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The opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Paralympics took place on the evening of 28 August 2024 at the Place de la Concorde in Paris. It was the first time that a Paralympic Games opening ceremony has been held outside of a stadium.[1] Similar to the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, this event was directed by Thomas Jolly. The ceremony was themed around the human body and "history and its paradoxes",[2] and featured more than 500 dancers.[3]
| Part of 2024 Summer Paralympics | |
 Coloured smoke in the colours of the French flag during the Paralympics opening ceremony at Place de la Concorde. | |
| Date | 28 August 2024 |
|---|---|
| Time | 20:00 – 23:00 CEST (UTC+2) |
| Venue | Place de la Concorde |
| Location | Paris, France |
| Also known as | Paradox |
| Filmed by | Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) |
| Footage | The ceremony on the IPC YouTube channel on YouTube |
The Parade of Nations took place on the Champs-Élysées starting at the Rond-point des Champs-Élysées, and ending at Place de la Concorde.[4] The final leg culminated with multiple torchbearers coming together, who then lit the Paralympic cauldron, a ring of 40 computerised LEDs and 200 high-pressure water aerosol spray dispensers which was topped by a 30-metre-tall helium sphere resembling a hot air balloon, rising in the air, reminiscent of the Montgolfier brothers' experiments leading to the first hot air balloon flight in 1783.[5] Performers included French singer Christine and the Queens.
Unlike the Olympic opening ceremony, which took place mostly under rain, the weather was clear and sunny with a view of sunset during the ceremony. Athletes were walked on a circle at the Place de la Concorde, rather than on water boats.
Dignitaries
editDignitaries who attended the ceremony included the following:.[6]
| Nation | Name | Title |
|---|---|---|
 Germany
|
Frank-Walter Steinmeier Elke Büdenbender |
|
 Australia
|
Sam Mostyn | Governor-General |
 Belgium
|
Astrid of Belgium Lorenz |
Prince and Princess |
 Canada
|
Mary Simon | Governor-General |
 France
|
Emmanuel Macron Brigitte Macron Gabriel Attal Amélie Oudéa-Castéra Anne Hidalgo Tony Estanguet Marie-Amélie Le Fur |
|
 Iceland
|
Halla Tómasdóttir | President |
 Italy
|
Sergio Mattarella | President |
 Lithuania
|
Gitanas Nausėda | President |
 Luxembourg
|
Henri María Teresa |
Grand Duke |
 Monaco
|
Albert II of Monaco | Prince |
 United Kingdom
|
Keir Starmer | Prime minister |
 United States
|
Tammy Duckworth | Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee |
 Slovenia
|
Robert Golob | Prime Minister |
 Czech Republic
|
Petr Pavel | President |
International organisations
edit| Organisation | Name | Title |
|---|---|---|
| IPC | Andrew Parsons | President |
| IOC | Thomas Bach | President |
Anthems
edit
Ceremony organizers
edit- Artistic director: Thomas Jolly
- Music director: Victor Le Masne[7]
- Choreographers:
Gallery
edit-
Australian contingent enters -
Dancing Phryges mascots -
Balloon carrying Paralympic flame
References
edit
- ^ Kindermans, Marion (20 October 2022). "JO 2024 : les Jeux paralympiques s'offrent la place de la Concorde à Paris pour la cérémonie d'ouverture". Les Echos (in French). Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ Daffunchio Picazo, Raúl (22 August 2024). "Paris 2024 Paralympics set to dazzle the world". InsideTheGames.biz. Archived from the original on 24 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ MacInnes, Paul (29 August 2024). "Paris Paralympics make powerful start in journey from discord to concord". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Yamak, Djaid (22 August 2024). "Paralympic Games: What we know about the opening ceremony". Le Monde. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ Vasavda, Mihir (28 July 2024). "40 LED lights, a cloud of water-vapour for illumination, 200 high-pressure misting nozzles: How flying cauldron of Paris Olympics is lit up". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ "Qui sont les chefs d'État reçus par Emmanuel Macron avant la cérémonie des Jeux paralympiques ?". Ouest-France (in French). 28 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Maud Le Pladec, named as Director of Dance for the four ceremonies of the Games of Paris 2024 and choreographer of the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony". Paris 2024. 18 June 2024.
- ^ "Ekman to direct the staging and choreography of Paris 2024 Paralympic Opening Ceremony". www.paralympic.org. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
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