The 2024 Paralympics in Paris came to an end on Sunday with a spectacular closing ceremony. © APA/afp / GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT

Brilliant closing ceremony: “Nobody wants games to end”

The 17th Paralympics ended with a brilliant but rainy closing ceremony at the Stade de France in Paris.

September 08, 2024

From: dpa

"The Games we experienced together were about sport, they were about records," said the head of the organizing committee, Tony Estanguet. "But above all, it was a story marked by encounters. The kind of extraordinary encounters that leave a lasting impression. Nobody wants these Games to end."

The three-time Olympic canoe champion was instrumental in organizing both the Olympic Games and the Paralympics and was celebrated with chants by the 64.000 spectators in the arena. Addressing the athletes, Estanguet said: "You have started this Paralympic revolution, now there is no turning back."

Flag handed over to Los Angeles

The venue for the next Paralympics in 2028 is Los Angeles. After the Paralympic flag was handed over, spectators were given a first taste of what was to come with a clip shown on the screens. The flame was then extinguished shortly before 22.00 p.m.

Almost 2000 projectors were in use in the arena in France's capital, and 24 artists provided musical accompaniment throughout the evening. The ceremony was opened by French singer Santa, who performed Johnny Hallyday's cult song "Vivre pour le Meilleur".

The flag of the Paralympic Games. © APA/afp / THIBAUD MORITZ

Similar to the opening ceremony on the Avenue des Champs Élysées in the direction of the Place de La Concorde, there was a parade, the German flag was carried by wheelchair fencer Maurice Schmidt and the visually impaired swimmer Elena Semechin. Both had won gold in the French capital.

“Collective responsibility”

President Andrew Parsons of the International Paralympic Committee saw confirmation that the Games could trigger a "revolution of inclusion." "Appreciation and applause must now be followed by acceptance and action," said the Brazilian official.

In Paris, the athletes celebrated once again. © APA/afp / THIBAUD MORITZ

"We all have a collective responsibility to use the momentum of the Paris Paralympics to make the world around us more inclusive," he said. "What a Paralympic legacy that would be, not just for these athletes, but for the 1,3 billion people with disabilities around the world that they represent."