Topline
The Paralympics opening ceremony Wednesday will make history—just like the 2024 Paris Olympics—as the first Games to be hosted outside the confines of a stadium as athletes parade down the historic Champs-Elysées, and although performers haven’t been revealed yet, organizers promised a “never been seen before” show.
Key Facts
The summer 2024 Paris Olympics concluded August 11, but the Paralympics will start this week and last through September 8 (the full schedule of events can be found here).
It’s the first summer Paralympic Games to take place in France, and the first time since COVID-19 that spectators are allowed to fill the stands.
Over 4,000 athletes with physical, intellectual and visual impairments from 184 delegations will compete in 22 sports over the next 11 days.
There are 10 classifications for athletes based on impairments, including eight physical—like leg length difference and limb deficiency—as well as vision and intellectual impairment, and athletes are grouped into categories based on the “degree of activity limitation resulting from their impairments.”
How Can I Watch The Opening Ceremony?
Coverage of the opening ceremony kick off will begin at 1 p.m. EDT live on USA Network, and stream on Peacock. The opening ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. EDT. Peacock is the official streaming service for the Games. It will livestream all the events, and offer full-event replays for those who can’t watch in real-time. The Paralympics will also air live on NBC, CNBC and USA Network.
Who Are The Team Usa Flagbearers?
Nicky Nieves, a sitting volleyball gold medalist, will be the women’s flag bearer for Team USA. Steve Serio, a sitting basketball gold medalist, will be the men’s flag bearer.
What Happens At The Opening Ceremony?
Just like this year’s Olympics’ opening ceremony, the 2024 Paris Paralympics’ opening ceremony will be the first to be held outside of a stadium. However, athletes won’t be a part of a boat procession. Instead, they’ll proceed down the Champs-Elysées to the ceremony at the Place de la Concorde. The event will “showcase the Paralympic athletes and the values that they embody,” according to Thomas Jolly, the artistic director for the Olympics and Paralympics opening ceremonies. Although names of performers haven’t been revealed, Jolly promised “performances that have never been seen before” in a “spectacle that will unite spectators and television audiences worldwide around the unique spirit of the Paralympic Games.”
Key Background
The Paralympics began in 1946 at a veterans hospital north of London in Stoke Mandeville, and the first official Games were held in 1960 in Rome. The Paralympics are historically held around two weeks after the Olympics, and the Games have been held in the same city and venue as the Olympics since 1988. Paralympic athletes will compete in sports with Olympic equivalents like para triathlon and wheelchair rugby, basketball and tennis. Goalball and boccia are the only two sports unique to the Paralympics. Goalball is made specifically for athletes with visual impairments, and is played with two teams on a court with a net at each end. Teams score by rolling a ball into their opponent’s goal. All players must wear eye shades to ensure fair competition, and the inside of the ball contains bells so it can be tracked by the players through sound. Boccia is played by athletes with severe impairments that affect their motor skills. Each player earns points by rolling a leather ball as close as possible to a small white ball called a jack.
Surprising Fact
Visually impaired athletes competing in certain events—like para cycling and paratriathlon—work alongside sighted guides to assist them during the Games. Since 2012, the guides have also been awarded medals.
