French President Emmanuel Macron declares Paralympic Games open

Paralympic Games 2024 have been officially inaugurated with a grand opening ceremony in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron declared the Games open during a colourful ceremony in the heart of Paris. A total of 4,400 Paralympians, representing 167 nations, marched from Champs-Elysees to Place de la Concorde. Tokyo 2020 gold medallist javelin thrower Sumit Antil and world record-holder table tennis player Bhagyashri Jadhav led the Indian contingent. 

A total of 84 Indian paralympic athletes will compete in this edition of the games. It is India’s largest contingent in Paralympic history. India will compete



in 12 of the 22 sports scheduled at the event.

Krishna Nagar will aim to defend his men’s singles title in badminton. While Avani Lekhara and Manish Narwal are set to take aim in shooting. Archery, Cycling, Taekwondo, swimming, and Table Tennis are other events where Indians will be seen in action from today. Athletics will begin from tomorrow, where 38 Indian athletes will participate. The spotlight will be on javelin thrower Sumit Antil and Table Tennis player Bhavina Patel.  The Paris Paralympics will conclude on September 9 with the Closing Ceremony.