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.