Article by George Clarke, courtesy of The West Australian.
Paris has delivered a spectacle par excellence in a Paralympics opening ceremony for the ages.
On a warm Parisian afternoon, fans flocking to the Place de la Concorde were treated to a jaw-dropping show that perfectly captured all of France’s beauty and culture.
As athletes were hailed for being “revolutionaries”, the setting sun filtered through the gaps in the Eiffel Tower, as each nation made its way down the cobbled streets of the Champs Elysees to take their place at Place de la Concorde.
It was in sharp contrast to the Olympic equivalent last month, where athletes paraded down the Seine on boats on a miserable, sodden afternoon.
Wednesday’s Paralympics ceremony was the first to have taken place outside the main stadium.
“Thank you for giving us this unique opportunity to revolutionise the way we see the world,” said Tony Estanguet, president of France 2024.
“What makes you (athletes) revolutionaries is that when you were told ‘no’, you kept going.
“When you were told you were disabled, you responded with performance.
“When you were told that it was impossible, you did it.
“We are ready to make this the most fun revolution that France has ever seen.”
Estanguet’s powerful speech was followed by the lighting of the cauldron to end a night when the French capital pulled out all the stops.
After a dance show and three French air force jets painted a trail of bleu, blanc and rouge above the Place de la Concorde, spectators were treated to an eclectic and up-tempo set from acclaimed French musician DJ Myd.
Myd, who was draped in coat with a 20 metre-long tricolore tail kept the locals engaged, seamlessly switching between house music, rock and French chanson as the competing nations went around the venue’s perimeter and assembled facing the Luxor Obelisk.
As host of the 2032 Games, Australia was the third-last of the 167 competing nations to march down the avenue, followed by the American team and a French delegation that received an almighty cheer.
The Australian team was led by flag bearers Brenden Hall and Madison de Rozario, with just 34 of the 152 athletes sent to the French capital participating in the ceremony.
Many Australians opted to rest up at the Paralympic village together ahead a jam-packed 11 days of action starting on Thursday morning (local time).
“If you can watch the Paralympics through the lens that we watch the Paralympics, it will be life-changing,” de Rozario said.
“If you see what we see, if you see high-performance sports, you see athletes, you take away the disability lens and you just watch people competing and let that be your experience, it’ll be life-changing for you.”
