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==Welcome to Paris==
==Welcome to Paris==
⚫
The ceremony opened with a video featuring {{ill|Théo Curin|fr}}, a French Paralympic swimmer and a member of the Athletes' Commission of the [[Paris Organising Committee for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games]]. Curin was the host of a show called "Théo Le Taxi" on [[France Télévisions]], the official broadcaster of the 2024 Paralympic Games. For the opening ceremony, he arrived in a taxi provided by Toyota, one of the games' sponsors, and decorated with hundreds of toy [[Phryges]], the Games' ubiquitous mascot.<ref name="Media Guide" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Paralympic Games opening ceremony: can the Phryges cab take you around Paris? |publisher= Sortiraparis.com |url=https://www.sortiraparis.com/en/news/olympic-games-paris-2024/articles/318906-paralympic-games-opening-ceremony-can-the-phryges-cab-take-you-around-paris |access-date=23 September 2024}}</ref>
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[[File:2024 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony - discord 06.jpg|thumb|right|"Strict Society" dancers perform before a Toyota taxi decorated with toy [[Phryges]] ]]
<gallery mode=packed widths=220px heights=220px>
⚫
The ceremony opened with a video featuring {{ill|Théo Curin|fr}}, a French Paralympic swimmer and a member of the Athletes' Commission of the [[Paris Organising Committee for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games]]. Curin was the host of a show called "Théo Le Taxi" on [[France Télévisions]], the official broadcaster of the 2024 Paralympic Games. For the opening ceremony, he arrived in a taxi provided by Toyota, one of the games' sponsors, and decorated with hundreds of toys [[Phryges]], the Games' ubiquitous mascot.<ref name="Media Guide" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Paralympic Games opening ceremony: can the Phryges cab take you around Paris? |publisher= Sortiraparis.com |url=https://www.sortiraparis.com/en/news/olympic-games-paris-2024/articles/318906-paralympic-games-opening-ceremony-can-the-phryges-cab-take-you-around-paris |access-date=23 September 2024}}</ref>
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File:2024 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony - discord 06.jpg|"Strict Society" dancers perform before a Toyota taxi decorated with toy [[Phryges]]

File:2024 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony - discord 04.jpg|"Strict Society" and "Creative Gang" dancers with Chelsie Hill (in wheelchair)
⚫
[[Chilly Gonzales]] played an opening sequence on the piano. He was joined by 140 dancers in suits representing "Strict Society", and 16 more colorfully dressed "Creative Gang" performers with disabilities, including Chelsie Hill, a founder of the Rollettes wheelchair dance team, and Israeli Para dancing champion Tomer Margalit and her dance partner Orel Chalaf. The two groups, initially separate, came together French singer [[Christine and the Queens]] performed [[Edith Piaf]]'s {{lang|fr|[[Non, je ne regrette rien]]}}.<ref name="Media Guide" /><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Christine and the Queens Perform at Paris Paralympics Opening Ceremony |magazine =Rolling Stone |first=Daniel |last=Kreps |date=29 August 2024 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/christine-and-the-queens-electrifying-performance-at-paris-paralympics-opening-ceremony-1235090820/ |access-date=23 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Margalit continues her love affair with Lomianki |website=www.paralympic.org |url=https://www.paralympic.org/news/margalit-continues-her-love-affair-lomianki |access-date=23 September 2024}}</ref>
File:2024 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony - discord 15.jpg|"Strict Society" dancers
</gallery>
⚫
[[Chilly Gonzales]] played an opening sequence on the piano. He was joined by 140 dancers in suits representing "Strict Society", and 16 more colourfully dressed "Creative Gang" performers with disabilities, including Chelsie Hill, a founder of the Rollettes wheelchair dance team, and Israeli Para dancing champion Tomer Margalit and her dance partner Orel Chalaf. The two groups, initially separate, came together French singer [[Christine and the Queens]] performed [[Edith Piaf]]'s {{lang|fr|[[Non, je ne regrette rien]]}}.<ref name="Media Guide" /><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Christine and the Queens Perform at Paris Paralympics Opening Ceremony |magazine =Rolling Stone |first=Daniel |last=Kreps |date=29 August 2024 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/christine-and-the-queens-electrifying-performance-at-paris-paralympics-opening-ceremony-1235090820/ |access-date=23 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Margalit continues her love affair with Lomianki |website=www.paralympic.org |url=https://www.paralympic.org/news/margalit-continues-her-love-affair-lomianki |access-date=23 September 2024}}</ref>


