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. | |
| Date | 28 August 2024 |
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| Time | 20:00 – 23:00 CEST (UTC+2) |
| Venue | Place de la Concorde |
| Location | Paris, France |
| Also known as | Paradox: From Discord to Concord |
| Filmed by | Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) |
| Footage | The ceremony on the IPC YouTube channel on YouTube |
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| Part of a series on |
| 2024 Summer Paralympics |
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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 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 has 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 Basketball at the 2024 Summer Olympics#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] 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]
Dignitaries
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Dignitaries who attended the ceremony included the following:[10]
| 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
|
| |
 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 |
Organisers
- Artistic director: Thomas Jolly[9]
- Music director: Victor Le Masne[11]
- Choreographers:
- Scenography: Bruno Delavenère[9]
- Costume designer: Louis Gabriel[9]
- Lighting creation: Thomas Dechandon[9]
Welcome to Paris
The ceremony opened with a video featuring Théo Curin, 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 sponsors of the games, and decorated with hundreds of toy Phryges, the Games' ubiquitous mascot.[9][13]
An opening sequence was played on the piano by Chilly Gonzales. He was joined 140 dancers in suits representing "strict society", and 16 more colourfully dressed performers with disabilities, including Chelsea 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]
Gallery
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Australian contingent enters -
Dancing Phryges mascots -
Balloon carrying Paralympic flame
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Jeux paralympiques de Paris 2024 : cérémonie d'ouverture place de la Concorde". Le Figaro (in French). 23 June 2022. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "First Paralympics in France open with stunning ceremony". www.paralympic.org. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ MacInnes, Paul (29 August 2024). "Paris Paralympics make powerful start in journey from discord to concord". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Paradox: From Discord to Concord - Opening Ceremony of the Paris Paralympic Games - Media Guide". Paris 2024. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "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. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Ekman to direct the staging and choreography of Paris 2024 Paralympic Opening Ceremony". www.paralympic.org. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ "Paralympic Games opening ceremony: can the Phryges cab take you around Paris?". Sortiraparis.com. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (29 August 2024). "Christine and the Queens Perform at Paris Paralympics Opening Ceremony". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ^ "Margalit continues her love affair with Lomianki ". www.paralympic.org. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
| Opening ceremonies |
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| Closing ceremonies |
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