Paris 2024 Paralympics opening ceremony: Games get under way – live | Paris Paralympic Games 2024

Fireworks bring the show to an end. Many on social media are saying this is the best ever Paralympics opening ceremony. The pure Parisian cheer and glee of the Olympics opening ceremony was replaced here by something much more considered, powerful and atmospheric. It wasn’t only beautiful and enchanting but provided such an important message about disability, diversity and inclusivity. And Paris, once again, provided the perfect backdrop. “As good as London 2012” says Rob Walker on Channel 4. I think it may just have been better.

The Paralympic cauldron is lit

The Paralympians involved in the torch ceremony include Bebe Vio, the Italian star fencer whose face I’ve seen on many billboards on the London Underground over the past couple of months, the American multisport athlete Oksana Masters and the German long jumper Markus Rehm. The flame has now left the Place de la Concorde, as it’s carried to the Jardin des Tuileries and the unique cauldron that was used for the Olympics, which is attached to a hot-air balloon that will fly over the French capital every evening during the Paralympics.

A video shows the journey the Paralympic flame has taken to get here. It was lit on Saturday by the British Paralympians Helene Raynsford and Gregor Ewan in Stoke Mandeville, which is widely considered the birthplace of the Games. It then travelled to France, where it was split into 12 flames – representing the number of days the Paralympics will take place for – which have travelled around the country, from the Atlantic to Mediterranean coasts, from the mountains in the Pyrenees to the Alps, before arriving in Paris. And now Ravel’s Boléro is played as the flames come together, courtesy of 12 Paralympians, on the Place de la Concorde.

Next one of my favourite musicians, the Frenchman Sébastien Tellier, provides an atmospheric soundtrack as we prepare for the arrival of the Paralympic frame. The ceremony has gone over its expected finish time of 11pm Paris time/10pm UK time, but I don’t think anyone wants this to end.

Four French athletes read out the Paralympic oath, pledging to honour and respect their fellow athletes and the Paralympic spirit.

The Paralympic flag is brought on to the stage by Britain’s John McFall, a bronze medal winner in Tokyo and an astronaut, and the French sailor Damien Seguin, while Luan Pommier, a visually impaired musician, plays the piano. And then the flag is raised as the Paralympic anthem fills the Place de la Concorde, which is now illuminated a pale blue, as Pommier sings to a hushed silence in the crowd. Another special moment to add to the many we’ve had this evening. The camera then pans to the Arc de Triomphe, which has the Agitos logo, the Paralympic symbol, on it.

Organisers are calling the current choreography “sportography”, adding: “It’s difficult to tell if you’re watching a dance performance, a sports game, or an art piece, blending dance, sport and art into a fictional game that highlights teamwork, where people with and without disabilities invent new sports in which everyone can participate.”

There’s another group of dancers on stage, dressed all in white, with the obelisk acting as the centre point, as white beams point into the night sky. It’s a stunning image and the dance is meant to represent strength, resilience, perseverance and determination. Musa Motha, the star of Britain’s Got Talent and America’s Got Talent who lost his left leg to cancer, then joins the dancers, before they all depart and he’s the only one left. After his solo the rest of the dancers return.

Here’s another VT, and the Canadian YouTube personality Molly Jane Lucy Burke, who is blind, speaks. Then it’s Martin Petit, and the amputee Lucie Retail. They talk about their disabilities and how the perceive themselves and are perceived by others. This, unsurprisingly, is a much more thought-provoking and powerful ceremony than the kitsch spectacle that opened the Olympics.

The 2024 Paralympics are open

Now Andrew Parsons, the president of the International Paralympic Committee, speaks. “At a time of growing conflict and exclusion, let sport bring us together,” he says. “Let sport serve as a powerful force for good. Eleven days of sensational sport to enjoy together. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to champion your country’s rich diversity and celebrate the best of Paris, France and humanity. Let us open our minds wide.” He says the Place de la Concorde was central to the French revolution and tonight stages the start of another revolution. “Liberté, égalité, fraternité!” he exclaims.

