Medals will be on the line in track cycling, swimming, table tennis and taekwondo as the Paris Paralympics kick off on Thursday.
The vibrant and hopeful opening ceremony has set the stage for 11 days of thrilling competition, which will also feature sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, badminton, archery, goalball (a football variant for the visually impaired) and boccia (a form of bowls).
French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open on Wednesday during a ceremony in balmy Place de la Concorde in central Paris – the first time a Paralympic opening ceremony has taken place away from the main stadium.
The 4,400 competitors from 168 delegations paraded into the arena as the sun set, with host nation France entering last to a standing ovation from 30,000 spectators.
The fine weather was in sharp contrast to the heavy rain that fell during the Olympic opening ceremony on July 26.
International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons told the athletes and spectators he hoped for an “inclusion revolution” before Macron officially declared the Games open.
The Paralympic flag was carried into the square by John McFall, a British Paralympic sprinter who has been selected by the European Space Agency to be the first ‘parastronaut.’
French Olympian Florent Manaudou brought the flame into the arena to complete the four-day torch relay.
Five French Paralympians, including 2020 gold medalists Alexis Hanquinquant and Nantenin Keita, lit the already-iconic cauldron in the Tuileries Gardens.
Of the 35 Olympic venues, 18 will be used for the Paralympics, including the ornate Grand Palais and the Stade de France.
Ticket sales had been sluggish for the Paralympics, which run until September 8, but they have accelerated since the Olympics. Organizers say more than 2 million of the 2.5 million available tickets have been sold, with several venues sold out.
Ukraine sends strong team
Riding the wave of their Olympic team’s success, host nation France is aiming for a substantial improvement on the 11 golds they won in 2021, which left them 14th in the medals table.
Paralympic powerhouses China dominated the last Paralympics in Tokyo with 96 golds and have again sent a strong delegation.
Ukraine, traditionally one of the top medal-winning nations at the Paralympics, has sent 140 athletes to compete in 17 sports despite the challenges of preparing amid the ongoing war against Russian forces.
A total of 96 athletes from Russia and Belarus will compete under a neutral banner but are banned from ceremonies because of the invasion of Ukraine.
American above-the-knee amputee sprinter/high jumper Ezra Frech, 19, has been tipped as a potential new star at these Games.
Away from the track, more established names are also vying for glory.
Iranian sitting volleyball legend Morteza Mehrzad, who stands 8 feet 1 inch (2.46 meters) tall, will attempt to win gold again.
Beatrice ‘Bebe’ Vio, the Italian fencer who had all four limbs amputated when she contracted meningitis at age 11, is aiming for a third Paralympic gold.