==Parade of athletes==
==Parade of athletes==

Revision as of 19:26, 26 September 2024

2024 Summer Paralympics
opening ceremony
Part of 2024 Summer Paralympics
Coloured smoke in the colours of the French flag during the Paralympics opening ceremony at Place de la Concorde.
Date28 August 2024 (2024-08-28)
Time20:00 – 23:00 CEST (UTC+2)
VenuePlace de la Concorde
LocationParis, France
Also known asParadox: From Discord to Concord
Filmed byOlympic Broadcasting Services (OBS)
FootageThe ceremony on the IPC YouTube channel on YouTube
Paralympic agitos
Part of a series on
2024 Summer Paralympics

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 was held outside of a stadium. Like 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",[1] and featured more than 500 dancers and performers. 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.

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.[2] The final leg culminated with multiple torch bearers 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.[3] Performers included French singer Christine and the Queens.

Preparations

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 had been held outside of a stadium.[4] The venue was already equipped with temporary stands installed a few weeks earlier for the Olympic skateboarding, breakdancing, BMX freestyle and 3X3 basketball events. Seating was provided for 35,000 paying and accredited spectators. Another 30,000 spectators could view the parade to the Place de la Concorde for free from along the Champs-Elysées.[5]

Unlike the Olympic opening ceremony, which took place in cold weather and mostly in the rain, the skies were clear, with a view of a colourful sunset during the ceremony. It was warm, at 30°C, and somewhat humid.[6][7] The stage consisted of two runways flanking the Luxor Obelisk. At the end of each were huge cylindrical video screens. The ceremony involved 500 performers. There were 1,100 accredited media present, and the event was viewed by an estimated television audience of 300 million.[8][9] Security was provided by 15,000 personnel.[10] The ceremony was themed around the human body and "history and its paradoxes",[1] and was titled "Paradox: Form Discord to Concord". Each artistic sequence was built around the theme of working together to create a better and more inclusive society.[9]

Organisers

Welcome to Paris

The ceremony opened with a video featuring Théo Curin [fr], a French Paralympic swimmer and a member of the Athletes' Commission of the Paris Organising Committee for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Curin was the host of a show called "Théo Le Taxi" on France Télévisions, the official broadcaster of the 2024 Paralympic Games. For the opening ceremony, he arrived in a taxi provided by Toyota, one of the games' sponsors, and decorated with hundreds of toy Phryges, the Games' ubiquitous mascot.[9][13]

  • "Strict Society" dancers perform before a Toyota taxi decorated with toy Phryges
    "Strict Society" dancers perform before a Toyota taxi decorated with toy Phryges
  • "Strict Society" and "Creative Gang" dancers with Chelsie Hill (in wheelchair)
    "Strict Society" and "Creative Gang" dancers with Chelsie Hill (in wheelchair)
  • "Strict Society" dancers
    "Strict Society" dancers

Chilly Gonzales played an opening sequence on the piano. He was joined by 140 dancers in suits representing "Strict Society", and 16 more colourfully dressed "Creative Gang" performers with disabilities, including Chelsie Hill, a founder of the Rollettes wheelchair dance team, and Israeli Para dancing champion Tomer Margalit and her dance partner Orel Chalaf. The two groups, initially separate, came together French singer Christine and the Queens performed Edith Piaf's Non, je ne regrette rien.[9][14][15]

Parade of athletes

Olympic and Paralympic Phryges danced and play acted on stage while the 168 delegations of athletes entered the Place de Concorde in French alphabetical order, except for Australia, the United States and France, which brought up the rear in that order as the host nations of the 2032, 2028 and 2024 Summer Paralympics respectively. As the French contingent entered, Yann Tiersen's theme from the film Amélie was played, and the crowd chanted "Allez Les Bleus". The "Strict Society" dancers returned to the stage while the one-armed French singer Lucky Love [fr] sang "My Ability".[9][10][16]

