Less unusual, but no less impressive than the Olympics: The games in Paris start with a party with over 50,000 visitors on the largest square in the French capital.
Triathlon star Martin Schulz and rowing ace Edina Müller waved the German flag at a big party on the Place de la Concorde, which Jürgen Klopp in the stands also did not want to miss: The XVII Paralympics started with an enthusiastic celebration in front of more than 50,000 spectators – a little less shrill, but no less impressive compared to the Olympic Games just a month earlier.
At 10:37 p.m., French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open. Before that, Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee, used the motto of today’s French Republic. “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité,” Parsons called for more humanity, understanding and freedom, especially for people with disabilities, to loud cheers from the spectators.
On a warm summer evening, a total of 500 artists and dancers heated up the atmosphere at the venerable Place de la Concorde with a varied but also thought-provoking show program. “A ceremony that should leave a lasting impression” was the motto. The organizers of the first Paralympic Summer Games in Paris certainly lived up to this motto, even if world stars such as Lady Gaga and Céline Dion were missing.
Germany as fourth team at Place de la Concorde
The German team was the fourth team to reach the Place de la Concorde. After around 300 meters on the magnificent Champs-Élysées boulevard, the athletes, including the flag-bearer duo Müller and Schulz and prosthetic long jump star Markus Rehm, arrived at the largest square in Paris. Around 100 German athletes, as well as coaches, support staff and officials, passed the packed stands shortly before half past eight in the morning in front of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Over the next eleven days, around 4,400 athletes will compete for 549 gold, silver and bronze medals in 22 sports. The competitions at world-famous locations such as the Eiffel Tower, the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, the Grand Palais and the Invalides are expected to provide similarly emotional and inspiring images as previously seen at the Olympics.
Germany wants to be among the top 10 in the medal table
The German team will be competing with around 143 athletes and five guides and wants to stop the downward trend of the past Games. Three years ago in Tokyo, the German team only managed twelfth place in the medal table with 43 medals. Friedhelm Julius Beucher, President of the German Disabled Sports Association, is hoping to return to the top 10 in Paris.
Source: Stern
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