The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games have opened in a spectacular style with a unique opening ceremony, held for the first time outside a stadium, on the Place de la Concorde in the French capital. 

According to a press statement by the Paris 2024 organisers, para athletes from 168 delegations paraded around the largest square in Paris for the opening ceremony, which was transformed for one evening only into a magnificent open-air arena. 

Making their way around the Obelisk from the bottom of the Champs-Elysées, the Paralympians were given a magnificent stage to showcase para sport to the world. At the end of the ceremony, the Paris 2024 Cauldron was lit once again and, illuminated by the Paralympic Flame, returned to the skies over Paris.

The statement adds that this show saw Alexander Ekman, artistic director and choreographer of the ceremony, bring together 500 artists, including more than 140 dancers and 16 performers with disabilities. 

The Place de la Concorde was transformed into a true scenographic showcase, designed by Bruno Delavenère to offer new perspectives on this great historical landmark of Paris and to showcase the performers’ bodies, accentuated by the costumes of young designer Louis Gabriel Nouchi. 

The event drew 15,000 spectators to the foot of the Champs-Elysées and 35,000 to the square itself. Across five artistic ‘tableaux,’ the ceremony shared a strong and poetic message about inclusion and the place of people with disabilities in society.

The organisers add that more than 2 million tickets have been sold for the grand Paralympic games, including almost 1 million since the start of the Olympic competitions on July 24.

The organisers say that Paris 2024 has always had the same ambition for the Paralympic Games as for the Olympic Games and has sought to strengthen the links between these two events, as demonstrated by the presence of the Paralympic flag bearers at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games and the handover ceremony between the Olympic athletes and the Paralympic athletes at the Olympic Games closing ceremony.

The organisers add that Paris Games will be a new experience for the majority of ticket buyers of the Paralympics as 52 pc of ticket holders will encounter Paris 2024 for the first time at the Paralympic Games and 48 pc of ticket holders for the Paralympic Games already purchased tickets for the Olympic Games.  

Popular enthusiasm for the Paralympic Games  

With around 20 sports already having sold at least 75 pc of their general public tickets, including 11 with at least 90 pc of general public tickets sold in blind football, wheelchair fencing, para track cycling, para equestrian, para taekwondo, para archery, para triathlon, para rowing, para badminton, para canoeing, and wheelchair rugby, the excitement surrounding these Paralympic Games is growing.  

The organisers say that this is particularly true of spectators in France and the Paris region, who will be out in force to witness the exploits of the Para athletes over the 10 days of competition having purchased over 90 pc of the tickets. 

According to the organisers, while 92 pc of buyers live in France, of the balance 8 pc buyers from overseas, 28 pc are from the United Kingdom, 14 pc from Germany and 10 pc from the United States.

The statement adds that for the first time at the Paralympic Games, a hospitality programme is being offered.