Just weeks after hosting the Olympics, the 2024 Paralympics opened with a nearly four-hour ceremony in the city’s heart. In a dazzling display of inclusivity and determination, the 2024 Paralympic Games kicked off on August 28th, 2024, in the City of Light. For the first time, Paris hosted the prestigious event, and just like the Olympics, the opening ceremony was held outside of a stadium, transforming the iconic Place de la Concorde and Champs-Elysées into a vibrant celebration of the human spirit.
The revolutionary speech
The ceremony opened with speeches by Tony Estanguet and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Andrew Parsons. Estanguet said, “Dear athletes, welcome to the country of love and revolution. Rest assured, tonight, no storming of the Bastille, no guillotine, because tonight the most beautiful revolution starts—the Paralympic revolution.”
“The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will show persons with disabilities what they can achieve at the highest level. The fact that these opportunities largely exist only in sports in the year 2024 is shocking. It proves that we can and must do more to advance disability,” Parsons added.
An enchanting performance
Artistic director Thomas Jolly brought the ceremony to life, showcasing the unbreakable spirit of the athletes through breathtaking performances.
A mesmerising choreography to Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero,” performed by 500 artists, including more than 140 dancers and 16 performers with disabilities and impairments carrying flaming torches in a series of artistic displays featuring performers, highlighted societal issues around inclusivity, leaving the audience spellbound.
An inclusive parade
The performance was followed by a parade of 4,400 athletes from 168 delegations who proudly paraded through the city’s heart in front of thousands of fans who cheered, clapped, and waved flags when the athletes took to the stage. Athletes danced, waved at the crowd, and posed for photos as they made a lap around the beautiful public square.
@samuel.ahmadu Team Nigeria 🇳🇬 parade at Paralympic Games 2024 opening ceremony 🎑 #teamnigeria #paralympics #paris2024 #sportsontiktok ♬ original sound – Samuel Oluwagbemi Ahmadu
Leading the way for Team Nigeria was flagbearer Lauritta Onye, holding the national flag as they paraded through the streets of Paris. The Paralympic athletes enjoyed much better weather during their outdoor ceremony than the Olympic opening ceremony, which saw heavy downpours as athletes navigated the Seine River by boat.
Lighting the Paralympic flame
The lighting of the Paralympic flame was the ceremony’s crowning moment, symbolising
the 11 days of the Games. The athletes lit the Olympic cauldron, designed to look like a hot air balloon, passing a torch from athlete to athlete, culminating in a beacon of inspiration at the Place de la Concorde, burning bright throughout the Games.
A colourful end
The opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games ended with Christine and the Queens’ fitting rendition of Patrick Hernandez’s 1978 hit Born to be Alive as the Place de la Concorde was lit up with fireworks. This cheerful, enthusiastic, and resolutely festive illustration of “concord,” conveyed hope on the world stage.
