Paris: Paralympic Games Kick Off with Record Figures

Paris is once again under quarantine. The opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games is scheduled for August 28, in which case the main protagonist of the opening ceremony will be the Seine, and also in this case security measures are needed, given that a mobile event is much more problematic than one that takes place in one confined space, i.e. a stadium.

75,000 people are expected to attend the ceremony along the Seine, 30,000 will be at the Place de la Concorde, where the ticket is paid for, and another 45,000 between the Champs-Elysees and the Louvre gardens. Impressive figures that also call for impressive countermeasures: 35,000 agents were actually mobilized, including police and private agencies.

The event will conclude on September 8, and during these days, 4,400 athletes with 2,500 chaperones will compete as part of 184 delegations. The program includes 22 sports, 23 different disciplines, and 549 competitions spread over 11 days of competition. The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris have 329 events, and the Paralympic Games will feature a total of 549 medals, with 164 in athletics and 141 in swimming, which are the two sports that offer the most podiums. All made possible by the work of 5,800 volunteers.

“There is a desire in the Paralympic world for the involvement of civil society in regards to be able to look at people’s abilities rather than disabilities,” commented Luca Pancalli, President of the Italian Paralympic Committee. “Through sport, we teach to look at what is left and not what is lost, creating an environment of equal opportunity in the manifestation of one’s abilities. If this happened every day, in all areas of life, we would achieve the equal opportunities that represent the not-so-hidden message of the Paralympic world.”