(VOVWORLD) - The 2024 Paralympic Paris opened on Thursday (at 1:00AM Vietnam time) at the Place de la Concorde in Paris, with a vibrant parade featuring 168 delegations from around the world, with Afghanistan at the start and host nation France on the tail-end.
 A grand fireworks performance signal the beginning of the 2024 Paralympics Paris. (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
Attending the 17th Paralympic Games are 4,400 athletes, 2,000 of which are female athletes, an unprecedented number in the 60-year history of the Paralympic Games. Vietnam attends the event with 14 representatives, including 7 athletes competing in the weightlifting, swimming, and athletic events.
French President Emmanuel Macron attended the opening ceremony, alongside Chairman of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee Tony Estanguet, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parson, ministers of sports, government officials, and representatives from international organizations.
Speaking at the event, IPC President Parsons said: “Paralympic athletes are not here to participate. They’re not playing games. They are here to compete, win, and smash world records. Paralympians are also here to achieve something far greater than personal glory.”
The Paralympic flame, after traveling through various provinces and cities in France, was ceremoniously passed from one Paralympics athlete to another until it reached the cauldron at the Tuileries Garden.
More than 50,000 spectators at Concorde Square and 15,000 along the Champs-Élysées immersed themselves in the festivities as they witnessed the center of Paris transforming into a grand stage. The event was broadcast live on France 2 to 300 million viewers worldwide.
Competitions began on Thursday, with athletes competing in 549 events across 22 sports at 18 different venues until September 8.