France bids farewell to successful Paralympics - ESPN

SAINT-DENIS, France — This time, it really is au revoir.

A summer sporting bonanza, which started under pouring rain on July 26 with a remarkable opening ceremony on the Seine River, was ending Sunday with the Paralympics closing at a rain-soaked Stade de France.

It lowers the curtain on successful back-to-back events that captivated fans and raised the bar high for others to follow. Good luck Los Angeles in 2028.

As the stadium was lit up in the blue, white and red colors of the French national flag, a trumpet player played the national anthem «La Marseillaise» and Paralympic flag-bearers then made their way into the stadium carrying national flags to the sound of «Chariots of Fire» by Vangelis.

«Everyone can see what an inclusive world is like,» Tony Estanguet, the head of the Paris Olympics in 2024, said in his closing speech. «Now there is no turning back.»

The International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons said France excelled itself as a host in both Games.

«Paris 2024 has set a benchmark for all future Paralympic Games,» Parsons said. «For a country famous for its fashion and its food, France is now famous for its fans.»

The crowd clapped along to a breakdancing set and, later Sunday, famed French electronic music composer Jean-Michel Jarre was to close out the ceremony which was again led by artistic director Thomas Jolly.

His intention this time was to turn the stadium into a giant open-air dance party. More than 20 DJs, including Étienne de Crécy, Martin Solveig and Kavinsky, were to perform in a tribute to French electro music to the theme «Journey of the Wave.»

Or the wave goodbye from the 64,000 fans, and the city itself, to the more than 4,000 Paralympic athletes.

Summer vibes kept going

After