admin Let the Games Begin Again
The Paralympic Games are set to commence on Wednesday, with around 4,400 athletes with disabilities, permanent injuries, or impairments gearing up to compete for 549 medals across 22 sports over 11 days in Paris.
The French capital, which recently hosted the Olympics, will again serve as the stage for another grand event, with many of the same venues being used for the Paralympic competitions.
The historic Place de la Concorde, which showcased skateboarding, breaking, and 3×3 basketball during the Olympics, will now be the site of the opening ceremony.
“We are at the heart of the city,” International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “The symbolism behind this is like the city of Paris is giving our athletes a gigantic hug.”
Equestrian events return to Château de Versailles, while the Grand Palais will shift from fencing to wheelchair fencing. The Invalides venue will host para archery.
The area beside the Eiffel Tower, which featured beach volleyball during the Olympics, will now accommodate blind football, a modified version of the game for visually impaired players using a ball with rattles.
“We’ve got some truly iconic sites, and we’re going to be treated to a visual feast,” said Alexis Hanquinquant, France’s para triathlon champion. “Paris is the most beautiful city in the world. I believe we’re going to witness some exceptional Paralympic Games.”
Among the 22 Paralympic sports, only goalball and boccia do not have Olympic counterparts. In goalball, teams of visually impaired or blind players roll a ball containing bells towards the opposing goal, while the defending team acts as goalkeepers. In boccia, players aim to throw or roll leather balls as close as possible to a small target ball called a jack.
Compared to the previous Paralympics in Tokyo, this edition features 10 additional medal events, providing more opportunities for female athletes and those with high support needs.
Parsons noted that around 2 million of the 2.5 million tickets available have been sold, making it the second highest attendance at a Paralympics, after the London Games in 2012.
The Paralympic flame was ignited on Saturday in Stoke Mandeville, a village northwest of London known as the birthplace of the Paralympic Games. The flame will journey via a torch relay through the English Channel and various French cities before lighting the cauldron at the opening ceremony on Wednesday.
Effervescent swimmer Katarina Roxon from Kippens, N.L., and dry-witted wheelchair basketball player Patrick Anderson from Fergus, Ont., will carry the Canadian flag into the opening ceremonies on the Champs-Élysées for Team Canada.
Anticipation is growing as Parisians return from their summer holidays— the city had felt almost deserted earlier in the month with many away at the coast. For those who missed the Olympic Games, the Paralympics offer a second chance to experience the excitement.
The athletes— Paralympians— will be the centre of attention starting Thursday, the first day of competition, with medals up for grabs in para taekwondo, para table tennis, para swimming, and para cycling on the track.
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