2024-09-08 18:52:50
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With one last “party” with electronic sounds at the Stade de France, Paris definitively closes its first Paralympic Games this Sunday, September 8, “the most beautiful in history” according to its actors. The time has come for the final celebration. As many as 24 DJs of all generations, from Jean-Michel Jarre to Kavinsky, embodying the French Touch, will gather at the Stade de France, where around 60,000 spectators are expected starting from 8.30pm and where around 4,400 para-athletes will gather to parade a last time. The Paralympic bowling champion Aurélie Aubert and the shooting champion Tanguy De La Forest will be the French standard-bearers of this match.
The bowl of the Tuileries flame, which was supposed to fly one last time, remained nailed to the ground due to bad weather conditions. We need to turn it off before the Seine-Saint-Denis park is transformed into a gigantic dance floor for an hour of musical show, around the theme “Paris is a party”. The baton will be passed to Los Angeles, which will host the next Games in 2028.
Twelve years after the foundation of the London Paralympics, given their popular and media success, now “the reference Games will be the Paris 2024 Games”said the president of the French Paralympic and Sports Committee Marie-Amélie Le Fur in a press conference this Sunday. A formula also taken up by the president of the International Paralympic Committee Andrew Parsons. “For all stakeholders, athletes, staff, foreign observers, these are the greatest Paralympic Games in history”welcomed the head of mission of the French delegation Michael Jeremiasz.
Nearly 2.6 million tickets sold
The enthusiasm was there, despite the start of the school year interspersed with two weeks of competition. “We have exceeded 2.5 million tickets sold […] but we are not yet at 2.6″said Tony Estanguet, president of the organizing committee. London 2012 did slightly better with 2.7 million tickets sold. In terms of media coverage, 165 television channels covered the event, a record. Record also for the number of delegations involved, 168.
At a sporting level, France returned to the Top 8 with 75 medals including 19 gold, its best ranking since 2000. China finished top of this edition, for the sixth consecutive time, with 94 titles (220 medals ), ahead of Great Britain (49 in gold) and the United States (36 in gold).
“What remains for us to do is persist over time”says Marie-Amélie Le Fur, very satisfied despite the sport that didn’t do it “It wasn’t up to par”citing in particular the need to “Return to athletics” which has the largest number of events and where the Azzurri only brought home five medals, none of which were gold. Marie-Amélie Le Fur also hopes for something more “feminize” the French team entered, which included 82 women out of 237 athletes.
Updated: to 8.50pm with the final flight of the Olympic Cauldron cancelled.
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