Just weeks after hosting the Olympics, Paris began the final chapter of its summer of sports with the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games on Wednesday. More than 4,000 athletes with physical, visual, and intellectual impairments will compete in 22 sports from Thursday until September 8.
Against the backdrop of a setting sun, in contrast to the rain-soaked Olympic opening ceremony on July 26, thousands of athletes paraded down the famed Champs-Élysées avenue to Place de la Concorde in central Paris.
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Organizers promised another spectacular show to kick off the Games. However, this time, the Paralympic ceremony took place entirely on land, unlike the Olympic ceremony on the Seine River, and once again, it was held outside the confines of a stadium.
The event was titled “From Discord to Concord: A Reflection on the Place of People with Disabilities in Society,” dedicating the ceremony to highlighting the paradox of a “society that claims to be inclusive but remains full of prejudice towards people with disabilities.”
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Alexander Ekman, chosen to choreograph the ceremony, employed five artistic segments featuring 140 artists and 16 performers with disabilities.
Fighter planes flew overhead, leaving red, white, and blue vapors—the colors of the French national flag—before the delegations entered the square in alphabetical order.
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Some delegations were large, like Brazil’s with more than 250 athletes, while others were small, such as Barbados and Myanmar, with fewer than a handful of participants.
As one of the future hosts of the Games, the American delegation was among the last to parade. The U.S. Paralympic team, led by athletes Nicky Nieves and Steve Serio, wore single-breasted wool blazers with red and white trim, striped Oxford shirts, and jeans, all designed by Ralph Lauren.
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The U.S. team was followed by the delegation from Australia, hosts of the 2032 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, and then by the hosts, France.
Once the parade concluded, French artist Lucky Love performed “My Ability” in another majestic performance. Dancers representing the “Strict Society” circled the stage, observing the performers in the center.
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Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, delivered a rousing speech in both French and English. Parsons then spoke, delivering a powerful message:
“These Paralympians are not here to participate,” Parsons said. “They are here to compete, win, and smash world records. But they are also here for equality for the nearly 1.3 billion people around the world with disabilities. They will redefine what you think is possible.”
Parsons then ceded the lectern to French President Emmanuel Macron, who officially declared the Paris Paralympic Games open.