The Paris Paralympics came to a thrilling close this Sunday evening. In his speech, the President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Andrew Parsons, bestowed Paris with the honour of being the most spectacular edition of the Paralympics that have ever taken place.
At 9.57pm, the Paralympic flame was finally extinguished by French boccia gold medallist Aurélie Aubert.
Thousands of athletes, including Luxembourg’s Tom Habscheid and Katrin Kohl, bid adieu to the Stade de France in the pouring rain, celebrating their achievements and efforts in a final hurrah. Tom Habsheid won bronze in shot put on Saturday evening in a historic first. (LINK)
Athletes, trainers, guides and delegation heads found themselves in the stadium for the closing ceremony. This year, around 4,400 athletes from nearly 170 nations participated. A total of 549 gold medals were awarded throughout the Paralympics, a significantly higher number compared to the Olympic Games (329) due to the various classification categories specifically designated for the Paralympics. China takes the first spot as the country with the most Olympic medals. Un der Spëtzt vum Medailespigel stoung um Enn China.
During the closing ceremony, a dazzling spectacle honoured the athletes achievements with 24 artists from the French electronic music scene being invited to perform. The ceremony’s official parts were not amiss as the Paralympic flag was handed over to Los Angeles where the 18th Paralympic Games will take place in 2028, under the motto
“Follow the Sun.”
Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, was met with rousing applause for his emotional speech during the closing ceremony, which was attended by French President Emmanuel Macron.
The end of the ceremony began with music legend Jean-Michel Jarre transformed the stadium into a dance floor. French DJ Martin Solveig provided the final highlight of the night, bringing an end to an unforgettable summer of sports in the French capital.
LINK: Klickt hei, fir op de ganze Paralympics-Dossier ze kommen.
