Paris gears up for 2024 Paralympics opening ceremony, athletes to parade down Champs Elysées

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00:00For more on this story we can go across to James Vecina standing by at the Champs Elysees.

00:05James what's the atmosphere like where you are?

00:10Well look Delano things are slowly building up we've still got plenty of time before the start

00:14of the ceremony but the Champs Elysees have been blocked off as you can see we're in the middle of

00:17what is normally a very busy avenue once again Paris has chosen to showcase some of its top

00:22landmarks for this opening ceremony as for the Olympics well for the Paralympics it's the first

00:27time that this ceremony is being taken place outside of a stadium and while it's not taking

00:32place on the river Seine as it did a couple of weeks ago for this edition it's taking place on

00:35the Champs Elysees one of the most recognizable spots in the world whether you've been to Paris

00:39or not you might recognize where we are of course there's the Arc de Triomphe from one side

00:43and the Place de la Concorde behind us now that is where the uh the ceremony will be centered

00:48around that Place de la Concorde that's the place where Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette

00:53were guillotines of course uh quite a few times ago but this is the talk of a different revolution

00:58uh this time around it's a revolution for the Paralympians who want to of course take center

01:04stage after the Olympians and I'm hoping that that fever can keep up during the coming weeks

01:09now of course just like with this summer with the Olympics there comes a big challenge for

01:14Paris 2024 on the Paralympic side a couple of weeks ago you remember Paris was slightly

01:20cooled down half of Paris was on holiday things were quite different it was very relaxed in the

01:24city here uh trades were working very well and well now slowly people are coming back for work

01:29and there's a slight change of atmosphere but also very crucially is that uh when the Olympics

01:34took place we had this certain political uh hiatus if you like it's moments because of course it's

01:39now been two months since uh since uh the uh assembly the national assembly here in France

01:45has decided to dissolve and France needs a new prime minister well that was left aside because

01:49the politicians went on holiday well now the politicians are back and we'll see whether that

01:54manages to take an impact over the the Paralympics coverage and just in the scene in general because

02:00of course uh that that hiatus will not be continuing uh as it's known as it's known in

02:05Paris in France uh at the end of summer and the beginning of September is when everything kicks

02:11back into action so let's hope that we can see plenty of sports uh happening here which we will

02:15do but the coverage will be and that it won't be of course impacted by any of that there's already

02:18talks uh of uh of demonstrations uh facing some of the political decisions that have been taken

02:24recently but more about the sports uh the sport is going to be taking place in the same locations

02:29pretty much as the Olympics did so on that means uh taking place outside of the Eiffel Tower over

02:34in Bercy also and plenty of the big landmarks that Paris is showcasing throughout that's the

02:39Chateau de Versailles as well where the equestrian took place and the Parasite is taking place over

02:44there as well so the hope is that they're going to be able to attract just as many people to these

02:49games it's not easy of course it's been a two-week uh two a two-week separation uh between those two

02:55there and there are still plenty of tickets up for sale but perhaps what's been great is about

02:59the Olympics the fever that was brought around them that well they're hoping that we they can

03:03get the same things around the Olympics this is not the the story about trying to showcase

03:07Paralympians as being special of course there's a certain speciality about them but it's about

03:12trying to bring everything into the norm and also for Paris and for France it's a it's a it's

03:17there's a bit of hope that maybe things can change uh for uh people with disabilities think of the

03:22Paris metro quite simply very difficult to get around if you're in a wheelchair wheelchair being

03:26only one form of course a disability uh that's but it's a hope of course but these will things

03:31brings changes to what is a very very old city it's all just part of it so it's not just about

03:36the sport there's everything around it and it's a big moment uh for Paralympians and for people

03:40with disabilities to get the attention that they deserve and that they don't normally get during

03:45the rest of the year and hoping that they can get changes through these Paralympics as part

03:49two of Paris 2024 kicks off tonight. James thank you very much for that James Vecina standing back

03:56at the Champs-Élysées there.

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