Part of 2024 Summer Paralympics | |
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 |
Filmed by | Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) |
Footage | The ceremony on the IPC YouTube channel on YouTube |
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 has been held outside of a stadium.[1] Similar to 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",[2] and featured more than 500 dancers.[3]
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.[4] The final leg culminated with multiple torchbearers 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.[5] Performers included French singer Christine and the Queens.
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. Athletes were walked on a circle at the Place de la Concorde, rather than on water boats.
Dignitaries who attended the ceremony included the following:.[6]
Nation | Name | Title |
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Germany | Frank-Walter Steinmeier Elke Büdenbender |
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Australia | Sam Mostyn | Governor-General |
Belgium | Astrid of Belgium Lorenz |
Prince and Princess |
Canada | Mary Simon | Governor-General |
France | Emmanuel Macron Brigitte Macron Gabriel Attal Amélie Oudéa-Castéra Anne Hidalgo Tony Estanguet Marie-Amélie Le Fur |
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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 |
Organisation | Name | Title |
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IPC | Andrew Parsons | President |
IOC | Thomas Bach | President |
Opening ceremonies |
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Closing ceremonies |
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