The closing ceremony, held at the iconic Stade de France, was attended by approximately 4,400 athletes representing 168 Paralympic delegations from around the world.
In his address, Estanguet emphasized the significance of the Games and the Olympics, stating, “They would remain ‘etched in people’s memories’.”
“This summer, France had a date with history, and the country showed up,” he said, as quoted by AFP.
“This summer when people talked to each other, this summer when France was happy,” said the former Olympic canoeist, referring to how France had been left deeply divided by snap elections just weeks before the Olympics opened.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo handed the Paralympic flag to International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons, who then passed it to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
Broadway star Ali Stoker performed the American national anthem, followed by a film showcasing a band playing on a Californian beach as skateboarders and wheelchair athletes performed stunts.
Despite early concerns about ticket sales, the Paralympics drew large crowds, with mostly full stadiums. The event benefited from the positive momentum generated by the highly successful Olympics, which concluded on August 11.
Andrew Parsons stated that the Paris Paralympics demonstrated that “change starts with sport,” highlighting how the competition, organization, and gender parity of the athletes had set new benchmarks for the Paralympics.
The closing ceremony featured a dynamic hour-long set with 20 DJs, introduced by 76-year-old French electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre.
The Paralympic flame, housed in a cauldron designed as the base of a hot air balloon, could not complete its final ascent from the Tuileries Gardens on Sunday due to high winds and rain, according to organizers.
China topped the medals table in Paris, continuing their streak of leading the Paralympics since Athens 2004, with 94 gold medals. Britain followed with 49 golds, and the USA secured 36. Ukraine, despite the challenges posed by the ongoing conflict with Russian forces, finished seventh with 22 gold medals. Host nation France placed eighth with 19 golds.
On the final day of competition, Switzerland claimed victory in both Paralympic wheelchair marathons, while the Netherlands won the women’s wheelchair basketball title for the second consecutive time, overcoming the USA.
Early in the morning, Catherine Debrunner raced through the crisp autumn air in Paris to win the women’s marathon. The 29-year-old Swiss athlete added this victory to her impressive haul of four gold medals from the track events, spanning distances from 400 meters to 5,000 meters, along with a silver medal in the T53 100 meters.
Marcel Hug, 38, made up for a disappointing track performance by dominating the men’s wheelchair marathon, finishing a remarkable three minutes and 40 seconds ahead of China’s Hua Jin.
A moment of silence was observed after one of the women’s marathons to honor Rebecca Cheptegei, the Ugandan Olympic marathon runner who tragically passed away earlier this week following an attack by her partner. Cheptegei had placed 44th in the women’s marathon on August 11.
In wheelchair basketball, the Netherlands secured a convincing 63-49 victory over the USA to retain the women’s title they first won at Tokyo 2020. The American women will have to wait until 2028 to challenge for the title again, as their last win was at the 2016 Rio Games. The USA men’s team, meanwhile, won their third consecutive title on Saturday.
