and Sports Committee. Added to this ambition in the medal rankings is that “to get 20 gold medals”twice as many as in 2021. In total, 237 French athletes will be present, compared to 138 in Tokyo.