Colourful, joyous opening ceremony kickstarts Paralympic Games Paris 2024
Al Jazeera
A splash of colour and hope for inclusivity headlined the opening ceremony as more than 4,000 athletes paraded in Paris.
Just weeks after hosting the Olympics, Paris has inaugurated the 2024 Paralympics with a nearly four-hour-long opening ceremony in the heart of the city.
Against the backdrop of a setting sun, thousands of athletes paraded down the famed Champs-Elysees avenue to Place de la Concorde in central Paris where French President Emmanuel Macron officially declared the Paralympic Games open on Wednesday night.
Security was tight, with some 15,000 law enforcement officers on site, but there was a light summer feeling to the evening as the sun slowly set on the French capital.
“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,” Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet said in his speech.
“It’s a sweet revolution that will change all of us deeply.”
