After more than a month since Paris began hosting the Olympics, the country has concluded the final chapter of its summer of sports with the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paralympic Games on Sunday.
More than 4,000 athletes with physical, visual, and intellectual impairments competed in 22 sports from August 29 to September 8.
Finishing at the top of the gold medal table in the 2024 Paralympic Games is China with 94 gold medals and 29 world records, succeeding in several disciplines including swimming, athletics and table tennis. Great Britain ranked second with 49 gold medals and the United States ranked third with 36 gold medals.
The event, looking to set more goals in terms of inclusivity for people with disabilities, also set the record for the highest number of delegations (169) and sold 2.4 million tickets out of an available 2.5 million.
The Paralympic closing ceremony began on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. CEST (2:30 p.m. ET) and like the Olympic Closing Ceremony, the Paralympic Closing Ceremony is also taking place in the Stade de France as the festivities are expected to last for approximately two hours.
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According to the Olympics website, the closing ceremony has musical performances that will “highlight the French electro scene,” with Jean-Michel Jarre opening and closing the ceremony and 24 French electronic artists making appearances.
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Thomas Jolly, the artistic director for the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies and the Paralympic opening ceremony, also served as the same role for the Paralympic closing ceremony. Victor le Masne is the musical director, and Romain Pissenem is director/designer of the festival.
In addition, other musical guest performances include French singer Santa, who is widely recognized as the lead singer and a key member of the French electropop band Hyphen Hyphen, along with Amadou and Mariam, a musical duo from Mali, whose album Welcome To Mali was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album in 2010.
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Like the Olympic Closing Ceremony, the Paralympic Closing Ceremony also provided a hand-off from one host city to the next, as Los Angeles is next in line as host for the 2028 games, organizers provided viewers a sneak peek at what to expect from LA28.
“The LA28 Paralympic Handover will be a historic moment, as Los Angeles prepares to host the city’s first-ever Paralympic Games,” LA28 Chairperson and President Casey Wasserman said. “When Paris hands the flag over to LA, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to spotlight the Paralympics with a cast of allies, artists and advocates who share our commitment to furthering the Movement.”
Newsweek has reached out to LA28 via email for comment.
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The handover ceremony featured Team USA Paralympians and Los Angeles residents Samantha Bosco, Ezra Frech and Jamal Hill.
Following the passing of the Paralympic flag, Tony Award–winning actress and Broadway star Ali Stroker sang the U.S. national anthem at the Stade de France. Stroker is an American actress, author and singer and is the first actor who uses a wheelchair to appear on a Broadway stage.
According to LA28’s website, after Stroker’s performance in Paris, the LA28 Paralympic Handover will spotlight music and movement, highlighting Paralympic and adaptive sports against the backdrop of Los Angeles’ iconic Venice Beach.
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