2024-08-25 16:16:57
The opening ceremony of the Paris Paralympic Games will be held on Wednesday August 28, from 8 pm to 11 pm. For the ceremony, the Champs-Élysées and Place de la Concorde will be decorated with 65,000 spectators, to encourage 4,400 athletes and appreciate 184 representatives from around the world. The competition will last about ten days, until September 8. Despite everything, we can really talk about enthusiasm?
Not only will this be the first time that the Summer Paralympic Games (JOP) will be held in Paris, but it will also be the first time that their opening ceremony will be held outside a stadium. The show has been in stores for a few years now, and we treated to a little presentation video to get us pumped.
For this occasion, Thomas Jolly is in charge, and he has promised “a show that will show the Paralympic athletes and the values they do with. A show that will bring viewers and spectators from around the world around the unique spirit of the Paralympic Games.”
Between education and access
Obviously he’s not the only one with big plans for these Games. During an interview West FranceTony Estanguet and Andrew Parsons, respectively the president of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee and the president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), said they wanted to “educate the spectators”. “We are sure that we will all be welcomed and that these Games will surprise us, but also make us think about important topics around inclusion, especially.”, explained Tony Estanguet.
This is a point of concern for the Olympic Games (JO), at least, if not more, for the Paralympics: Parisian transport. There are 150 cars for the event, and 1,000 taxis are arranged, but this is very small compared to the millions of people who must participate. Especially in terms of public transport, “29 metro stations are practically wheelchair accessible”, as recalled by The Echoes. And, icing on the cake, Parisians are heading back home to prepare for the start of the school year. In other words, it’s a good start for improving adoption, but there’s still a long way to go.
There are still places
The same observation about filling the stands: despite the enthusiasm generated by the success of the Olympic Games, there are still many places for the Olympic Games. First, the total number of available sites has been reduced from 2.8 million to 2.5 million.
On Wednesday August 21, the organizers of the Games confirmed that 1,750,000 tickets had been sold. A week before the opening ceremony, this left a gap of about 800,000 points. However, these events are more accessible than those of the Olympic Games. On the ticket office, we still see many thousands of seats at €15, and almost half of the remaining seats at less than €25. Even the opening ceremony, which is more than a thousand euros for The Olympic Games, is allowed at €150 for the Olympic Games.
To attract sales, Paris 2024 insists with a communication campaign: “The game is not over” On social networks, some Internet users are also speaking to show the JOPs, comparing for example Léon Marchand to Ugo Didier, Paralympic swimmer European Championship, who should “make us shake as much” .
Let’s hope, therefore, that this event will generate the enthusiasm it deserves.
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