Paralympics 2024 opening ceremony LIVE: Paris prepares for start of Games with athletes parade
The ceremony features athletes participating at the Games and is taking place in the heart of the French captial
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
Paris is back in the spotlight this evening as the city hosts the opening ceremony of the Paralympics Games. Fresh off the heels of a blockbuster fortnight of Olympic action, the Paralympic athletes now take centre stage as they compete for medals, records and glory in front of huge crowds watching on around the globe.
The French captial is expected to be packed once again with up to 65,000 spectators expected to attend the first act of the Games which sees 4,400 athletes from 168 delegations parade down the Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Elysees in the heart of Paris ahead of what is sure to be 11 days of intense competition.
The opening ceremony’s artistic director Thomas Jolly has revealed the spectacle will “showcase the Paralympic athletes and the values that they embody”. He has promised “performances that have never been seen before” and claims that the show will “unite spectators and television audiences worldwide around the unique spirit of the Paralympic Games”.
Follow all the latest updates from the Paralympics opening ceremony with our live blog below:
The Paralympics opening ceremony was a perfect stage to celebrate the sporting drama still to come
Just days before Paralympians last gathered for their Winter Games in Beijing, Russian tanks rolled across the border into Ukraine.
One year later Yevhenii Korinets, from Zhytomyr Oblast on the border of Belarus, lost his leg during a bitter fire fight in Minkivka.
Life can come at you faster than a double amputee sprinter on carbon-fibre blades sometimes, with Korinets making his Paralympic debut as a sitting volleyball player this week.
Six years ago, Canadian rower Jacob Wassermann was paralysed from the waist down in a bus crash that claimed the lives of 16 of his junior ice hockey team-mates. Australian table tennis hope Ma Lin was just five years old when his right arm was eaten by a brown bear during a family trip to a zoo in China.
The Paralympics opening ceremony set the stage for the sports drama to come
The Paralympians and their stories were front and centre in a traditional performance that showcased the difference, equality and glory of competition
Paralympics opening ceremony
Two torch bearers receive the Paralympic flame and head over to the cauldron. They sweep up the last ramp hand-in-hand and offload the flame to three more athletes who will perform the final act.
It’s a combined honour that all five of them perform together.
The cauldron is lit! The Paralympic Games have begun!
Paralympics opening ceremony
Off go the fireworks to signify the end of the routine. The flame begins its final trup towards the cauldron.
There’s a silence over the arena with just the background music playing as the flame is ran out of the Place do Concorde before heading to its final destination.
Paralympics opening ceremony
Ravel’s Bolero is the soundtrack to this final dance. It’s been a far more classical and traditional ceremony than the Olympics one was.
The flame is slowly making it’s way across the stage.
Paralympics opening ceremony
Here it is!
The final formal act of the opening ceremony sees all the 150 performing torch bearers stood in the shadow of the obelisk. They begin a final dance to signify the concorde of sport.
The flames are about to come together.
Paralympics opening ceremony
French artist Sébastien Tellier performs ‘La Ritournelle’, accompanied by an impressive lightshow designed by Thomas Dechandon.
All this while we wait for the Paralympic flame to arrive.
Paralympics opening ceremony
The Paralympic flames arrive in Paris. A video shows the journey they have taken to get here.
On its arrival on French soil, the Flame was divided into 12 Flames, to reflect the number of days of the Paralympic Games.
1,000 Torchbearers spread the energy of the Games throughout France, highlighting regions committed to promoting inclusion in sport and raising awareness of disability issues.
Paralympics opening ceremony
The next formality is the Paralympic Oath.
Two Paralympic athletes, a judge and a coach take the Oath on behalf of their peers and pledge to respect and promote the Paralympic values of determination, equality, inspiration and courage.
Paralympics opening ceremony
Paralympics opening ceremony
As the flag is raised, the Paralympic anthem is played which is joyous and inspiring. The crowd is hushed as they witness this next stage of the opening ceremony.
It’s a special moment, one of many we’ve witnessed this evening.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments