Paris 2024 Paralympics close to begin new era of inclusion

PARIS - Amid a festive atmosphere of lights and music, the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games came to a close on Sunday evening, honoring the para athletes who amazed audiences with their remarkable performances over the past 11 days.

Athletes and accompanying staff from nearly 170 National Paralympic Committees, including the Paralympic Refugee Team, participated in the closing ceremony at Stade de France, alongside 64,000 spectators.

During his speech at the closing ceremony, Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, urged the audience to stand and offer para athletes the "loudest, craziest, and longest" ovation.

"Every time you competed, more people joined the party. Every time you succeeded, the intensity grew...You changed how people see sport and how they see disability," Estanguet said.

"You have launched this Paralympic revolution, and now there is no turning back," he added.

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Andrew Parsons declared the official closing of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, delivering a speech focused on "inclusion." "The best Paralympic legacies are the ones that continue post-Games," Parsons noted.

"Beyond 12 days of sport, we must break down the barriers that exist in society. We must enable and empower persons with disabilities to excel outside of the field of play, in education, in employment, in entertainment, in government, in civil society - everywhere!"

The flags of the participating nations and the Paralympic Refugee Team were paraded in, accompanied by a performance from the band of the Republican Guard.

Jiang Yuyan, who carried the flag for the Chinese delegation, emerged as the most decorated athlete of the Games, winning seven gold medals and setting two world records in para swimming. She was joined by her fellow athlete, Di Dongdong, who won gold and set a world record in the men's long jump - T11 event in para athletics.

The six newly elected members of the IPC Athletes' Council were introduced, including Chinese para powerlifter Tan Yujiao, elected by her peers from among the 1,800 athletes participating in the Games.

After a stunning breakdance performance symbolizing the power of inclusion, the Paralympic flag was lowered and handed from Paris' mayor Anne Hidalgo to Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass, as attention shifted to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

A para athlete carried the Paralympic flame into the stadium, where it was ceremoniously extinguished after a brief relay. Meanwhile, the cauldron above the Jardin des Tuileries was also extinguished.

As the Games officially concluded, the celebrations began in earnest. To the beats of France's top DJs, people with and without disabilities danced together, turning the final night of the Games into a joyful celebration of inclusion.

A new era of inclusion is hoped to begin, as Parsons remarked, "What a Paralympic legacy this would be, not just for these athletes, but for the world's 1.3 billion persons with disabilities that they represent."

After 12 days of thrilling competition, China finished atop the medal tally for the sixth consecutive Paralympic Games, with a total of 220 medals - 94 golds, 76 silvers, and 50 bronzes.