1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Paris Paralympics kick off with dazzling opening ceremony

August 29, 2024

The 2024 Paralympics opened in Paris with a joyous ceremony with performances and acts that delivered a powerful message of unity and inclusivity.

https://p.dw.com/p/4k1ui
Fireworks during the Paralympics opening ceremony in Paris on August 28, 2024
Fireworks light up the skies to finish off the opening ceremonyImage: Rafal Oleksiewicz/Anadolu/picture alliance

The 2024 Paris Paralympics got underway with a magical four-hour-long opening ceremony that is being described as one of the best to date.

Thousands of athletes paraded down the famed Champs-Elysees avenue to Place de la Concorde in central Paris. 

The celebrations began at 8 p.m. local time (1800 GMT/UTC) with delegations from 168 countries entering the iconic square in alphabetical order.  

More than 4,000 athletes with physical, visual and intellectual impairments will compete in 22 sports from Thursday until September 8.

2024 Paralympic Games open in Paris

French fighter jets flying over Champs Elysees in Paris during Paralympics opening ceremony on August 28, 2024
French fighter jets fly over the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris to open the Paralympic GamesImage: picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

French Paralympians lighting the Olympic cauldron on August 28, 2024
Five French Paralympians lit the Olympic cauldron which is designed to look like a hot air balloonImage: Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo/picture alliance
German long jumper Markus Rehm carrying the Paralympic flame on August 28, 2024
German long jumper Markus Rehm carries the Paralympic flameImage: Gonzalo Fuentes/AP Photo/picture alliance
French singer and songwriter Sebastien Tellier playing the piano during the 2024 Paris Paralympics opening ceremony
French singer and songwriter Sebastien Tellier sets the mood for the arrival of the Paralympic flameImage: Thibault Camu/AP Photot/picture alliance

As many as 50,000 people cheered from stands built around the square. The mood in the square was one full of joy and exuberance.

The clear skies also added to the great atmosphere.

Some delegations were very big while others were smaller.

Some like the refugee team, which is the largest ever to date with eight athletes and one guide runner, and the Ukrainian team, saw crowds erupt into applause.

French President Emmanuel Macron told the ceremony he was proud to welcome Paralympians from all over the world.

Germany's delegation arriving at Place de la Concorde on August 28, 2024
Germany's delegation arrives at Place de la ConcordeImage: Zac Goodwin/empics/picture alliance
The Obelisk of La Concorde plaza and the Eiffel Tower lit up during the Paralympics opening ceremony on August 28, 2024
The stunning setting for the Paralympics opening ceremony adds to the atmosphereImage: Thomas Padilla/AP Photo/picture alliance

Like the opening ceremony of the Olympics Games in July, the Paralympics opening ceremony also took outside of a stadium.

Throughout the show, dancers and musicians with and without disabilities performed on stage to portray their strength together.

South African dancer Musa Motha performing during the opening ceremony on August 28, 2024
South African dancer Musa Motha performs during the opening ceremonyImage: Michel Euler/AP Photo/picture alliance

Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons used his speech to call for a more inclusive world.

"The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will show persons with disabilities what they can achieve at the highest level," he said, before adding that it was important to do more to build an inclusive world. 

"That is why 225 years on from when Place de la Concorde was central to the French Revolution, I hope that Paris 2024 starts a Paralympic revolution — the inclusive revolution," he said.

The first medals handed out on Thursday will be in taekwondo, table tennis, swimming and track cycling.

The Associated Press contributed to the report.

Edited by: Wesley Dockery

Roshni Majumdar Roshni is an editor and a writer at DW's online breaking news desk.@RoshniMaj