controversial show, stars present… The detail

16:00 – 17 fan zones to watch the opening ceremony

As with the Paralympics, areas have been set up in almost every borough to watch the events, and tonight’s opening ceremony of the Games.

• 4th arrondissement: Town Hall Square
• 5th arrondissement: Arena of Lutèce
• 6th arrondissement: Saint-Sulpice
• 8th arrondissement: Parc Monceau
• 9th arrondissement: Courtyard of the 9th town hall
• 10th arrondissement: Grange-aux-Belles
• 11th arrondissement: Forecourt of the 11th town hall
• 12th arrondissement: Reuilly Garden – Paul Perin
• 13th arrondissement: Parc de Choisy
• 14th arrondissement: Elisabeth sports Center
• 15th arrondissement: Forecourt of the 15th town hall
• 16th arrondissement: Sainte-Périne Park
• 17th arrondissement: Martin Luther King Park
• 18th arrondissement: Square Léon Serpollet and Jardin d’Eole
• 19th arrondissement: Place Stalingrad
• 20th arrondissement: L. Lumière sports complex

15:30 – 15,000 free places without reservation

While 35,000 people will be able to attend the opening ceremony from the stands tonight with a paid ticket, 15,000 people will have the opportunity to see the athletes and the show along the Avenue des Champs-Elysées or in the Tuileries Gardens for free and without reservation. First come, first served.

15:00 – Paralympic flame lit in Stoke Mandeville

While the Olympic flame was lit in Olympia by Laure Manaudou, the Paralympic flame came from Stoke Mandeville in England, northwest of London. It is indeed the hometown of Dr. Ludwig Guttmann, creator of the Paralympic Games in 1948.

14:30 – The village is in full swing again

Two weeks after the Olympians left the athletes’ village, there are nearly 9,000 of them, including the staff present, who have invested the Paralympic village. Very little development was necessary, the village having been designed to accommodate the Paralympic athletes without any worries.

2:00 p.m. – The flame is in Paris

After a four-day journey across France, the Paralympic flame has arrived in Paris and the cauldron at the Hôtel de Ville will be lit in the evening by Cyréna Samba-Mayela and Ryadh Sallem.

1:30 p.m. – “Getting out of clichés”

This is the objective displayed by the organizers of the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games this evening, and first and foremost Thomas Jolly. For the first ceremony in history outside a stadium, the director wants to highlight “a message of inclusion and normality towards people with disabilities”

13:00 – Still 500,000 tickets available

More than two million tickets have been sold so far for the Paralympic Games, and the organising committee announced on Tuesday that 500,000 tickets were being put back on sale, including for the “iconic sites” of the Grand Palais, Les Invalides and the Palace of Versailles.

12:30 – Perfect weather for the opening ceremony

While the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games was marked by rain and bad weather, there is no need to worry about the Paralympic ceremony. Good weather is forecast and even heat, since 28°C is predicted.

12:00 – Take-off from the basin open to all

For the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games this evening, several thousand people will be able to access the Tuileries Gardens for free and without reservation to admire the cauldron and the flame taking off.

11:30 – Alexis Hanquinquant on a mission

The French team’s flag bearer is the master of his classification in the triathlon. On a difficult course, Alexis Hanquinquant is counting on his swimming power to make a first difference.

11:00 – Standardization of bonuses

As has been the case since 2008, French athletes at the Paralympic Games will receive the same bonuses for medals as their Olympian counterparts. €80,000 for a gold medal, €40,000 for silver and €20,000 for bronze. However, this uniformity is not the norm. This is the first time that this will be the case for countries such as Spain or Belgium.

10:30 – Top 8 objective

For these Paralympic Games at home, CPSF President Marie-Amélie Le Fur has set the tone: France wants to enter the top eight in the medal standings. To do this, it will be necessary to double the number of titles from Tokyo (11 gold medals). In 2021, the French delegation finished 14th.

10:00 – 15,000 police and gendarmes mobilized

Although the route is smaller and less difficult to secure than for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the security measures put in place by the Ministry of the Interior remain extensive, with 15,000 police officers deployed around the Place de la Concorde, the Tuileries Gardens and the Avenue des Champs-Elysées.

09:30 – 182 delegations present

More than 4,400 athletes will parade on the Champs Elysées this Wednesday evening, divided into 182 different delegations. The French delegation, led by flag bearers Alexis Hanquinquant and Nantenin Keita, will include 240 athletes.

09:00 – Choreography entrusted to the Swede Alexander Ekman

Thomas Jolly is once again at the helm for the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, and he has chosen to surround himself with Swedish dancer Alexander Ekman for the choreography, who has already collaborated with the Paris Opera, and has staged more than 50 ballets around the world.