Medals are up for grabs in track cycling, swimming, table tennis and taekwondo at the Paralympic Games in Paris on Thursday. The Games kicked off with a colourful and hopeful ceremony ahead of the 11 days of competition.

The action also starts with sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, badminton, archery, goalball (a form of football for the visually impaired) and boccia (a variation on jeu de boules).

French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open on Wednesday during a ceremony at the sultry Place de la Concorde in central Paris. It is the first time that a Paralympic opening ceremony has been held outside the main stadium.

The 4,400 participants from 168 delegations paraded into the arena as the sun set. Host nation France took the stage last, to a standing ovation from 30,000 spectators.

The beautiful weather was in stark contrast to the heavy rainfall during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on July 26.

Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), told athletes and spectators he hoped for an “inclusion revolution” before Macron officially declared the Games open.

The Paralympic flag was carried onto the square by John McFall, a British Paralympic sprinter selected by the European Space Agency ESA to become the first ‘parastronaut’.

French Olympian Florent Manaudou brought the flame into the arena to complete the four-day torch relay.

Five French Paralympians, including 2020 gold medalists Alexis Hanquinquant and Nantenin Keita, lit the now iconic flame in the Tuileries.

Of the 35 Olympic venues, 18 will be used for the Paralympic Games, including the ornate Grand Palais and the Stade de France.

Ticket sales for the Paralympic Games, which run until September 8, were slow. However, sales have accelerated since the Olympic Games. According to the organizers, more than two million of the 2.5 million available tickets have now been sold and several locations are already sold out.

– Ukraine sends strong team –

Host nation France are riding on the success of their Olympic team and are aiming for a significant improvement on their 11 gold medals in 2021, which puts them in 14th place in the medal table.

Paralympic powerhouse China dominated the last Paralympic Games in Tokyo with 96 gold medals and has once again sent a strong delegation.

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

A total of 96 athletes from Russia and Belarus will compete under a neutral flag. However, due to the invasion of Ukraine, they are not allowed to participate in the ceremonies.

American sprinter/high jumper Ezra Frech, 19, who has undergone an above-knee amputation, is seen as a potential new star at the Games.

Off the track, established names seek fame.

The 2.46 meter tall Iranian sitting volleyball legend Morteza Mehrzad will try again to win gold.

Beatrice ‘Bebe’ Vio, the Italian fencer who had all four limbs amputated after contracting meningitis at age 11, is aiming for a third gold medal at the Paralympic Games.

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