Estanguet continues. “Thank you dear athletes. There are 4,400 Paralympians in Paris. You are the best para athletes in the world. You represent 168 delegations. You inspire us. Above all, you will find an entire country in the love with the Games, who are so proud to host you for the very first time.” The crowd are stamping their feet in appreciation.

And now it’s time for the formalities. Here’s Tony Estanguet, the president of Paris 2024. He welcomes everyone to the “country of love and revolution”. “Tonight is the start of the most beautiful of revolutions, the Paralympic revolution,” he says.

He then tells the competitors: “Like our ancestors you have panache. Like them you are fighting for a cause bigger than you. In your case your weapons are your records. When they said it was impossible you did it. And tonight you’re inviting us to join you in your Paralympic revolution, to give everybody their full place. When the sport starts we will no longer see disabilities but champions. You have no limits, so let us stop imposing limits on you. A gentle revolution but one that is going to profoundly change us for ever. On the 9th September we will wake up different.”

There’s a spine-tingling montage of the some of the greatest ever Paralympic moments. And next, Mesdames et Messieurs, it’s time to stand for La Marseillaise, as the French flag is raised, with the Eiffel Tower glistening in the background. The decision to stage the opening ceremonies outside the confines of a stadium was questioned during the damp start to the Olympic ceremony, but I think it’s turned out to be a wonderful move that has showcased the very best of Paris.

The rest of the ceremony will now take place at the Place de la Concorde. This next section is called My Ability, and will give a voice to people with a range of disabilities. Here’s a VT. It begins with the statement “We’re not actually that different to everybody else” and sends a very powerful message over the next few minutes. Then it’s back to the Place de la Concorde stage, with a moving dance routine, featuring many dancers in wheelchairs, as the French performer Lucky Love sings.

Richard Hallmark emails from Paris. “I think that the world may never have seen before so many disabled people all together in one place at one time, many of them seriously disabled, many others with hidden – not obvious – disabilities, and out and proud, not hidden at home, or in institutions, hiding with the shame of being disabled. That’s some progress.”

I’m hungry. I wonder if there’s time for a bit of dinner before the next part of the ceremony gets under way. Channel 4 then helpfully cuts to an ad break so that’ll give me a few minutes. The ceremony is due to finish in about an hour’s time, in case you were wondering, and will end with the lighting of the Paralympic torch.

“The Olympic Games were a huge success, with lots of spectators, great enthusiasm and a great atmosphere,” Hanquinquant said before the ceremony. “Of course, we’re all hoping to experience that at the Paralympic Games too.

“We’ve got some iconic sites, and we’re going to get an eyeful. Paris is the most beautiful city in the world. I think we’re going to have a pretty exceptional Paralympic Games. The first leg is over, now there’s the second leg. Come and cheer us on, you won’t be disappointed. The party goes on.”

And last but not least it’s the hosts. Cue the earworm Les Champs-Elysées, which was played so many times during the Olympics. “Aux Champs-Élysées/Aux Champs-Élysées/Au soleil, sous la pluie/À midi ou à minuit/Il y a tout c’que vous voulez/Aux Champs-Élysées,” rings out as one of France’s main hopes for gold, the triathlete Alexis Hanquinquant, carries their flag.

Now it’s Australia, the hosts of the 2032 Games, followed by the USA! USA!! USA!!!, the hosts in 2028. The American flagbearers are Nicky Nieves and Steve Serio.

And here are the 140-strong Ukraine team. It’s remarkable that many of them have made it this far. Para sport budgets were slashed when the war started, as state funding was diverted to the army. Ukraine finished fifth in the medal table in Tokyo but, in the words of my colleague Nick Ames, have had to “stretch resources to the limit to make it to Paris”. He has this report on Ukraine’s Paralympic swimmers:

The music has veered from dance music, to jaunty Euro pop, to the 1970s, with about 40 delegations left to come. Ukraine will be guaranteed a welcome as warm as that for the Refugee Team, and they will be arriving soon, as we move on to the small delegations of Togo, Tonga and Trinidad & Tobago.

