Paris becomes the world’s epicenter of inclusivity
“Work cures everything,” said French artist Henri Matisse, who was confined to a wheelchair by cancer. His disability did not stop him from continuing to create.. Not Toulouse-Lautrec. Even 4,400 athletes (1,983 women, a record) from 182 countries will light the Paralympic flame this Wednesday at 8pm (RTVE) at the opening ceremony to light up the skies over Paris until next Sunday. The main novelty of this event will be the stands, which will once again be filled with the public, leaving behind the light and shadow of the pandemic. Everything will be bright and colorful. Diversity and inclusivity. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.
Equality is a common theme between the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as they share a common emblem and mascot: Friga.. Of course, the little Phrygian cap, symbol of the French Revolution of 1789, will be adorned with a prosthetic leg at the event. This element is not chosen by chance, but rather aims to “lead a new revolution through sport.” In addition, both the medal ribbon, designed by jewellery house Chaumet, and one of the obverses of the Olympic and Paralympic medals will be identical, with the latter including the words “Paris 2024” written in Braille.in honor of its creator, the Frenchman Louis Braille.
The opening ceremony parade will take to the streets and march from the Champs-Elysees to the Place de la Concorde. “The fact that this ceremony is taking place in the heart of the city is symbolic and aims to make inclusion of people with disabilities the foundation of our society,” explains Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 programme. Over eleven days of competition, 549 medals will be awarded in 22 sports included in the program. — there are no new ones — and they will be covered by more than 2,200 accredited journalists. The various disciplines will be held at 17 venues, and 3.4 million tickets have already been sold. Some start at 15 euros.
Increase
Paris 2024 will have more delegations than Tokyo 2020 (168), and will also see the debut of delegations from Eritrea, Kiribati and Kosovo, although some things do not change. Russian (88) and Belarusian (8) athletes will compete under a neutral flag, as they cannot participate as a country. Three years ago, Russia faced sanctions for a doping scandal. This time, however, it was the result of a conflict with Ukraine. It was these conflicts that led to the growing number of refugees.. At Rio 2016, it included just two athletes. At Tokyo 2020, there were six, and now there are eight, plus an athletics guide. They have a difficult mission: representing the interests of 120 million internally displaced people around the world.
The Spanish team has also grown, from 135 to 150 athletes (139 with disabilities and 11 with support). and will take part in 16 of the 22 sports. The average age is 33.2 years, there will be 45 debutants – more than in Tokyo. The presence of women is growing more slowly and is 36%. A recordsurpassing the records of Barcelona 1992 (29%), Atlanta 1996 (26%), Sydney 2000 (25%), Athens 2004 (22%), Beijing 2008 (24%), London 2012 (22%), Rio 2016 (24%) and Tokyo 2020 (31%). Teresa Perales, Susana Rodríguez, Eva Moral, Adi Iglesias, Nuria Márquez, Saray Gascón, Marta Fernández… are strong candidates for a medal.For the first time in our country, the prize will be the same for Olympians and Paralympians.— and give a boost to Spain, which with 683 metals (216 gold, 234 silver and 233 bronze) ranks twelfth in the ranking. The historical ranking is led by the United States (2,283), Great Britain (1,913) and China (1,229). It is China that has the largest delegation (282 athletes), followed by Brazil (255) and host France (237).
Judoka Marta Arce and rower Alvaro Valera will carry the Spanish flag at a ceremony that will be attended by a large number of athletes. star system international Paralympic sports such as American swimmer Jessica Long, who has 29 medals, dreams of catching up with her compatriot Tricia Zornthe greatest Paralympic medalist with 41 gold, nine silver and five bronze medals. Other stars to follow include Egypt’s Ibrahim Hamadtu (table tennis), British Sarah Storey (bicycle), Dutch Fleur Yong (athletics), indian Krishna Nagar (badminton), Swiss Marcel Hug (athletics), French Sandrine Martinet (judo), german Markus Rehm (athletics), Australian Qian Yang (table tennis) and the Italians Children’s saw (fencing) and Valentina Petrillo (athletics), who made history by becoming the first trans woman to compete in the Paralympic Games. Those that include people of color. “We must look at life as if we were children,” he insisted. Matisse. Impartial. Only with naivety and enthusiasm.
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