The opening ceremony of the Paris Paralympic Games kicked off on Wednesday in the centre of the French capital, marking the start of eleven days of intense competition.

Like the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on the Seine in July, this was the first time it took place at a location other than the main stadium during the Paralympics.

In pleasant weather – in contrast to the heavy rain that disrupted the opening of the Olympic Games on July 26 – the Games opened at the Place de la Concorde, in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron.

The ceremony concludes with the lighting of the cauldron, which has become a popular city landmark since its debut at the Olympic Games.

When the sporting action begins on Thursday, a new generation of Paralympians will join seasoned veterans competing in many of the same venues where Olympic sports took place.

Eighteen of the 35 Olympic venues will be used for the Paralympic Games, which run until September 8. One of them is the Grand Palais, which has won rave reviews for its fencing and taekwondo events under a lavishly decorated roof.

The La Defense Arena will once again be the stage for the swimming competitions, while the athletics events will take place on the purple track of the Stade de France.

Since the Olympics, ticket sales have slowed down somewhat. More than 2 million of the 2.5 million available tickets have now been sold and several locations are sold out.

The Paralympic flame was lit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in England, the birthplace of the Games, and brought to France via the Channel Tunnel. From there, it travelled through French cities.

Theatre director Thomas Jolly, who also oversaw the Olympic opening ceremony, said there was deep symbolism in having the Paralympic ceremony in the centre of Paris, a city whose metro system is not adapted to the needs of wheelchair users.

“Placing Paralympic athletes in the heart of the city in itself sends a political message that the city is not sufficiently adapted to all disabled people,” Jolly said earlier this week.

According to the organizers, wheelchair users can use the buses in Paris and they have also deployed 1,000 specially adapted taxis.

Paralympic powerhouse China is sending a strong team — the Chinese dominated the medal tally at the Covid-delayed Tokyo Games three years ago, taking 96 gold medals. Great Britain was second with 41 golds.

Riding on the Olympic team’s success, host nation France will be aiming for a substantial upgrade on the 11 gold medals it won in 2021, which placed it 14th. French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said she wants France to finish in the top eight of the medal table.

Ukraine, traditionally one of the most medal-winning countries at the Paralympic Games, has sent a team of 140 athletes across 17 sports, despite the challenges they face in preparing as the war against Russian forces continues at home.

Russia and Belarus are sending a total of 96 athletes, who will compete under a neutral flag. However, due to the invasion of Ukraine, they are excluded from the opening and closing ceremonies.

Each Games produces new stars and in this edition it is American sprinter/high jumper Ezra Frech who is making headlines after undergoing a leg amputation.

Off the court, Iranian sitting volleyball legend Morteza Mehrzad, who is 2.55 meters tall, will once again attempt to win gold.

International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons told AFP earlier this year that he hoped the Paris edition would put the issues facing people with disabilities back at the top of the list of global priorities.

Parsons is confident that the Games will “have a major impact on the way people with disabilities are perceived globally.”

“This is one of the main expectations we have around Paris 2024; we believe that we need to put people with disabilities back on the global agenda,” the Brazilian said.

“We believe that people with disabilities have been left behind. There is very little debate about people with disabilities.”