Amazing Paralympic 2024 - Paris Paralympic Opening Ceremony

[Music] Paris paralympic opening ceremony under dry skies and a cool Summer Breeze the paralympic opening ceremony opened Wednesday at the place DEA Concord it was quite the ju position from the Rainy Olympic opening ceremony that took place just over a month ago it fit the theme for the night taking place in a square formerly named Place Thea Revolution the ceremony called for a revolution in par Athletics beginning the event with Discord and finishing with Concord the almost 4-Hour event took those watching on a Journey that focused on the inclusion of those with disability the outdoor venue offered the perfect environment for the first par Olympic opening ceremony outside of a stadium and in the heart of its whole city French president Emanuel mcon declared the 2024 Paro Olympic Games open at 10:37 p.m. local time 4:37 ET setting off the 11-day event which will feature 168 delegations and 4,400 paralympians from dance numbers to videos highlighting the lack of inclusion for the disabled the opening ceremony had a wide variety of segments highlighting the 2024 theme Paradox from Discord to Concord there was a lot happening and even more so to accommodate the simultaneous performances at just one site many of which were not visible on NBC's broadcast so here are five things you missed on the broadcast the City of Lights hosted a memorable par Olympic Games opening ceremony at the iconic Place DEA Concord and Shanel unlike the Olympics the ceremony was a free public event to honor the game's mission of inclusivity and accessibility the inclusivity did come with a couple of hiccups Spectators had long chaotic lines getting through security to enter the outdoor venue as the ceremony continued the stands continued to fill with 15,000 Spectators while 35,000 people filled the square on stage the event was a visually stunning spectacle artistic director Thomas jolly and creative director Alexander Ekman crafted a program meant to reflect not only the culture of the Home Country but also to embrace the place that those with disabilities have in society the entrance is between some of the artists and The Spectators varied as performers filed in NBC viewers saw a video of former paralympian and TV actor Theo curan car-lifting other paralympians on his journey to the ceremony all of whom were French sporting a red Toyota covered with replicas of the paralympic mascot fra Kieran swept into the outdoor venue and left the same way he came down a street toward the Bassin octagonal after he left there was a jarring shift in music before the red car returned about 14 minutes into the show dropping off artist Christine and the Queens not featured for the majority of the broadcast was the fans interactions with athletes as they went through the parade the Brazilian supporters were especially boisterous the athletes started the wave with the fans and played off the visiting crowd's energy as they entered Canada and Denmark's delegation also had fun interacting with fans during the parade of athletes the Home Country France of course received the loudest Ovation when they entered the stadium to a spirited rendition of Les Shan as a crowd welcome their own all in all the night felt like a large Festival environment for the attendees fans danced with one another in the stands and participated in chants and songs throughout the almost 4-Hour ceremony unlike the Olympics where performances unfolded across different venues the paralympic opening ceremony required coordination behind the scenes to transform sets and move on to the next ACT while the fans and cameras were focused on the display of red white and blue smoke from French flyer jets that enveloped the arena an army of volunteers quickly swept away debris and dust left over from the spectacle the props and scenery also required a lot of work out of sight to make sure the event ran smoothly performers went behind the stage to quietly grab canes while the show on the main stage continued and Beek knowns to the viewer there were also officials along the sides of the venue who major performers were able to get in and out of the stage with little slowdown members of the American delegation passed up their seats following the parade opting for the exit when you view the paralympic schedule the option to leave makes sense the Paralympics get started with parab badmenton at 8:30 a.m. local time a pretty tight turnaround from the opening ceremony that was pushing midnight the American Americans weren't alone several countries begin play early in the morning and the Chinese delegation had more open seats than when the parade began foremost in the outdoor venue the NBC broadcast displayed on circular screens offered helpful views once The Cauldron which also lit up the skies during the Olympic Games took flight on Wednesday it was the only time many in the venue could see it as the podcast concluded fans saw a celebratory scene to cap off the successful night of ringing in the paralympic games