Summer Paralympics 2024: what you need to know about the opening ceremony

Although the Olympic Games are over, the celebration of sport in Paris is still going on as the opening ceremony of the Summer Paralympic Games will take place on 28 August.

Similar to the Olympics, the celebrations will take place outside the stadium and will take place in the heart of the French capital: the Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées. The theme of the opening ceremony will be a celebration of inclusivity and diversity.

The show itself will be called Paradox, and its details were revealed by artistic director Thomas Jolly in conversation with Le Figaro:

‘The city will be the setting for this ceremony, which is already a paradox in itself, as Paris is not fully adapted for people with disabilities.’

It is around them that the opening ceremony will be built, but still the main themes will be inclusion and diversity.

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In total, the opening ceremony will be watched in the neighbourhood of 65,000 spectators who will be seated near the venues.

‘Throughout the project, I was intrigued and learnt a lot about the social issues that persist in our society in relation to disability. I hope that this ceremony will make a difference in everyone's lives. I hope it will aim to normalise all bodies and be the accelerator for inclusion and accessibility around the world,’ notes choreographer Alexander Ekman.

The torch relay ceremony before the actual lighting of the flame itself will also be stellar. Thus, it is known that the fire in Paris will be carried by the famous actor Jackie Chan. The bowl itself will be similar to that before the Olympic Games: a balloon that will be travelling over Paris all 11 days of the Paralympics.

Notably, unlike the Olympics, where the flame is lit in Greece, the flame for the Paralympics was lit in the village of Stoke Mandeville in England. On arrival in France, the flame was divided into 12 torches that travelled by the host country.

‘My colleagues told me a long time ago that there would be surprises during the ceremony. I decided not to listen to them so I could enjoy them to the fullest! I can't wait to find out about everything,’ Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee, shared his impressions of the opening ceremony.

The opening ceremony of the Summer Paralympic Games itself will begin at 20:00 CET.