President Macron opens the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris with a spectacular ceremony.
The 2024 Paralympic Games have officially kicked off in Paris with a spectacular opening ceremony. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the Games open on Wednesday, following a stunning celebration at the Champs-Élysées and Place de la Concorde. A procession of 4,400 Paralympians from 167 nations paraded from the Champs-Élysées to Place de la Concorde. For the first time in the history of the Paralympics, the opening ceremony took place outside a stadium, mirroring the Paris Olympics. Let’s have a recap of some of the best moments from the ceremony.
The event kicked off in style as French para swimmer Théo Curin drove down the Champs-Élysées in a decked-out cab adorned with hundreds of Phryges, the official mascots of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. This was a nod to the popular French show ‘Théo Le Taxi.’ The Phryge-covered cab was a highlight of the Paris Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony. Moments later, Curin parked the taxi, stepped onto the stage, and, with a powerful voice, shouted to the crowd, “Welcome to Paris!” as the sky burst into the vibrant colors of the French flag.
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The spectacle continued with an elaborate song and dance performance at the base of La Concorde, framed by the iconic Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe in the background. Canadian musician Chilly Gonzales took the spotlight, walking onto a makeshift stage and sitting at a piano as hundreds of dancers began a beautifully choreographed set. The musical celebration soared to new heights when French singer-songwriter Christine and the Queens took the stage, delivering an amazing performance.
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The Paralympic flag was proudly carried by John McFall, a 100m bronze medalist at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics for Great Britain and the first person with a physical disability to be cleared for future missions by the European Space Agency. Joining him was French sailor and Paralympic champion Damien Seguin, as the two athletes carried the Paralympic flags during the opening ceremony.
The parade of athletes began with Afghanistan, followed by the remaining 164 delegations, including the Refugee Paralympic Team, in mostly alphabetical order. The final delegations to enter were the next Olympic and Paralympic hosts, the United States and Australia, just before the host nation, France. U.S. flag bearers Nicky Nieves and Steve Serio led the American delegation, both aiming to add to their already impressive collection of gold medals in Paris. After the Americans and Australians, the French delegation made a vibrant entrance to the tune of ‘Les Champs-Élysées,’ the iconic song by American-French singer Joe Dassin. Each group of athletes paraded up from the bottom of the Champs-Élysées, entering the La Concorde arena, where they were warmly welcomed by the Phryges. The parade concluded with a majestic performance of ‘My Ability’ by French artist Lucky Love.
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Following a torch relay through the Jardin des Tuileries, the Paralympic cauldron was lit again near the Louvre Museum, 17 days after the conclusion of the Olympics. The honor of lighting the cauldron was given to five French Paralympic athletes: Alexis Hanquinquant, Nantenin Keita, Élodie Lorandi, Charles-Antoine Kouakou, and Fabien Lamirault.
