Human spirit set to triumph at the Paralympics

The Paralympic games opened with a glittering ceremony at the Place de la Concorde, Paris on Wednesday evening, with South Africa’s Paralympics team, led by track and field athlete Mpumelelo Mhlongo and swimmer Kat Swanepoel proudly carrying the country’s flag, among the 168 delegations set to participate.

Walking down the Champs-Élysées with the Arc de Triomphe in the background, the 31 member squad was the second team behind Afghanistan during a ceremony that was more traditional than outrageous.

Unlike the Olympic opening ceremony, the organising committee kept things on more of an even keel in one venue, with nothing that could be deemed offensive, on a balmy Paris evening.

With local artists, a full orchestra and dancers that combined able-bodied and people with various disabilities, classical music, hip-hop and other disciplines entertained the sold-out 30 000-seater venue.

No international sporting event in France is complete without a flypast with the red white and blue trailing behind, and the Patrouille de France (French Acrobatic Patrol) duly obliged.

Addressing the 4 400 athletes from 168 delegations, International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons spoke of an “inclusion revolution” for all people, whether able or disabled, starting where the French Revolution did in 1789.

Speaking in French, President Emmanuel Macron officially opened the Games with a few brief words.

It was a long evening, which was to be expected with all the athletes filing past the stands to enthusiastic applause, the loudest reserved for the local team that entered last, though a standing ovation for the Ukrainian delegation showed the crowd’s sentiment as the war with Russia continues unabated.

The action began yesterday with sitting volleyball, wheelchair volleyball, rugby, badminton, archery and boccia.

Using 18 of the 35 Olympic venues, more than two-million tickets have been sold, with organisers saying that with locals having returned and schools now having started again this week, they were hoping for more sold-out venues.

The highlight after a dramatic build-up was the lighting of the Olympic cauldron by passing the flame that started its journey in August at Stoke Mandeville, England, the birthplace of the Paralympic movement.

Handing the torch from one athlete to another in a perfectly choreographed event, displayed on massive screens inside the stadium, the hot air balloon then slowly rose, signalling the end of the evening and the beginning of 11 days of intense competition.

It was heart warming to see the gregarious smiles and enthusiasm from competitors who have had to overcome enormous odds to be there. Not only because of their disabilities, but also having to prevail over war-torn regions, civil wars and internal political strife throughout the world.

“What a moment for humankind, with everyone being here and enjoying themselves,” said the man seated in front of me.

A triumph of the human spirit indeed.

Van de Putte is the Independent Group’s motoring coordinator. He was invited by Toyota to the Paris 2024 Paralympics opening ceremony.