Thousands of athletes on their way to Paris for a shot at Paralympic gold

A dozen torches travelled through several towns in France on Monday before the start of the Paralympic Games on Wednesday.

A thousand torchbearers will take turns carrying the flame throughout the European country before it arrives at its final destination in two days’ time.

French athlete and torchbearer Axel Allétru said he has dreamed of this moment, having watched the games in the past.

“Being able to carry the flame was huge,” he said, “to be able to share this value of resilience, of surpassing oneself.”

Games a ‘collective reflection’

With the Summer Games over, Paris has shifted its focus to the next major sporting event of the summer: the Paralympics.

The city is preparing to welcome some 4,400 athletes competing in 23 different disciplines 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 11 August.

The historic square will host the Paralympics opening ceremony on Wednesday, marking only the second time the event will be held outside a stadium, after the Olympics’ ceremony on the Seine.

Organisers promise a ground-breaking spectacle for the opening ceremony as thousands of athletes and spectators gather for the event.

Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet aims to maintain the enthusiasm generated by the Olympics, whilst also shining a light on discrimination against people with disability.

“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,” Estanguet said.

“We want to see how, at our level and with humility, we can contribute to changing this view of disability,” he added.

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 football for visually impaired players.

Security remains tight

Armed police officers will patrol key areas, and French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced the deployment of some 25,000 police officers during the Paralympics to ensure heightened security measures remain in place.

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This figure was revised when French authorities said 10,000 private security guards and 8,000 “Operation Sentinel” soldiers were also deployed.

French para-table tennis athlete Emeric Martin said he sees the buses being checked before entering the Paralympic Village.

“You see the police passing mirrors underneath, mirrors on top, the doors are taped when you leave the village and they are checked when you arrive at the competition site to see if they have been opened,” he said.

The Paris 2024 Paralympics will run until Sunday 8 September.

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