LIVE. Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony: Controversial Show, Stars Present… The Detail

The 2024 Paralympic Games officially begin this Wednesday, August 28 with the opening ceremony, discover all the information about the show.

The essentials

• The opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games will begin at 8 p.m. on the Place de la Concorde. It will start with the music Parade, the theme of the Games. A new version of La Marseillaise will also sound just after to launch the show. This ceremony is based on the concept of “Paradox”. “We have drawn two sons. Athletes with disabilities are celebrated in a city that is not adapted to them on a daily basis. Putting this city as the backdrop for the Paralympics is a first paradox. The second is linked to the Place de la Concorde which has also been " a hotbed of discord," explained Thomas Jolly. The authors of the ceremony have a desire to “disturb”.
• For the moment, the panel of stars present is still unknown. Alexander Ekman, Swedish choreographer, wants to bring back ballroom dancing and jazz will be the main theme of the musical atmosphere.  
• The one hundred and eighty-four Paralympic Games delegations will march down the avenue from the Arc de Triomphe, which features the symbol of the Paralympic Games, the Agitos. Among them, 240 French athletes are expected for this “popular parade”, led by sprinter Nantenin Keita and triathlete Alexis Hanquinquant

Live

11:30 – Alexis Hanquinquant on a mission

The flag bearer of the French team is the master of his classification in the triathlon. On a difficult course, Alexis Hanquinquant is counting on his swimming power to make a first difference.

11:00 – A standardization of bonuses

As has been the case since 2008, French athletes at the Paralympic Games will receive the same bonuses as their Olympian counterparts if they win a medal. €80,000 for a gold medal, €40,000 for silver and €20,000 for bronze. However, this uniformity is not the norm. This is the first time that this will be the case for countries such as Spain or Belgium.

Discover all the images from the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

10:30 – Objective top 8

For these Paralympic Games at home, the president of the CPSF Marie-Amélie Le Fur has announced her intentions: France wants to enter the top eight in the medal rankings. To do this, it will be necessary to double the number of titles from Tokyo (11 gold medals). In 2021, the French delegation finished 14th.

10:00 – 15,000 police officers and gendarmes mobilized

Although the route is shorter and less difficult to secure than for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the security system set up by the Ministry of the Interior remains large-scale, with 15,000 police forces deployed around the Place de la Concorde, the Tuileries Gardens and the Avenue des Champs-Elysées.

09:30 – 182 delegations present

More than 4,400 athletes will parade on the Champs Elysées this Wednesday evening, divided into 182 different delegations. The French delegation, led by flag bearers Alexis Hanquinquant and Nantenin Keita, will include 240 athletes.

09:00 – Choreography entrusted to Swede Alexander Ekman

Thomas Jolly is once again at the helm for the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, and the latter has chosen to surround himself with Swedish dancer Alexander Ekman for the choreography, who has notably has already collaborated with the Paris Opera, and has staged more than 50 ballets around the world.

08:30 – “A unique exhibition”

As with the Olympic Games, Tony Estanguet is banking heavily on the opening ceremony to boost the momentum of the Paralympic Games. “To shine a light on the exploits of Paralympic athletes, the values ​​they embody and the emotions they make us experience, Paris 2024 wanted to offer them an unprecedented window of exposure by organizing the first Paralympic Games opening ceremony outside a stadium.”

Hello everyone and welcome to the Paralympic Games opening ceremony. Meet at 8pm on the Champs-Elysées for the parade of 6,000 athletes heading towards Place de la Concorde, and all day on the L'Internaute website for the latest information.