The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games have officially begun with about 4,400 athletes from different countries marching along the famous Champs-Elysees to Place de la Concorde.
For the first time in Paris, the Paralympic Games’ opening ceremony is happening outside of a stadium.
The main event is being held at Place de la Concorde, right in the heart of the city, on a beautiful summer evening.
The athletes paraded from the Arc de Triomphe along the Champs-Elysees to reach the venue.
Organizers expect about 65,000 people to attend. The parade is free for everyone to watch, but the ceremony at Place de la Concorde requires tickets.
As the athletes arrived, the Patrouille de France aerial display team released blue, white, and red smoke, the colours of the French flag, into the clear sky.
Starting Thursday, the Games will run for 11 days. This is the first time France is hosting a summer Paralympic Games. Athletes from 184 teams will compete in 22 different sports, aiming to win a total of 549 gold medals.
Thomas Jolly, the artistic director, promised a grand show that will highlight the Paralympic athletes and the values they stand for, saying that this ceremony will be “a spectacle that will showcase the Paralympic athletes and the values that they embody,” and feature “performances that have never been seen before.”
Wheelchair tennis player Lucy Shuker and wheelchair basketball player Terry Bywater will carry the British flag for ParalympicsGB.
Meanwhile, sprinter Nantenin Keita and Para-triathlete Alexis Hanquinquant will represent France as flagbearers.
Andrew Parsons, the president of the International Paralympic Committee, believes that Paris will host the most impressive Paralympic Games ever.