Zakia Khudadadi is one of the members of the Refugee Team. Born in Afghanistan, she represented her country in taekwondo in Tokyo just days after being evacuated from the country. She now lives in France, unable to return to Afghanistan, so will feel the strength of support from the home spectators.

Palestine receive one of the loudest cheers of the evening so far. And there’s a huge standing ovation for the Paralympic Refugee Team. Representing as many as 120m forcibly displaced people worldwide, this team is the biggest in their history, featuring eight athletes. Even the VIPs are on their feet.

I meant to mention when Italy arrived that the sprinter Valentina Petrillo will become the first openly transgender athlete to compete at the Paralympics, having been selected to represent her country in the women’s T12 classification for athletes with visual impairments. The 50-year-old, who transitioned in 2019, will run in the 200m and 400m. In 2021 more than 30 female athletes signed a petition that was sent to the Italian Athletics Federation challenging Petrillo’s right to compete in women’s races – but she says her participation in Paris will be an “important symbol of inclusion”.

Emmanuel Macron looked very pleased to see Keir Starmer earlier, by the way. I wonder what Starmer said to him.

The camera pans to the illuminated Arc de Triomphe, with the sunset having now given way to the night sky. And the obelisk at the Place de la Concorde is looking magnifique too. That’s the end point for the athletes’ parade – which we’re now halfway through, well alphabetically speaking at least, as Mongolia are introduced to the crowds.

Also spotted getting in the party mood: Josh Widdicombe, of Channel 4’s Last Leg and formerly of this parish, along with his co-host Alex Brooker. Well played Josh, partying in Paris probably beats helming this live blog from my London office bedroom.

The Greek delegation decide to pay tribute to their hosts as they arrive with French flags … Ireland’s team of 29 soon take the applause … and then it’s Italiaaaa. Phew, we’ve still got a way to go yet.

ParalympicsGB are hoping to match their impressive medal haul from Tokyo. They’ve set themselves a target of 100 to 140 medals this time, having won 124 three years ago, with cyclists Sarah Storey, Kadeena Cox and Jody Cundy, athletes Jonnie Peacock and Hannah Cockroft, and tennis player Alfie Hewett among the leading medal hopes. And it’s a big month for Cockroft, who’ll be getting married just three weeks after the Games.

Gambia, Georgia … and here come Great Britain! Prime minister Keir Starmer stands up and applauds, as Bywater and Shuker lead the team of 215 athletes who will compete across 19 sports, with 116 men and 99 women. The oldest British representative is the 54-year-old canoeist Jeanette Chippington, who first represented ParalympicsGB at Seoul 1988 – while the youngest is swimmer Iona Winnifrith, aged just 13.

If there were medals on offer for dancing, I’d give some to Ecuador, who are pulling some moves as they parade along the Champs-Élysées. The Parisian sky still looks incredible, a golden mix of yellow and orange, it’s so vibrant it almost looks like AI. It couldn’t be more different to the wet and cold weather that put a bit of a dampener on the Olympics opening ceremony just over a month ago.

Soon it’s China, who finished second in the medal table at the Paris Olympics and top at the Tokyo Paralympics with 207 medals. Second in Tokyo were ParalympicsGB, with 124, ahead of third-placed USA.

Britain’s flagbearers tonight, by the way, are Terry Bywater and Lucy Shuker. The 41-year-old Bywater is part of the wheelchair basketball team and is competing at his seventh Games, while Shuker is at her fifth Games as a wheelchair tennis player.

“I feel quite emotional,” Bywater said yesterday. “This is my seventh Games, I actually wear the No 7 vest too – so this is all a bit crazy right now. I’m just super, super proud.”

Meanwhile Shuker said: “Leading the parade down the Champs-Élysées and Place de la Concorde is going to be really different – eyes will be on me, but also the rest of ParalympicsGB. We are a big team and to be at the front of that is insane, incredible and an honour.”

The huge delegation from Brazil make their entrance, including their star Petrúcio Ferreira, the fastest Paralympian in the world. He’ll be aiming to retain his T47 100m title.

