The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games officially begin on Wednesday, August 28, with the opening ceremony taking place just weeks after the completion of the Olympic Games in the City of Light.
More than 4,000 athletes with physical, visual, and intellectual disabilities will compete in 22 sports over the next 11 days.
Unlike the Olympic opening ceremony, which featured a parade on boats along the Seine River, the Paralympic Games will kick off with a parade of athletes along the Champs-Élysées leading to a ceremony at the Place de la Concorde.
Thomas Jolly, the artistic director who also led the Olympic ceremony, stated that the event “will showcase the Paralympic athletes and the values they embody,” promising “unprecedented performances.”
Organizers have reported that over two million tickets have been sold for the competitions. On Thursday, the first medals will be awarded in taekwondo, table tennis, and track cycling. Athletes are grouped by levels of disability to ensure the greatest possible equality. Only two sports on the program, goalball and boccia, do not have an Olympic equivalent.
Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee, emphasized that the expected crowds in Paris will mean a lot to the athletes, many of whom competed in front of empty stands three years ago in Tokyo due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the United States, the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be broadcast on USA Network and streamed on Peacock and NBC Olympics platforms on Wednesday, August 28, starting at 12 p.m. Dallas time, with the ceremony set to commence at 1 p.m.
For online viewing: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, NBC app, NBC Sports app.
Viewers can check NBC Olympics for more details on the schedule. A special broadcast of the opening and the games will air on NBC during prime time on Friday, August 31, at 8:00 p.m. Dallas time.