Simply weeks after internet hosting the Olympics, Paris kicked off the 2024 Paralympics with a virtually four-hour opening ceremony within the metropolis middle.
Towards a backdrop of sundown, 1000’s of athletes marched alongside the well-known Champs Elysées to the Place de la Concorde in central Paris, the place French President Emmanuel Macron formally opened the Paralympics on Wednesday evening.
Safety was tight, with some 15,000 legislation enforcement officers current, however because the solar slowly set within the French capital within the late afternoon, there was a faint summer season really feel.
“Pricey athletes, welcome to this nation full of affection and revolution. Please be assured that tonight, there shall be no storming of the Bastille and no guillotine, as a result of tonight probably the most lovely revolution is about to start – the Paralympic Revolution ,” Paris 2024 President Toni Estanguet mentioned in his speech.
“This can be a candy revolution that can profoundly change us all.”
The reside efficiency started on the foot of the Place de la Concorde Obelisk, with Canadian musician, songwriter and producer Chilly Gonzales enjoying on the piano.
Disabled artists screamed the countdown, and French singer Christine and Queen carried out a pop rendition of Edith Piaf’s “Non, Je ne reregte rien.”
Heat cheers greet the athletes
The athlete parade of 168 delegations kicked off in a festive environment, with volunteers cheering, singing and dancing.
About 50,000 folks watched the ceremony from stands arrange across the iconic sq., Paris’ largest sq. seen from a distance due to its historical Egyptian obelisk. Asphalt strips have been laid alongside the boulevard and positioned over the plaza to accommodate athletes in wheelchairs.
From Thursday to September 8, greater than 4,000 athletes with bodily, visible and mental disabilities will compete in 22 sports activities.
Organizers mentioned greater than 2 million of the two.8 million tickets for Paralympic occasions have been bought.
The opening ceremony was held exterior the stadium, simply because it was when the Olympics opened within the metropolis on July 26. of sq..
Some delegations are giant, with greater than 250 Brazilian athletes, and a few are small, with lower than just a few from Barbados and three from Myanmar.
The French arrived final, to cheers from the group, who then sang alongside to in style French songs, together with “Que je t’aime” by the late rocker Johnny Hallyday.
The opening ceremony was uncontroversial
All through the present, directed by Thomas Jolly, who hosted the Olympic opening ceremony, disabled and able-bodied singers, dancers and musicians carried out seamlessly collectively on stage, embodying inclusion and overcoming bodily variations theme.
French singer Fortunate Love, who misplaced his left arm at beginning, carried out alongside performers in wheelchairs. Different performances featured dancers on crutches.
Andrew Parsons, president of the Worldwide Paralympic Committee, mentioned he hoped the Paris Paralympics would spark an “inclusive revolution” past the realm of sports activities.
“Paris 2024 will present what folks with disabilities can obtain on the highest degree when limitations to success are eliminated,” he mentioned in his speech.
“The truth that by 2024 these alternatives will primarily exist solely in sport is staggering. It proves that we will and should do extra to advance incapacity inclusion – whether or not on the enjoying area, within the classroom, within the live performance corridor or within the boardroom .
Though Wednesday evening’s present began at 8pm native time (18:00 GMT), followers gathered within the scorching solar hours early to compete for the most effective spots alongside the route. As performers entertained the group on stage, volunteers danced with Paralympic athletes, waved nationwide flags and the sky glowed a postcard-perfect orange.
Final month’s Olympic opening ceremony was held in pouring rain, however that didn’t dampen the passion of the group on the banks of the Seine. Though there was no security failure, it additionally sparked controversy for imitating Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Final Supper” scene.
On the finish of the ceremony, the Paralympic torch was delivered to the area by former Olympic wheelchair tennis gold medalist Michael Jeremiasz, who was surrounded by dozens of torchbearers on the stage.
5 French Paralympians lit the Olympic cauldron, which is designed to appear to be a hot-air balloon and sparkle within the evening.
Paralympic flags have been raised excessive into the evening sky and Paralympic symbols adorned the highest of the Arc de Triomphe about three kilometers (two miles) away.
The ceremony ended with fireworks and one other cowl of Christine and Queen’s 1978 hit “Born to be Alive” by Patrick Hernandez, adopted by Serge Gainsbourg “Je T’aime Moi Non Plus” resonated on the Place de la Concorde.
The primary medals to be handed out on Thursday shall be in taekwondo, desk tennis, swimming and monitor biking. Athletes are grouped by harm degree to make sure as degree a enjoying area as attainable.
The closing ceremony shall be held on the Stade de France, the nationwide stadium.