Belarus, of course, are absent as the war continues in Ukraine. While the team are banned, along with Russia, some Belarusian and Russian athletes will be taking part as neutrals: the Neutral Paralympic Athletes delegation will feature up to eight competitors from Belarus and 90 from Russia.

As we move from the As to the Bs, the ParalympicsGB chef de mission, Penny Briscoe, has been speaking about the train ordeal that Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson suffered on her way to Paris, saying it shows the need for the team to use their platform to push for social change.

Clearly, it’s an absolute disgrace. It’s the lived experience of disabled people on a daily basis though, it just doesn’t get reported. As ParalympicsGB we’re trying to inspire a better world for disabled people through sport. It doesn’t matter if that’s education, if that’s in life, in society, we want change and our athletes want change. You should, as a disabled person, be able to get on and off a train and go about your daily living but the reality is far more difficult than that.

You can read more here:

Now it’s time to welcome the athletes. Afghanistan begin the parade, rather than the refugee team who went first in Tokyo. The teams will parade in alphabetical order – and if this follows the Olympics, France will come last, as hosts, with the two teams in front of them likely to be Australia (as the hosts in 2032) and the USA (the hosts in 2028). It’ll take up to 90 minutes for all the delegations to make it along the Champs-Élysées. Oh well, at least tonight’s athletes aren’t getting soaked on very wet barges.

As the dancers continue doing their thing, the French singer Christine and the Queens arrives to do his, with a unique take on Non, je ne Regrette Rien by Édith Piaf. Apparently he’ll be back for more later. And here’s a fly-past in the sky. It’s all going on. With the sky now a golden orange, it’s a stunning sight as the blue, red and white vapours draw a line over the sunset.

That Phryge car

Now here’s the Canadian pianist Chilly Gonzales. He starts playing as two sets of dancers take to the stage, with one group representing mainstream society and the other diversity. And now here comes Curin in his taxi, he pulls up and takes to the stage. “WELCOME TO PARIS!!!” he screams as the colours of the Tricolour shoot up into the Parisian sky.

Paris 2024 Paralympics opening ceremony begins

Meanwhile Ade Adepitan, who will be writing for the Guardian during the Paralympics, has been reflecting on London 2012, saying it “created heroes and redefined what the British public would understand as a role model”. He wonders whether the French can harness something similar – “to see if they really understand the power of engaging that disability hero factor” – and if this can actually effect social change. His first column of the Games is available here:

The Paris Olympics definitely brought new fans to the Games – and the hope is that the Paralympics will do the same. Incredible sport is guaranteed over the following 11 days, with events ranging from the physicality of wheelchair rugby to the precision of boccia. But for many (including me) what is so special about the Paralympics is the amazing human stories of resilience amid adversity, and the transformative power of sport for disabled people, epitomised by the France’s longest-serving Paralympian Ryadh Sallem. He’s been speaking to our Paris correspondent, Angelique Chrisafis, about his “rendezvous with destiny” at his home Games and how sport saved his life.

When the French wheelchair rugby team play their first match on Thursday, all eyes will be on Ryadh Sallem, whose extraordinary journey from thalidomide baby to record-breaking athlete has made him one of the country’s best-loved and longest-serving Paralympians.

Sallem, who will turn 54 at the Paris Games – his sixth Paralympics – is best known for competing in several sports. He began as a swimmer, breaking the 1991 world record for the 400m individual medley. Then he learned circus juggling techniques in order to become one of the first wheelchair basketball players without two full hands.

After Paralympic basketball, he chose the fast-paced intensity of wheelchair rugby, which he describes as a combat, gladiator sport, competing in London and Rio. Finishing his Paralympic career in Paris, his home city, is a “rendezvous with destiny”, he says.

Sallem was born in the Tunisian coastal town of Monastir, with no legs, no left hand and a malformation of his right hand. His mother had taken the drug thalidomide, which was used in the 1950s and 1960s for morning sickness but led to thousands of children worldwide being born without limbs.

