The Paris Paralympics kick off on Wednesday with a spectacular opening ceremony held in the heart of the French capital, marking the start of 11 days of intense competition.
For the first time in Paralympic history, the opening ceremony will be held outside the main stadium, taking place at Place de la Concorde, the historic square that hosted urban sports during the Olympics.
As the Games begin on Thursday, a mix of seasoned athletes and newcomers will compete across many of the same venues used for the Olympics. Eighteen of the 35 Olympic venues, including the Grand Palais for fencing and taekwondo, will be repurposed for the Paralympics, which run until September 8. La Defense Arena will host swimming, while track and field events will be held on the purple track of Stade de France.
Ticket sales, initially slow, have surged since the Olympics, with over two million of the 2.5 million available tickets sold. The Paralympic flame, lit at Stoke Mandeville hospital in England—the birthplace of the Games—made its way to France via the Channel Tunnel and has toured various French cities.
Thomas Jolly, the theatre director behind both the Olympics and Paralympics opening ceremonies, highlighted the symbolic significance of hosting the Paralympics in central Paris, a city known for its lack of accessibility for wheelchair users. He noted that placing Paralympic athletes in the heart of the city serves as a political statement, drawing attention to the need for better adaptation of urban spaces for all people with disabilities. To address some of these concerns, organisers have arranged 1,000 specially adapted taxis and encouraged wheelchair users to use Paris buses.
China, a dominant force in the Paralympics, will field a strong team after leading the medals table in Tokyo with 96 golds. Host nation France, buoyed by its Olympic success, aims to significantly improve on its 2021 tally of 11 golds. French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera has set a goal for France to finish in the top eight of the medals table.
Ukraine, a consistent Paralympic powerhouse, has managed to send a team of 140 athletes across 17 sports, despite the ongoing war at home. Meanwhile, Russia and Belarus, represented by 96 athletes competing under a neutral flag, are barred from the opening and closing ceremonies due to the invasion of Ukraine.
As always, new stars will emerge during the Games, with American above-the-knee amputee sprinter and high jumper Ezra Frech expected to make headlines. Iranian sitting volleyball legend Morteza Mehrzad, who stands at 8ft 1in (2.46m), will also be aiming for another gold.
The Paralympics carry a broader message beyond sport, and International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons hopes the Paris Games will push disability issues back to the forefront of global priorities. He believes the Games can significantly impact how people with disabilities are perceived worldwide, arguing that disability has been overshadowed by discussions on sexual and gender identity in recent years. Parsons emphasised the need to re-engage in meaningful debate about the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities.
AFP
