Paris showcases riveting outdoor opening ceremony for Paralympics in historic first
By Amy Woodyatt and Wayne Sterling, CNN
(CNN) — Only a few weeks after the end of the Paris Olympics, the opening ceremony for the Paralympics kicked off in spectacular style, held outside of a stadium for the first time in history.
140 artists, including 16 performers with disabilities, took center stage with the parade of athletes starting at the bottom on the iconic Champs-Élysées before heading into the famed Place de la Concorde, the largest square in the French capital.
A total of 168 delegations participated in the celebration.
Musical performances included a rendition of Edith Piaf’s ‘Non, je ne regrette rien,” by French artist Christine and the Queens, a piano performance by Chilly Gonzales, and Sébastien Tellier played his hit ‘La Ritournelle.’
Following the parade, French Paralympians Sandrine Martinet – a Paralympic triple bronze medalist and champion in Para judo in Rio 2016 – and Arnaud Assoumani, Paralympic long jump F46 gold medalist in Beijing 2008, took the Paralympic Oath.
A handover ceremony between Olympic and Paralympic athletes saw six-time Olympic medalist and French flag bearer in the Olympics Florent Manaudou pass the torch to Michaël Jérémiasz, Paralympic champion in wheelchair tennis in Beijing 2008 and now chef de mission for the French delegation at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
The Games will feature more than 4,400 athletes competing in 22 para sports for 549 medal events over 11 days.
More than 50,000 spectators were expected to attend the ceremony, organizers say, and an estimated 300 million television viewers were expected to watch the spectacle.
Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, hailed “the Paralympic revolution” in his opening speech.
“What makes you revolutionaries is that, when they told you, ‘No,’ you continued,” Estanguet said.
He added: “Tonight, you are inviting us to change our perspectives, change our attitudes, change our society to finally give every person their full place.
“Because when the sport starts, we will no longer see men and women with a disability, we will see you: we will see champions,” he added.
Competition gets underway on Thursday.
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