Hyderabad: The Paris Paralympics 2024 commenced on Wednesday with a dazzling opening ceremony and an 84-member Indian contingent participated in the parade of the nations. In the previous edition, the country was represented by 54 athletes.
Resumption Of Paris Paralympics
‘City Of Light will host the Paralympics 17 days after the conclusion of the Olympics. Similar to the opening ceremony held in Paris, the opening ceremony for the Paralympics included some grand-style displays.
The historic Place de la Concorde which is centred on the French Revolution hosted the first-ever outdoor opening ceremony in the Paralympics history. The French capital was once again in a festive mood as Jackie Cha garnered the attention of the spectators by carrying the Olympic torch through the hearts of the city.
Legendary singers and dancers performed in the opening ceremony and their act was directed by Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman in front of more than 50,000 spectators. More than 4,000 athletes will participate in the competition lasting over 12 days from August 29 to September 8.
Sumit, Bhagyashree lead India in the Parade of Nations
Indian contingent dazzled in white and was led by flagbearers Sumit Antil and Bhagyashree Jadhav. The contingent was applauded by the crowd as soon as they entered the arena. Sumit will represent India in the Javelin throw while Bhagyashree will compete in Shot Put.
The Indian contingent will be hoping for their best performance by surpassing the tally of 19 medals in total from the previous games. With India competing with their largest contingent, the country will aim to cross the mark of at least 20 medals in the French capital.
