The Most Stunning Images From The Paris Paralympics Opening Ceremony
Fireworks light up Place de la Concorde during the Paris Paralympics opening ceremony.
The 2024 Summer Paralympics kicked off with a bang on Thursday with the opening ceremony in Paris.
Athletes from around the world paraded down the iconic Champs-Elysées avenue to Place de la Concorde, where around 50,000 spectators watched the ceremony from stands built around the historic square in central Paris. It was the first time the Paralympics has held its opening ceremony outdoors.
From Thursday until September 8, more than 4,000 athletes will compete in over 500 medal events across 22 sports in the Paralympic Games.
France's paralympic torchbearers, Charles-Antoine Kaoukou, Nantenin Keita, Fabien Lamirault, Alexis Hanquinquant and Elodie Lorandi, hold the Paralympic flame in front of the Paralympic cauldron.
A performance by French singer-songwriter Christine and the Queens.
The cauldron, attached to a balloon, ascends after it's lit by torchbearers.
Fireworks explode next to the Obelisque de Louxor, the main monument in the square.
The Patrouille acrobatique de France perform a flyby whilst releasing smoke in the colours of the French flag.
The sunset over the Arc de Triomphe as athletes parade towards the Place de la Concorde.
Performers hold flames as a torchbearer carries the Paralympic Flame.
French Paralympic Swimmer Theo Curin traveled in a car decorated with the 2024 mascot, the Phryge.
Artists perform at the start of the opening ceremony.
Smoke is released in the colors of the French flag whilst dancers perform during the "discord" act. The theme of the ceremony was "From Discord to Concord."