“My grandfather fought for France in the second world war and he told my parents: ‘If you want to save your child you have to take him to France,’” he says. So, at the age of two, Sallem’s father took him to a French hospital rehabilitation centre outside Paris. Sallem would spend almost 20 years living in what he described as a hospital setting with a school attached – a kind of hospital boarding school – where he had numerous surgeries.

You can read the full interview here:

Opening ceremony set to begin as Paris welcomes Paralympians

From the sports to the venues to which stars to look out for, here’s a handy guide to the Paralympics, courtesy of Paul MacInnes:

What are the Paralympic Games?
Eleven days of elite competition across 22 sports. With no fewer than 549 medals at stake, 4,400 athletes will be taking part from 128 different nations, each of them with a physical or cognitive disability.

When does it start?
The opening ceremony for the 17th summer Paralympic Games will take place in Paris on Wednesday 28 August from 7pm UK time. As with the Olympics this summer, the ceremony will be staged not in a stadium but in the city, with the location shifting from the River Seine to the Champs Élysées. A “people’s parade” will be accessible to the general public before arriving at the Place de la Concorde, formerly the site of the Olympic “parc urbain”, which will then stage the climactic portion of the evening and the lighting of the Paralympic torch. The sporting action begins the next day.

Where will the sport be played?
A number of the venues you fell in love with earlier in the summer are set to return, with 18 of the 35 Olympic locations being repurposed for the Paralympics. The Stade de France and La Défense Arena will once again host athletics and swimming, respectively, and cycling will return to the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome. The sand has been removed from the Eiffel Tower stadium so that blind football can replace beach volleyball. The only event to be held outside the French capital will be the para-shooting in Châteauroux.

What time will the action be on?
You have probably already adjusted your body clock to the challenges of consuming sport from the French capital and for those in the UK it’s not very hard (it’s an hour ahead). The sport will begin at 8.30am in the morning local time and end at 10.30pm.

What are the key events?
Much like the Olympics, the centrepiece of the Paralympic Games is the track and field programme. The competition begins on Friday 30 August, runs for nine days and produces medals every day. Both Saturdays are particularly stuffed, with 7 September boasting no fewer than 22 finals over its two sessions. Other marquee events to look out for will be the wheelchair rugby final on Monday 2 September and finals day in the para-rowing at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on Sunday 1 September.

Which British stars should we look out for?
Of the 215 athletes that form the ParalympicsGB team this year there are 81 debutants, meaning a great chance for new heroes to be made. Among those fresh names, look out for 19-year-old cyclist Archie Atkinson (racing in the C4 pursuit), the 13-year-old swimming prodigy Iona Winnifrith (going in the SB7 100m breaststroke and SM7 individual medley) and Rachel Choong, world champion in para-badminton who is making her debut at the Games after her classification was finally included in competition.

You can read the rest here:

Stats time. Records will be broken at these Paralympics, with the highest ever number of both delegations (182) and female athletes (about 2,000). The number of female participants is expected to be at least double that at Sydney 2000 and they will compete in a record 235 medal events.

Plug time. If you didn’t sign up for our Paris 2024 daily briefing during the Olympics, it will also be running throughout the Paralympics. Do subscribe for free here.

And the thoughts of the president of the International Paralympic Committee, Andrew Parsons:

The concept was always that [by staging the event] in the Champs Élysées and the Place de la Concorde it’s like the city’s embracing the Paralympic athletes, the Paralympic movement. We are seeing it as a gigantic hug for our athletes and this cannot be more positive.

More from the Paris 2024 president, Tony Estanguet:

I believe French people are going to be able to make a difference, to make these Paralympics their own. We went beyond what we dreamed of with the Olympics, creating a true fervour, and I believe it’s going to be the case with the Paralympics as well.

We decided on purpose to position the Games during back to school in France because we want to take advantage of the opportunities it offers. Back to school is a good time to send messages to students, to show inclusion and accessibility, to provide an opportunity for education.

Here’s a taster of what we’re going to see ce soir.

Welcome to our coverage of the Paris Paralympic Games opening ceremony