Paris 2024 Paralympic Games concluded with great celebrations

HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 9 (ACN) The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games closed with a big party, in a closing ceremony attended by a representation of the 4,400 paratriathletes from the 168 delegations participating in this multi-sport event.

The Stade de France hosted the emotional activity, in which at the beginning there was a parade of competitors with the flags of their respective countries, on a night in which rain appeared at times, which did not prevent the celebration with dances, music and lots of joy.

For Cuba, the national flag was carried by Omara Durand, winner of three titles in the French capital, in the 100, 200 and 400 meters (m) of para-athletics, in the T12 category (profound visual impairment), to reach 11 Paralympic gold medals in her farewell to the tracks.

Among those present were Andrew Parsons, president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Emmanuel Macron, president of France, and Tony Estanguet, president of the Organizing Committee.

In the farewell speeches, Estanguet was the first to speak, stating that the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games were incredible and unforgettable thanks to its main protagonists, the paratriathletes.

For his part, Parsons praised the organization of this multi-sport event in the French capital, which he described as an excellent venue, with an enthusiastic and very special fan base.

Emblematic songs of the host nation enlivened the closing of the event, which was attended by several guest artists, some of them representative of the French electronic music scene.

Another important moment occurred when Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, handed over the Paralympic flag to Parsons, who in turn handed it over to Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles, the next host city for the competition.
There was also the presentation of Los Angeles 2028, the venue that will host both the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games in its next edition.

At the end of the event, the cauldron and the Paralympic flame were extinguished, giving way to a great farewell party for Paris 2024.