The 2024 Paralympic Games are officially launched this Wednesday, August 28 with the opening ceremony, the show in pictures.
19:40 – Who will light the cauldron?
A real success during the Olympic Games, the cauldron will be re-lit this evening, at the end of the opening ceremony around 11:15 p.m. However, the suspense remains concerning the identity of the person who will light this cauldron.
7:30 p.m. – Real sporting ambitions for the Blues
It was Claude Onesta, the high performance manager, who set the ambitious goal of aiming for 8th place in the medal table. As a reminder, the French finished 14th in the Tokyo Paralympic Games. “It’s a real challenge,” announces the former coach of the French men’s handball team.
19:14 – The Patrouille de France on the program
In just over an hour, at 8:20 p.m., the Patrouille de France will parade in the “Big Nine” formation, nine planes flying over Paris in an east-west direction, forming the tricolor flag. An air show that promises to be sublime.
19:10 – A sunny opening ceremony
Unlike the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games will avoid rain. The temperature is forecast to be 29°C when the ceremony begins at 8pm. Amélie Oudea-Castera did not hide her satisfaction: “We have better weather, we are happy about it”.
18:53 – The Blues ready to parade
The athletes of the French delegation are ready to leave for the opening ceremony!
18:50 – 2 million tickets sold
Less than an hour before the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, the event’s ticket office is already showing congestion: “2 million tickets sold, with six sold-out sports. There’s something that has taken hold since the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games,” said Marie-Amélie Le Fur, president of the French Paralympic and Sports Committee, with satisfaction.
18:30 – Transport disruptions in the center
Since this morning, a traffic-free perimeter has been set up from the Champs-Élysées to Place de la Concorde, then extended to Place Charles-de-Gaulle. Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete indicated that traffic “was going to be difficult in the center of the capital” with a vigilance for Saturday and Sunday. A weekend that coincides with the return from vacation and the approaching school year.
18:10 – Rwandan Paralympic Athlete Missing
Since the evening of August 20, a Rwandan Paralympic athlete has been missing. She has not been seen since she left her delegation’s camp in Courbevoie while she was going to a restaurant. The Nanterre prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into a disappearance described as “worrying.”
17:50 – Sports of these Paralympic Games
As the opening ceremony approaches, it is an opportunity to take a look at the 22 sports that will mark these Paralympic Games. We will be able to find team sports similar to those we know: wheelchair basketball, blind football, sitting volleyball and wheelchair rugby.
Other sports are exclusive to the Paralympic Games, such as goalball for example. The public will also be able to attend individual sports with wheelchair tennis, para triathlon, archery, table tennis, taekwondo, powerlifting and horse riding among others. Also note the presence of Boccia, similar to pétanque.
5:30 p.m. – A ceremony that aims to be inclusive and committed
The title of the Paralympic Games opening ceremony, “Paradox”, shows the whole universe that Thomas Jolly wants to set up for this first outside a stadium. “Giving the biggest place, the biggest avenue to people with disabilities, is already a first political marker, an almost militant gesture” explains the director.
17:00 – What time can I watch the opening ceremony?
The opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games will begin this evening at 8 p.m. on the Champs-Elysées, and will be broadcast live on France 2.
16:45 – 150 athletes present at the opening ceremony
150 of the 237 athletes in the French delegation will be present tonight at the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games. Almost all sports will be there, with the exception of para cycling and para shooting, which start competition tomorrow.
16:30 – Nantenin Keita, the consecration of the flag bearer
Nantenin Keita, an albino and visually impaired athlete, is set to take part in her last Paralympic Games. For the occasion, the daughter of Malian music legend Salif Keita will be the flag bearer for the French delegation tonight.
16:00 – 17 fan zones to watch the opening ceremony
As with the Paralympics, areas have been set up in almost every borough to watch the events, and tonight’s opening ceremony of the Games.
- 4th arrondissement: Town Hall Square
- 5th arrondissement: Arena of Lutèce
- 6th arrondissement: Saint-Sulpice
- 8th arrondissement: Parc Monceau
- 9th arrondissement: Courtyard of the 9th town hall
- 10th arrondissement: Grange-aux-Belles
- 11th arrondissement: Forecourt of the 11th town hall
- 12th arrondissement: Reuilly Garden – Paul Perin
- 13th arrondissement: Parc de Choisy
- 14th arrondissement: Elisabeth Sports Center
- 15th arrondissement: Forecourt of the 15th town hall
- 16th arrondissement: Sainte-Périne Park
- 17th arrondissement: Martin Luther King Park
- 18th arrondissement: Square Léon Serpollet and Jardin d’Eole
- 19th arrondissement: Place Stalingrad
- 20th arrondissement: L. Lumière sports complex
15:30 – 15,000 free places without reservation
While 35,000 people will be able to attend the opening ceremony from the stands tonight with a paid ticket, 15,000 people will have the opportunity to see the athletes and the show along the Avenue des Champs-Elysées or in the Tuileries Gardens for free and without reservation. First come, first served.