Par excellence: Paris throws its arms wide open to share magic of the Paralympics
Paris has delivered a spectacle par excellence in a Paralympics opening ceremony for the ages.
On a warm Parisian afternoon, fans flocking to the Place de la Concorde were treated to a jaw-dropping show that perfectly captured all of Franceās beauty and culture on Wednesday evening (local time).
As athletes were hailed for being ārevolutionariesā, the setting sun filtered through the gaps in the Eiffel Tower, as each nation made its way down the cobbled streets of the Champs Elysees to take their place at Place de la Concorde.
It was in sharp contrast to the Olympic equivalent last month, where athletes paraded down the Seine on boats on a miserable, sodden afternoon.
Wednesdayās Paralympics ceremony was the first to have taken place outside the main stadium.
āThank you for giving us this unique opportunity to revolutionise the way we see the world,ā said Tony Estanguet, president of France 2024.
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āWhat makes you (athletes) revolutionaries is that when you were told ānoā, you kept going.
āWhen you were told you were disabled, you responded with performance.
āWhen you were told that it was impossible, you did it.
āWe are ready to make this the most fun revolution that France has ever seen.ā
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Estanguetās powerful speech was followed by the lighting of the cauldron to end a night when the French capital pulled out all the stops.
After a dance show and three French air force jets painted a trail of bleu, blanc and rouge above the Place de la Concorde, spectators were treated to an eclectic and up-tempo set from acclaimed French musician DJ Myd.
Myd, who was draped in coat with a 20 metre-long tricolore tail kept the locals engaged, seamlessly switching between house music, rock and French chanson as the competing nations went around the venueās perimeter and assembled facing the Luxor Obelisk.
As host of the 2032 Games, Australia was the third-last of the 167 competing nations to march down the avenue, followed by the American team and a French delegation that received an almighty cheer.
The Australian team was led by flag bearers Brenden Hall and Madison de Rozario, with just 34 of the 152 athletes sent to the French capital participating in the ceremony.
Many Australians opted to rest up at the Paralympic village together ahead a jam-packed 11 days of action starting on Thursday morning (local time).
āIf you can watch the Paralympics through the lens that we watch the Paralympics, it will be life-changing,ā de Rozario said.
āIf you see what we see, if you see high-performance sports, you see athletes, you take away the disability lens and you just watch people competing and let that be your experience, itāll be life-changing for you.ā
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