The historic Place de la Concorde will host the Paralympics opening ceremony on August 28, marking the first time the event will be held outside a stadium.
With the Summer 2024 Olympics now concluded, Paris is shifting its focus to the next major sporting event of the summer: the Paralympics, set to take place from August 28 to September 8.
The city is preparing to welcome some 4,400 Para athletes competing in 23 different disciplines.
Organisers are using the post-Olympics lull to ready venues for events ranging from Wheelchair rugby to Para athletics.
The Place de la Concorde, which hosted skateboarding, breaking, and 3×3 basketball during the Olympics, has been a hive of construction activity since the Games closed on August 11.
The historic square will host the Paralympics opening ceremony on Wednesday, marking the first time the event will be held outside a stadium.
Paris 2024 President, Tony Estanguet, aims to maintain the enthusiasm generated by the Olympics, whilst also shining a light on disability discrimination.
“We want to see how, at our level and with humility, we can contribute to changing this view of disability,” he said from the UK village of Stoke Mandeville, from where the Paralympic flame began its journey to Paris.
Most Olympic venues will remain in use for the Paralympics.
The Palace of Versailles will host para equestrian events, the Grand Palais will welcome Wheelchair fencing, and the venue beneath the Eiffel Tower, which hosted beach volleyball, will now host Blind football, an adaptation of soccer for visually impaired players.
Despite the quieter streets, security remains tight.
Armed police officers patrol key areas, with French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announcing the deployment of some 25,000 police officers during the Paralympics to ensure heightened security measures stay in place.
Organisers promise a ground-breaking spectacle for the opening ceremony, as thousands of athletes and tens of thousands of spectators gather for the event.
“These Paralympic Games must be at the service of a collective reflection, in the hope that people will have a more benevolent view of disability, which remains the leading cause of discrimination in France. We want to see how, at our level and with humility, we can contribute to changing this view of disability,” said Tony Estanguet.
The Paris 2024 Paralympics will run until September 8.
