The Paris Paralympic Games came to a grand conclusion with a breathtaking light display and a vibrant dance party, wrapping up a final day that saw two new world records set.
During the closing ceremony at the fully packed Stade de France, Paris 2024 chief and former Olympic gold-medal canoeist, Tony Estanguet, reflected on the impact of the event. “These six weeks of the Paralympics and Olympics will be remembered forever,” he said, highlighting France’s historic summer.
Despite the rain, over 4,400 athletes from 168 Paralympic delegations celebrated to the beats of French electronic dance music.
Earlier in the day, Morocco’s Fatima Ezzahra El Idrissi shattered the world record for the women’s marathon in the visually impaired category, completing the 42km (26.2 miles) race in 2 hours, 48 minutes, and 36 seconds, nearly six minutes faster than the previous record. “I wasn’t focused on time, just winning a medal,” said the 29-year-old champion.
On the same day, Nigeria’s Folashade Oluwafemiayo also broke her own world record in the women’s para powerlifting.
China dominated the medal table with 94 golds, followed by Great Britain with 49, and the United States in third with 36. Ukraine, facing the challenges of ongoing war with Russia, secured an impressive seventh-place finish with 22 golds, while France took eighth with 19 golds.
The next Paralympics will be held in Los Angeles in 2028.
Concerns over ticket sales early on were eased as the Paralympics were played out in mostly sold-out stadiums, buoyed by the success of the Olympic Games, which concluded on August 11. Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee, remarked that the Paris Paralympics demonstrated how “change begins with sport.”
