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
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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:
Paris 2024 Paralympics schedule and day-by-day events
The 2024 Paralympics in Paris officially begins with the opening ceremony on Wednesday 28 August, kicking off 11 days of competition which comes to an end on 8 September.
The Paralympics will feature 22 sports in 23 disciplines, with a total of 549 events across 11 days.
There are the traditional draws such as swimming, basketball, tennis and athletics. There will not be any new disciplines at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, but badminton will be making only its second appearance.
Here is a closer look at the full day-by-day schedule for the Games, including every session for every sport (medal events in bold).
Paris 2024 Paralympics schedule and day-by-day events
Dates and times of all the events across 11 days of action in Paris this summer
More than two million tickets sold for Paralympics
At the Beijing 2008 Games, 1.82m tickets were sold and organisers distributed 1.62m to schools, according to International Paralympic Committee (IPC) figures.
Some 2.1m tickets were sold for the Rio 2016 Paralympics. Paris 2024, however, is confident the Paralympics will be sold out, which would be a first.
“We know we will continue to sell tickets over the next days, probably until the end of the Games,” Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet said.
“It was the case at the Olympics, we sold tickets until the very last day, even the last hour, and that’s been very exciting for us to see that fans were excited until the end and really wanted to take the last opportunities.”
“Today, the number of tickets sold will certainly surpass the Rio numbers,” IPC spokesperson Craig Spence said.
More than two million tickets sold for Paralympics with Games set to get underway
Paris 2024 has sold just over two million tickets for the Paralympics, organisers said hours before the opening ceremony on Wednesday, adding they were confident it would be a sold-out extravaganza.
“Over two million tickets have already been sold for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, including one million in just one month,” Paris 2024 said in a statement.
Organisers said on Tuesday that some 500,000 tickets were still up for grabs, which, if they are sold, would put Paris just short of the record 2.7 million sold for the London 2012 Games, where 97% tickets were purchased.
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson’s struggles to Paris ‘absolute disgrace’
ParalympicsGB chef de mission Penny Briscoe branded Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson’s struggles to reach Paris 2024 an “absolute disgrace” and feels the episode encapsulates the daily difficulties endured by disabled people.
Former wheelchair racer Grey-Thompson, an 11-time Paralympic champion, was forced to drag herself off a London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train service on Monday because no staff were there to help.
The 55-year-old was travelling from Leeds to London – en route to the French capital – and posted a series of messages about her experience on social media.
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson’s struggles to Paris ‘absolute disgrace’ – GB chief
The 11-time Paralympic champion was forced to drag herself off a train on Monday because no staff were there to help.
What’s going on with the Paralympic flame?
The Paralympic flame was lit in the small village of Stoke Mandeville in England and was taken to France before being split into 12 flames and paraded across the country.
The flames travelled around the country before arriving in Paris and will be reunited as part of the ceremony. Martial artist and actor Jackie Chan has been announced as one of the torchbearers for this evening.
The Paralympic flames will make their final appearance during the opening ceremony, where they will be used to light the cauldron to symbolise the start of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
How many people will watch the ceremony?
For people in Paris, the first part of the ceremony will be open to the public to watch live for free.
15,000 tickets will be free to claim on a first-come-first-serve basis and there have been another 35,000 tickets for the ceremony sold beforehand.
Organisers say between 50,000-65,000 people are expected to watch the opening ceremony in Paris with millions more tuning in to television broadcasts.
What to expect from the opening ceremony?
Just like for the Olympic Games, the Paralympics opening ceremony will break with tradition and take place not in a stadium but in the streets.
The athletes will parade down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées before arriving at the Place de la Concorde.
Jitske Visser, a Paralympic wheelchair basketball medallist, IPC Athletes’ Commission President and competitior at Paris 2024, said:
“What an incredible moment for our athletes, who will be part of a historic Opening Ceremony, on the world’s most famous avenue, surrounded by all the charm of Paris.”
When are the Paralympics?
Competition in Paris begins on Thursday 29 August, and continues until Sunday 8 September. There are 549 medal events across 22 sports.
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Paralympics opening ceremony
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, have been welcoming world leaders to Paris ahead of tonight’s Paralympics opening ceremony.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in the French capital to support the ParalympicsGB athletes as the Games officially kick off this evening.
When is the opening ceremony of the Paralympics?
The opening ceremony is due to start at 7pm BST on Wednesday 28 August in Paris.
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the festivities live on Channel 4, with coverage on the channel from 6.30pm BST. A livestream will be available via the channel’s website.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
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