Paris has chosen the iconic Champs-Elysees avenue and the historic Place de la Concorde to host the opening ceremony for the Summer Paralympics tomorrow. The prestigious avenue sweeping through the 8th arrondissement to the west of central Paris is dotted with cafes, palaces and luxury shops and connects the Arc de Triomphe in the west with Place de la Concorde in the east in a single straight line.
Tens of thousands of people daily throng the two-kilometre-long tree-lined artery with its wide sidewalks at the – The Champs-Elysees. It has long been for French a place of celebrations and popular gatherings. Tomorrow, it will be the scene of a popular parade, open to everyone and involving up to more than 180 delegations and 4,400 para-Olympians from around the world. At the other end, the Place de la Concorde, the largest square in Paris, will be the scene of the official parade for ticket holders, in addition to the protocol and artistic sequences.
IPC announces 88 Russians to compete as neutrals
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced that 88 Russian competitors will take part under a neutral banner at the Paris Paralympics.
The Games, which get underway tomorrow, will also feature eight Belarusians competing as neutrals, IPC spokesman Craig Spence told a press conference. Para-athletes from Russia and ally Belarus must compete under a neutral banner after being largely banned from world sport following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The IPC, along with world sporting federations, has overseen their gradual return as neutral participants in the Paralympics under strict conditions.
To be invited to compete, individuals who achieved good enough results to qualify had to pass a double check process. A third-party agency, employed by the IPC, was tasked with verifying that the potential competitors did not actively support the war in Ukraine or have any links with their countries’ militaries.
Paralympians from Russia and Belarus will, however, not be permitted to take part in opening ceremony in central Paris.
