The Opening Ceremony of the Paris Paralympic Games differed significantly from what the French presented about four weeks ago at the Olympic Games celebration on the Seine.
And it could not have been otherwise. Centered around the Champs-Élysées and Place de la Concorde, the four-hour-long event focused on the individual, the para-athlete, and highlighted the right of people with mobility issues to live in equal societies, in a world without exclusions.
For example, Musa Mota, with his moving performance, is a South African athlete who has lost his left leg and has won three international awards, mainly as a finalist on “America’s Got Talent” in 2023.
Impressive Performances by Dancers with Disabilities
Swede Alexander Ekman, who has over 50 creations and collaborations with the Paris Opera Ballet and Boston Ballet, was the chief choreographer of the ceremony. For the first time, he worked with dancers with disabilities, as 16 out of the 140 dancers participating in the first part of the ceremony faced challenges: “They are exceptional, more capable than many able-bodied people, both mentally and physically,” said Ekman.
Approximately 4,400 para-athletes from 168 countries paraded from the Champs-Élysées to Place de la Concorde, where the central stage was set up.
Around 30,000 spectators filled the stands, while an additional 15,000 people had the opportunity to view the athletes’ parade from an open area at the bottom of the Champs-Élysées, and another 30,000 watched the final part of the ceremony, including the Lighting of the Olympic Flame, near the Louvre.
Emotional Moments with the Entry of the Greek Team
A special moment was the entrance of Greece into the parade, with flag bearers, gold medalist javelin thrower Manolis Stefanoudakis and judo Paralympian Theodora Paschalidou, who was accompanied by her guide dog. Greece will participate in the Games with 37 athletes (24 men, 13 women) in 10 sports.
Estanguet: “Tonight Begins the Most Beautiful Revolution”
“Tonight begins the most beautiful revolution, the Paralympic revolution. Tonight, the revolutionaries are you, dear athletes. From our ancestors to the Phrygian cap, you have mania and audacity. Revolutionaries from around the world, you have courage and determination. Welcome to the land of love and revolution,” said Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee.
The President of the International Paralympic Committee, Andrew Parsons, spoke about the importance of sport in uniting people in times of conflict and exclusion. Shortly after, French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open.
The Paralympic flag was brought to the stage by para-athlete John McFall. The British athlete is the first astronaut with a disability to join the European Space Agency, as part of a mission to understand the barriers of spaceflight for individuals with disabilities.
The highlight of the evening was the finale, culminating in the lighting of the Paralympic flame, initially with Maurice Ravel’s “Boléro” creating a mystical atmosphere in Place de la Concorde, and ending with “Born to be Alive” bringing the celebration to its peak.
The flame was lit by five French Paralympians, the flag bearers of the French team: Alexis Hanquiquet, Nandine Keita, Charles-Antoine Kouakou, Elodie Laurenti, and Fabien Lamire.
