It’s finally time – after a boring couple of weeks with no athletics, swimming or cycling to grip us, we can breathe a sigh of relief that the Paris 2024 Paralympics are about to bring tantalising sport back into our lives.
And of course it’s gotta start somewhere – with an opening ceremony! So, ahead of the competition between 4,400 para-athletes over the coming 10 days, across 22 different sports, here is everything we know so far about the timings and line-up for the Paris 2024 Paralympic opening ceremony.
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Paralympics opening ceremony performers
As with the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, the Paralympic opening ceremony will be artistically directed by Thomas Jolly, while the choreography and staging is under the guidance of Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekamn and the music has been composed by Victor Le Masne, composer of the Olympic Games anthem, ‘Parade’.
And much like the launch and conclusion of the Olympic games, details about the ceremony have been kept largely under wraps. We do know that this opening ceremony will also break convention and take place outside of a stadium, this time along the Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Elysées (which hosted BMX freestyle, breaking and skateboarding events during the Olympics).
Hundreds of artists are set to perform alongside the para-sport stars in the parade – right now, no big names have been announced, but it does sound like we’re in for a treat. ‘I look forward to creating this spectacle that will transform the heart of Paris, with performances that have never been seen before,’ said Jolly, ‘A spectacle that will showcase the Paralympic athletes and the values that they embody [and] will unite spectators and television audiences worldwide around the unique spirit of the Paralympic Games.’
Timings
The opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Paralympics will begin at 8pm CEST on Wednesday August 28 (that’s 7pm BST and 2pm EST), and last for three hours, until 11pm CEST (10pm BST and 5pm EST).
How to watch
If you’re watching in France, the opening ceremony will be screened on free-to-air channel France 2, as will the closing ceremony on September 8. In fact, broadcaster France Televisions, which runs France 2, 3, 4 and the france.tv online platform, will be broadcasting extensive Paralympics coverage. It’s also worth trying to stream events either via the Paralympic YouTube Channel or the International Paralympic Committee website.
In the UK, this time around it’s Channel 4 who will be covering the games, with more than 1,300 hours of coverage scheduled. In advance of the Games, Channel 4 has curated a programme of documentaries all about the games.
In the US, viewers will be able to stream the opening ceremony on Peacock (as well as all other events) and view it live on USA Network. NBC, E!, Telemundo, CNBC and Golf Channel will also be showing various events throughout the games.
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