A video was shown depicting the origins of the Paralympic movement under Sir Ludwig Guttmann at the spinal injuries hospital in Stoke Mandeville in the UK. French Army and Air Force personnel raised the French flag while the French National Anthem, La Marseillaise was sung by music director Victor Le Masne [fr]. Brief speeches were given by Tony Estanguet, the President of the Games of Paris 2024, and Andrew Parsons, the President of the International Paralympic Committee. Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, then officially declared the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games open.[9][17]

A video was shown in which blind Canadian YouTube personality Molly Burke, quadriplegic Martin Petit and amputee Lucie Retail spoke frankly about their respective disabilities, the way they affect their lives and the way they are perceived and treated by others. This was followed by another dance number with the "Strict Society" and "Creative Gang", featuring one-armed hip-hop dancer Angelina Bruno, wheelchair dancer Piotr Iwanicki and Musa Motha, a finalist on Britain's Got Talent in 2023 and America's Got Talent: Fantasy League.[9][18] The Paralympic flag was brought on stage by British Paralympic sprinter and astronaut John McFall and French sailor Damien Seguin, while visually impaired musician Luan Pommier, played the Paralympic Anthem on the piano.[9][18] French athletes Sandrine Martinet and Arnaud Assoumani took the Paralympic Oath, along with a coach and an official.[19]

Dignitaries

Dignitaries including Andrew Parsons, Emmanuel Macron, Brigitte Macron, Tony Estanguet and Anne Hidalgo

Dignitaries who attended the ceremony included the following:[20]

Nation Name Title
 Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Elke Büdenbender 		President
 Australia Sam Mostyn Governor-General
 Belgium Astrid of Belgium
Lorenz 		Prince and Princess
 Canada Mary Simon Governor-General
 France
  • President
  • Wife of the President
  • Prime Minister
  • Minister of Sports and Olympic and Paralympic Games
  • Mayor of Paris
  • President of Paris 2024 Olympic Organizing Committee
  • President of the French Paralympic and Sports Committee
 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

Organisation Name Title
IPC Andrew Parsons President
IOC Thomas Bach President

References

  1. ^ a b 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.
  2. ^ Yamak, Djaid (22 August 2024). "Paralympic Games: What we know about the opening ceremony". Le Monde. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "Jeux paralympiques de Paris 2024 : cérémonie d'ouverture place de la Concorde". Le Figaro (in French). 23 June 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Paralympic quick hits: The opening ceremony turns red, white and blue, DJ Myd brings the hits, and joy for the Australian team in Paris". ABC News. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  7. ^ "First Paralympics in France open with stunning ceremony". www.paralympic.org. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  8. ^ MacInnes, Paul (29 August 2024). "Paris Paralympics make powerful start in journey from discord to concord". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Paradox: From Discord to Concord - Opening Ceremony of the Paris Paralympic Games - Media Guide". Paris 2024. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  10. ^ a b McGarry, Andrew (29 August 2024). "Paralympics 2024 - Australia's athletes march in the Paris Opening Ceremony in the Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées, as it happened". ABC News. Reuters. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  11. ^ 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. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  12. ^ "Ekman to direct the staging and choreography of Paris 2024 Paralympic Opening Ceremony". www.paralympic.org. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Paralympic Games opening ceremony: can the Phryges cab take you around Paris?". Sortiraparis.com. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  14. ^ Kreps, Daniel (29 August 2024). "Christine and the Queens Perform at Paris Paralympics Opening Ceremony". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  15. ^ "Margalit continues her love affair with Lomianki". www.paralympic.org. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  16. ^ Ghys, Clément; Foricher, Enora (29 August 2024). "Lucky Love: 'I'm familiar with rejection. I'm not afraid of it. I'm an artist. I sing.'". Le Monde. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  17. ^ "Spectacular opening ceremony takes Paralympic values to new heights". www.insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  18. ^ a b Murrells, Katy; Badshah, Nadeem (29 August 2024). "Paris 2024 Paralympics opening ceremony: Games get under way". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  19. ^ "Paris 2024 Paralympic Games launched with an unprecedented opening ceremony in the heart of Paris". press.paris2024.org. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  20. ^ "Qui sont les chefs d'État reçus par Emmanuel Macron avant la cérémonie des Jeux paralympiques?". Ouest-France (in French). 28 August 2024.

Media related to 2024 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony at Wikimedia Commons

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