The big day. Finally. A little over two weeks after the end of the Olympic Games at the Stade de France, Paris is going into Paralympic mode. For the first time in its history, France is hosting an event whose first edition dates back to 1960. It was held in Rome.
A few hours before an opening ceremony on the Place de la Concorde announced “ full of surprises » by the organizers, all the indicators are green. The weather, in particular. Anything but anecdotal.
On the eve of the opening, Andrew Parsons, the president of the IPC, and Tony Estanguet, his counterpart from the COJO Paris 2024, presented themselves to the media with smiles. The two men expressed, in English and French, their confidence and optimism. They confided their impatience to see the Games begin, proud to be able to announce a record edition – 168 countries, 4.400 athletes -, convinced of its success and success.
What should we remember? Words and numbers.
Andrew Parsons's Good Words. The Brazilian leader, at the head of the IPC since 2017, has a sense of the formula. He showed it to the media on Tuesday August 27, in a style that was much more spontaneous and joyful than his IOC counterpart, Thomas Bach. Asked to comment on the concept of the opening ceremony, the first in history held outside the stadium, Andrew Parsons suggested: “ For us, it's as if Paris gave a gigantic hug to the Paralympic athletes. When you hug someone, you become closer to that person and accept them for who they are. This is our interpretation of this ceremony. We are welcomed in Paris, in the very heart of the city. » Beautiful image.
The president of the IPC reiterated his certainty that the Paris Paralympic Games will be the most spectacular in history. “ I have often said it, he admitted. But today I no longer have the slightest doubt. In Paris, we have more broadcasters than ever (165 television channels worldwide, including 300 hours of live on France Télévisions). We have more media. We will have more countries. This shows that the Paralympic movement is more relevant than ever, generating more interest and, of course, the impact of what happens here will be amplified in more countries. It will reach the four corners of the world ».
Tony Estanguet's good accounts. In a less lyrical style, the president of the COJO Paris 2024 relies on the facts to anticipate the success of the Paralympic Games. Facts and figures. With a now daily update on ticketing. Unsurprisingly, it is still increasing. “ We are at almost two million tickets sold, out of a total of 2,5 million, explained Tony Estanguet. No less than 84 of the COJO partners are committed to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. With public partners, they purchased 700.000 places for ceremonies and sporting events. Thanks in particular to the State, more than 200.000 children will come to attend the competitions and discover the events and the Paralympic athletes."
In the wake of the IPC and Paris 2024 press conference, the organizing committee announced on Tuesday that it had put on sale a new contingent of places for the Grand Palais sites (armchair fencing and para taekwondo), the Eiffel Tower (blind football), Versailles (para equestrian), and Invalides (para archery). It also explained that it had sold 565.000 tickets for the para athletics sessions at the Stade de France, a number which exceeds the record of 530.000 places established at the world athletics championships, organized in the same venue in 2003.
Another figure displayed by Tony Estanguet: 70 celebration zones are planned during the Paralympic Games, in Paris but also in the rest of the country. The most spectacular of the Olympic Games, the Parc des Champions at the Trocadéro, has been erased from the landscape. Its temporary structure has been dismantled. Paralympic medalists will therefore not be able to parade like their Olympic colleagues did.
But Club France is still standing. It is not the only one. Tony Estanguet said that 25 national Paralympic committees opened a club or house during the Games. Many of them chose the Parc des Nations, in La Villette, northeast of Paris. But South Korea, in particular, has opted for a more central position. The Para Team Korea House is located at Espace Réaumur, in the Marais district.
